Pregnancy at risk-what is it caused by?

Pregnancy at risk-what does it mean?

During the course of pregnancy, various complications can arise that require, among other things. more frequent checks at the gynecologist’s office or consultations with other specialists. Sometimes hospitalization in a pregnancy pathology unit is also necessary. Some of the complications that arise during pregnancy can have a very significant impact on the duration of pregnancy. This is because they can lead, for example, to miscarriage or premature birth. An endangered pregnancy is therefore a high-risk pregnancy, often requiring specialized care.

Pregnancy at risk- causes

The greatest danger comes in the first weeks of pregnancy. This is also when the risk of miscarriage is highest. Most often, pregnancy loss is caused by genetic defects in the baby. Other causes include anatomical defects of the uterus that prevent the normal development of pregnancy, such as uterine septum or myomas (mainly submucosal). Besides, miscarriages can be caused by abnormal function of the corpus luteum and too low levels of progesterone in the woman’s body. However, it is not a foregone conclusion that in such a situation the pregnancy will definitely end in miscarriage. In gynecology and obstetrics, the term “threatened miscarriage” is distinguished. This is a situation in which there are symptoms suggestive of a miscarriage, such as bleeding from the genital tract or mild lower abdominal pain, but nevertheless no miscarriage has occurred, i.e. the pregnancy is alive.

Pregnancy at risk- risk factors

Risk factors for a pregnancy at risk include :

• past miscarriages,
• intrauterine adhesions,
• Cervical insufficiency in previous pregnancies,
• uterine myomas,
• Pelvic endometriosis,
• established thrombophilia.

Women with chronic diseases-hypertension or obesity-also have a higher risk of a pregnancy at risk. The risk of possible pregnancy complications also increases with the age of the mother-to-be.

Read more: Pregnancy after 35. year old

Pregnancy at risk- management

The management of pregnancies at risk is unfortunately quite limited. If it is caused by failure of the luteal (corpus luteum) phase, progesterone supplementation is recommended. The effectiveness of progesterone use in any pregnancy at risk, meanwhile, is controversial among specialists. For pregnancies at risk, it is extremely important to rest and avoid stressful situations.

If the pregnancy is endangered due to the so-called “pregnancy risk. cervical insufficiency, in addition to progesterone, is used the so-called. cervical suture. And if cervical dilation occurs early in the pregnancy, an emergency suture is placed on the woman.  In the case of habitual miscarriages (min. 3), it is very important to try to find the cause. They are often caused by antiphospholipid syndrome. If diagnosed, management consists of taking acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and low-molecular-weight heparin by the mother-to-be.

Nowadays, in the case of an at-risk pregnancy, doctors advise against the so-called “at-risk pregnancy”. bed regime, as it increases the risk of thromboembolism and can lead to pulmonary embolism.