Complications

Common Pregnancy Complications

Although pregnancy complications are an unwanted issue, you should be aware of the fact that they may occur due to a number of circumstances. Among the several things that may complicate your pregnancy, some can be considered serious problems, but most of them are common issues, often easier to treat.

A common pregnancy complication is developing an ectopic pregnancy caused by sexual transmitted disease (STD). This may also occur because of another infection, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, or when a woman is diagnosed with endometriosis or any other female reproductive disorders or when she has undergone any type of sterilization procedure, causing severe pelvic pain, dizziness, heavy bleeding, and may even result in death.

Rh Negative Disease, is a problem caused by an Rh factor (positive or negative) in mother and baby different from each other. If a pregnant woman is Rh positive and her child is born Rh negative, she will start developing antibodies against the next Rh-negative baby. To avoid this complication doctors prescribe a medication of RhoGAM near 28 weeks of pregnancy to prevent the build up of such antibodies.

Fetal loss is a complication occurring up to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, usually due to fetal abnormalities. Miscarriages are typically preceded by intense cramping and spotting. The fetal loss can be confirmed by performing an ultrasound, before the body expels the fetus and the content of the uterus, but if this natural process does not occur, a dilatation and curettage (D&C) procedure may be necessary.

Although less often, miscarriage can also occur in the second trimester, if the cervix is weak and opens too early. Fetal loss at this stage is called incompetent cervix. However, if incompetent cervix is detected in time, doctors can prevent pregnancy loss by suturing the cervix, keeping it closed until delivery.

Bleeding is a common complication during late pregnancy, as a result of secondary placental complications or due to a vaginal or cervical infection. This is a dangerous complication because pregnant women bleeding late in pregnancy are at greater risk of losing their baby and hemorrhaging can lead them to death. Any sign of bleeding at any stage of your pregnancy should be reported to your doctor immediately.

Preterm Labor is a complication occurring when the woman's body tries to deliver the baby before 37 weeks, when she has not reached full-term, feeling a menstrual cramping-like or subtle backache. The risk at this stage is delivering the baby too early when contractions are stronger, closer and longer.

There are many other common complications associated with pregnancy, such as Gestational Diabetes, Low birth weight, Placental abruption or Placenta previa, but a periodic visit to your doctor can help to prevent these common problems, keeping good health until your due date.