High-risk pregnancy

High-risk pregnancy
Ultrasound during Pregnancy
Ultrasound during pregnancy
SpecialtyObstetrics, midwifery
Risk factorsHigh blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, renal disease, autoimmune disease, fetal growth restriction, multiple gestations, congenital fetal abnormalities
Diagnostic methodBased on symptoms, imaging, screening

A high-risk pregnancy is a pregnancy where the mother or the fetus has an increased risk of adverse outcomes compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. No concrete guidelines currently exist for distinguishing “high-risk” pregnancies from “low-risk” pregnancies; however, there are certain studied conditions that have been shown to put the mother or fetus at a higher risk of poor outcomes.[1] These conditions can be classified into three main categories: health problems in the mother that occur before she becomes pregnant, health problems in the mother that occur during pregnancy, and certain health conditions with the fetus.[2]

In 2012, the CDC estimated that there are approximately 65,000 pregnancies deemed "high-risk" in the United States each year.[3]

  1. ^ Alfirevic, Zarko; Stampalija, Tamara; Gyte, Gillian M. L. (2013-11-12). Alfirevic, Zarko (ed.). "Fetal and umbilical Doppler ultrasound in high-risk pregnancies". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013 (11): CD007529. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007529.pub3. ISSN 1469-493X. PMC 6464948. PMID 24222334.
  2. ^ "High-Risk Pregnancy: Overview". www.nichd.nih.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-07.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Holness N (June 2018). "High-Risk Pregnancy". The Nursing Clinics of North America. 53 (2): 241–251. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2018.01.010. PMID 29779516. S2CID 29159713.