{"id":1775,"date":"2023-03-20T13:06:51","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T13:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/?p=1775"},"modified":"2025-09-23T17:45:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T21:45:17","slug":"high-risk-obstetrician-what-makes-a-high-risk-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/blog\/high-risk-obstetrician-what-makes-a-high-risk-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"High-Risk Obstetrician: What Makes a High-Risk Pregnancy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When a person is pregnant, but their pregnancy includes health risks for both the baby and the mother, this condition is called a high-risk pregnancy. Specialists who handle patients with high-risk pregnancies are called <\/span><a href=\"\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/obstetrician-bradenton-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">high-risk obstetricians<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and they specialize in dealing with and managing high-risk pregnancy complications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clinics, such as <\/span><a href=\"\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Women&#8217;s Care of Bradenton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, are equipped to help future mothers overcome the risks and complications possible during their pregnancies. The in-house high-risk obstetricians are specifically trained to guide these patients and help them deliver healthy babies while preserving their general health.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Makes a Pregnancy High-Risk?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is well known that every pregnancy brings certain risks and exposes the mother and the child to potential complications during those nine months prior to delivery. When speaking about high-risk pregnancies, the risk factors are much higher than normal, and they tend to endanger the mother, the child, or both. Women diagnosed with this condition need to be additionally monitored and cared for, from conception to delivery and afterward. This is a safe way to avoid high-risk pregnancy complications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That said, no rule states that if you are having a high-risk pregnancy, you and your child must suffer throughout the process. Many women with this condition carry out their pregnancy perfectly well and have a safe delivery of a healthy child.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Around 50,000 women in the United States go through severe high-risk pregnancy complications every year. Some researchers state that African-American women are three times more prone to die from complications related to their pregnancy than Caucasian women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Causes\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes-.jpg\" alt=\"Male Doctor and Female Patient Talking on the Office Desk Showing Health Problem Communication Between Patient and Doctor.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes--200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes--400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes--600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes--800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/Causes-.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Different factors make a pregnancy high-risk, and they can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Already existent health issues\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Health issues arising from the pregnancy itself<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Habits such as smoking, alcohol use or drug use<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exposure to toxins<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being over 35 or under 17 while pregnant\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When it comes to preexisting health issues, there are several that can directly influence your pregnancy, and they are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lupus<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Multiple sclerosis\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Autoimmune diseases\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fibroids\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Covid-19<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">HIV\/AIDS<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">High blood pressure\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kidney disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mental health issues (depression)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Obesity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Low body max index (less than 18)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Issues with the thyroid gland<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blood clotting issues\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conditions that can arise from the pregnancy itself are also health risks for both the mother and the child, and they include different congenital disabilities, genetic conditions of the child, gestational diabetes, slow growth of the fetus, preeclampsia, eclampsia, prior preterm labor or issues with previous pregnancies, and similar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Symptoms of High-Risk Pregnancies\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following list of symptoms will help you identify whether or not you are potentially having a high-risk pregnancy, so you can contact your chosen doctor and schedule a check-up. The symptoms are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chest pains<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pain in the abdomen\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fainting or dizziness\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Very severe fatigue and exhaustion\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Slow or no fetus movement\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fever over 100\u00b0F<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nausea<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vomiting (excluding morning sickness)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Heart palpitations\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Face and limbs are red, swollen, or painful\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Headaches that are continuous and severe<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Issues with breathing\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vaginal bleeding\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vaginal discharge\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tendencies to harm yourself or the baby\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Age as a Significant Factor\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As mentioned in the beginning, age is one of the most common risk factors when it comes to pregnancies characterized as high-risk. Future mothers who are over 35 or under 17 are always placed in the high-risk category, and here are some reasons why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Women over 35 are more likely to experience complications than those younger, especially when it comes to early pregnancy loss, gestational diabetes, and the like. For women younger than 17, the complications might be related to