What Makes a Pregnancy High Risk?

If you’re expecting a baby, your excitement may be tempered by a good bit of worry. 

Certain factors can push your pregnancy into a classification known as “high risk,” which is why it’s critical to be under the care of an excellent OB/GYN. Dr. Keven Hooker has many years of experience treating pregnant women whose pregnancies require closer care than most. 

What factors cause a pregnancy to be labeled high-risk?

Before we outline high-risk pregnancies, it’s important to know that even if yours is considered high-risk, the odds are in your favor for having a healthy baby, but this is why it’s so critical to connect with an excellent OB/GYN who can carefully monitor you and your baby throughout your pregnancy, and be there to see you through your birth and afterward. 

An encouraging fact is that, of all births, just 6-8% of these births involve high-risk complications.

Here are some common nonmodifiable and modifiable factors that raise the chances that a pregnancy will be classified as high-risk. 

Nonmodifiable risk factors that contribute to high-risk pregnancy

You may be at risk for pregnancy complications if you suffer from a chronic condition, such as:

1. Diabetes (not gestational) must be carefully managed as both mother and baby are at increased risk for complications and potential birth defects. 

2. Chronic high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart and kidney failure, as well as preeclampsia and hypertension that happens in pregnancy. It, too, must be well managed, as it can lead to reduced growth for your baby, premature labor, and pregnancy loss. Other symptoms include high protein levels in the urine, blurred vision, and headaches. 

3. Rheumatic diseases, such as lupus, can increase your risk for preeclampsia, and if it’s not well controlled when you enter pregnancy, you can experience a worse lupus flare-up. 

4. Infectious diseases like HIV, rubella (German measles), toxoplasmosis, hepatitis B and C, and varicella (chicken pox) can cause pregnancy complications and damage to the baby, from learning problems to vision or hearing loss. Getting vaccinated for those infections before you become pregnant is important. 

5. If a genetic disorder such as cystic fibrosis, Tay Sachs disease, if the mother is Jewish with Eastern European roots, or sickle cell disease in African Americans, has been present in your family, your pregnancy is at higher risk, and closer monitoring for your entire pregnancy is needed. 

6. Chromosomal problems, such as Down syndrome, put you at higher risk for miscarriage or stillbirth, so your pregnancy will be overseen more carefully.

7. If it is discovered that your developing baby has a birth defect, like a congenital heart defect or a problem like spina bifida, makes close prenatal monitoring necessary. For some babies, certain problems can be corrected before birth, while others require intervention immediately after birth. 

8. Age impacts your pregnancy too. You’re at higher risk for conditions like gestational diabetes and preterm labor if you have a baby when you’re under 17 or over 35. 

9. Pregnancy-related problems, including a history of pregnancy loss or stillbirth, increase your risk for complications like preterm labor, as does a past problematic birth, for example, if you went into labor early. 

Other risk factors include preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and placental problems like placenta accreta when placental blood vessels and other parts of the placenta grow abnormally deeply into the uterine wall, not enough or excessive amniotic fluid. Being pregnant with multiple babies is another.

Modifiable risk factors that contribute to high-risk pregnancy

Lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and using recreational drugs put your baby’s health at risk while they’re developing. Your birth may also be more complex.

We encourage you to share any struggles you may have with stopping the use of any of these substances because he can help by educating you about the risks for you and your baby and referring you to agencies that can assist you. 

Managing a high-risk pregnancy

Seeking care with Dr. Hooker may be one of the best decisions you make in your pregnancy. Our office is also equipped with imaging technology, so Dr. Hooker can monitor your baby closely through 2D and 3D ultrasounds to preventively take care of any issue that may develop during your pregnancy. 

There’s no doubt that when you come to Lake Havasu OB/GYN, you and your baby are in the best hands. Dr. Hooker is a knowledgeable, seasoned pro who truly listens and cares, and that alone should bring you considerable comfort as you embark on the journey to motherhood. 

Contact us at 928-683-1667 to make an appointment with Dr. Hooker if you’re pregnant or considering getting pregnant, or request one through our website.