Pregnancy Risk Factors To Guard Against

There are many pregnancy risk factors that could affect the health of you or your baby. These factors will vary from pregnancy to pregnancy and from mother to mother. Your personal pregnancy risk factors will be determined by your pre-pregnancy health, your habits and routines, your family health history and the father’s family health history. This is why it’s important to be upfront with your doctor when you first begin prenatal care.

Proper nutrition is especially important during pregnancy to avoid possible pregnancy risk factors. Many neonatal risks can be eliminated or greatly reduced when the mother gets a high level of folic acid in her diet. Other links, such as those with Vitamin B, have also been discovered between nutrition and healthy pregnancy.

In addition, if you have a drinking or drug problem or if you’re a smoker, your baby could be at additional risk. Even caffeine has been shown to affect a baby’s heart rate and health adversely. Even if you quit when you find out you’re pregnant, your pregnancy began before that point. You should be honest with your doctor about these habits so that any risks associated with them can be addressed and monitored carefully.

High blood pressure is another common pregnancy risk factor that can cause major problems in pregnancy. High blood pressure during pregnancy puts the fetus under undue stress, which can cause problems with the baby’s heart rate and blood pressure. High blood pressure during pregnancy can also cause premature birth, either naturally or forced by the need to get the baby out before further damage can be done.

With this in mind, you should talk to your doctor if you have a history of high blood pressure. If you do have that history or if your doctor discovers that your blood pressure is high, you should take action immediately by starting a low sodium diet and avoid stressful situations. If the problem persists, risk can be reduced by placing the mother on bed rest.

A mother’s age can also have an effect on the pregnancy risk factors involved. Older women are more likely to experience high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, also known as high blood sugar. These risks are common, but as age increases, the risks become more concerning.

Especially young mothers, such as teens under the age of sixteen, carry an entirely different set of pregnancy risk factors. If the teen has indeed been having completely unprotected sex, she should be tested for all types of disease early in the pregnancy. Many sexually transmitted diseases can cause pregnancy complications and disease in the infant. Therefore, it’s important that these are caught and treated early on.

Additionally, significantly young or old expecting mothers will find that pregnancy takes much more out of them physically than it would if they were in the prime of their twenties. The fact is that younger mothers will be giving over important nutrients that they need for their own growth to their unborn baby, putting their own health at risk. Older expecting mothers won’t have as many nutrients in their body naturally, leading to problems as the baby begins to steal nutrients from the mother. In either case, additional vitamins or a strict diet should be put into place early in the pregnancy to guard against health risks for both mother and child.