anemia, the small likelihood of getting high-quality prenatal care, the higher probability of premature labor and birth, lack of information regarding sexually transmitted infections, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>High-Risk Pregnancy Complications\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are numerous complications when it comes to a high-risk pregnancy, and below we have compiled a list that is in no way extensive but might be helpful for future mothers:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Preeclampsia (high blood pressure caused by the pregnancy)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Preterm delivery\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eclampsia (seizure caused by the pregnancy)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C-section delivery\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">High or low birth weight\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Congenital disabilities\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Extensive bleeding during delivery or afterward<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Issues with the brain development of the baby<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Intensive care after delivery for both the mother and the child<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stillbirth\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Miscarriage\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Management\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The very first step you have to take when you find out you are pregnant and choose a medical professional who will be your doctor during pregnancy is to schedule and attend prenatal care check-ups. It is of the utmost importance to share everything related to your health history with the doctor and any vital information concerning a previous pregnancy if that applies to your case. This is crucial to detect and diagnose high-risk pregnancies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Doctors often use blood and urine tests, ultrasonography, a non-stress test, or a biophysical profile to monitor your health and the baby&#8217;s progress and development. Blood and urine tests are used to check for congenital conditions and genetic issues. Ultrasonography uses sound waves to screen the child for congenital disabilities. A biophysical profile test is most often recommended to monitor the child&#8217;s breathing patterns, movements, and amniotic fluid levels. Lastly, a non-stress test is the best option for observing the fetus&#8217;s heartbeat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, after you have been diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, the question is how to manage it and successfully deliver a healthy and happy baby. There are a few steps you can take, but this all depends on which risk factors you are exposed to, and the task of your chosen doctor will be to create a care plan for you. The steps can include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regular consultations with a high-risk obstetrician\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consultations with your chosen doctor and other medical experts\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frequent ultrasounds and close evaluation of the fetus\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blood pressure monitoring at home<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Monitoring of the medication intake used to regulate preexisting conditions\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Prevention Strategies\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely prevent high-risk pregnancies, but you can reduce the risks by avoiding the usage of drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, identifying your health issues before getting pregnant, maintaining a healthy diet and body weight, managing health conditions you suffer from, planning to get pregnant after 18 and before you turn 35, and practicing safe sex by using protection regularly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Can Happen After a High-Risk Pregnancy?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1778\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy-.jpg\" alt=\"Happy Pregnant Woman Visit Gynecologist Doctor at Hospital or Medical Clinic for Pregnancy Consultant\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy--200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy--400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy--600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy--800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/What-Can-Happen-After-a-High-Risk-Pregnancy-.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even if your pregnancy, although deemed high-risk, does not cause any problems and you successfully deliver your child, there might be some consequences for you in the future, which can include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Postpartum depression<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">High blood pressure\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Issues with future pregnancies\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stroke\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diabetes type 2<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cardiovascular issues\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The consequences the child can suffer from are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Breathing problems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/childrensmentalhealth\/behavior.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Behavioral issues\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mental health diagnosis\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gastrointestinal disorders\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Developmental issues\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Growth delays\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Obesity\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diabetes\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Neurological complications\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Issues with the child&#8217;s vision, hearing, or teeth\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Contact Us!<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you still have not found the answer to what makes a high-risk pregnancy, use the contacts on our website and call our clinic. Our experts are here to explain anything you might want to know and guide you through a safe pregnancy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a person is pregnant, but their pregnancy includes health risks for both the baby and the mother, this condition is called a high-risk pregnancy. Specialists who handle patients with high-risk pregnancies are called high-risk obstetricians, and they specialize in dealing with and managing high-risk pregnancy complications.\u00a0 Clinics, such as Women&#8217;s Care of Bradenton, are<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[245,488,489,490,487],"class_list":["post-1775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pregnancy","tag-high-risk-pregnancy","tag-high-risk-obstetrician","tag-high-risk-pregnancies","tag-high-risk-pregnancy-complications","tag-what-makes-a-high-risk-pregnancy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/womens-care-of-bradenton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}