Health Problems in Pregnancy

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Summary

Every pregnancy has some risk of problems, but there are certain conditions and health issues that can raise that risk, such as:

A health condition you had before you got pregnant
A health condition you develop during pregnancy
A pregnancy with more than one baby
A health problem that happened during a previous pregnancy and could happen again
Substance use during pregnancy
Being over age 35

Any of these can affect your health, the health of your baby, or both.

If you have a chronic condition, you should talk to your health care provider about how to minimize your risk before you get pregnant. Once you are pregnant, you may need a health care team to monitor your pregnancy. Some common conditions that can complicate a pregnancy include:

Other conditions that may make pregnancy risky can develop during pregnancy - for example, gestational diabetes and Rh incompatibility. Good prenatal care can help detect and treat them.

Some symptoms, such as nausea, back pain, and fatigue, are common during pregnancy. Sometimes it is hard to know what is normal. Call your health care provider if something is bothering or worrying you.

Start Here

About High-Risk Pregnancy (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Pregnancy Complications (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Pregnant and Postpartum People (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
What Are Some Factors that Make a Pregnancy High Risk? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
What Health Problems Can Develop during Pregnancy? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms of Urgent Maternal Warnings Signs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Estrogen Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Prenatal Testing: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Progesterone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Preventing Overheating during Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Who Is at Increased Risk of Health Problems during Pregnancy? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Asthma and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
Asthma, Allergies and Pregnancy (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) Also in Spanish
Chronic Health Conditions and Pregnancy (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish
Delivering Safer Pregnancies: Lower Your Risk of Health Problems (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Depression and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
Epilepsy and Pregnancy (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Family Planning and Pregnancy with Multiple Sclerosis (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
Fever/Hyperthermia and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
Gaucher Disease and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
Headaches during Pregnancy: What's the Best Treatment? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Heart Conditions and Pregnancy: Know the Risks (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
IBS in Women (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
Lupus and Pregnancy (Lupus Foundation of America)
Pregnancy after 35: Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Pregnancy and Rheumatic Disease (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish
Providing Support for Pregnant or Postpartum People (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Thyroid Disease & Pregnancy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Will Stress during Pregnancy Affect My Baby? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Back Pain during Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Bleeding and Spotting from the Vagina during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish
Blood Clotting and Pregnancy (American Society of Hematology)
Cervical Length: Why Does It Matter during Pregnancy? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Fetal Growth Restriction (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Placental Abruption (March of Dimes Foundation)
Placental Accreta, Increta, and Percreta (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish
Pregnancy and Obesity: Know the Risks (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Umbilical Cord Conditions (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish

Test Your Knowledge

Is Your Pregnancy High Risk? (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

Benefits of Counseling During Pregnancy Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy Complications (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, High-Risk (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
March of Dimes Foundation Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Bed rest during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hydramnios (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hyperemesis gravidarum (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Insufficient cervix (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Placenta abruptio (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Placenta previa (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Pregnancy - health risks (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Vaginal bleeding in late pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish