While any pregnancy can be challenging, high risk pregnancies may potentially threaten the health of both the mother and the fetus. High risk pregnancies need a greater level of attention and monitoring since they carry an elevated risk of complications, and increase a baby’s chances for health and developmental problems at birth and beyond.
A pregnancy may be deemed high risk due to a variety of factors, such as pre-existing medical conditions, multiple births, previously abnormal pregnancies or health issues that develop during pregnancy. Routine screening tests, such as blood tests or ultrasound exams, along with diagnostic tests, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), will help identify whether a pregnancy is high risk. These screenings are used to determine the presence of a number of health problems as well as test for certain genetic conditions. Women dealing with high risk pregnancy must schedule more frequent visits with their doctor and manage their lifestyle to ensure proper prenatal care.