Dr. Ahdoot shares examples of high-risk pregnancies and describes which women are at the greatest risk for having a high-risk pregnancy.
Dr. Ahdoot:
Expect that pregnancy is an altered normal state, normal meaning pregnancy is a normal event, but of course your body goes through significant changes including decreased immune system, your ability to get around can change, and of course, the healthier you are, the better you will do through the pregnancy. If you have a high-risk pregnancy, those changes are just more exponential and depending on the risk factors of the patient.
So, if you are in a good physical shape and good health, you can absorb a high-risk pregnancy much better than someone who may not be at the best shape of their life.
Most common high-risk pregnancies include diabetes, hypertension, and nowadays a lot of multiple gestations. Those are the most common things that we see and one of the reasons is that more and more women are now professionals therefore, they decide to have children later on in life.
As a consequence, by the time they are pregnant their medical problems may be bigger than it was in their 20s. So in the late 30s, early 40s, we tend to see people start developing hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and other medical problems that can potentially complicate pregnancy.
No, it may be just a minor situation, which would actually trigger more attention to that patient. The whole idea is that if you are having high-risk pregnancy make sure you are in an institution that has a neonatal intensive care unit, perinatologist and gynecologist and obstetricians all work together with a nursing staff that’s trained to handle high-risk situations.
About Dr. David Ahdoot, M.D.:
David Ahdoot specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He attended medical school at the University of California San Diego Medical Center. Later he went on to do his internship and residency at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. With more than 16 years experience, Dr. Ahdoot is a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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