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Women have been delivering babies since the dawn of time, and it’s no secret that, occasionally, things go wrong. Most women have no trouble whatsoever, but others face minor or even serious complications.
Fortunately, we can prevent many of them by assessing a woman’s health status and risk factors leading up to delivery, identifying the factors that may pose a potential problem, and addressing them promptly.
Dr. Jerome Washington has extensive experience caring for mothers-to-be with high-risk pregnancies at LUNA MED SPA & WASHINGTON OB-GYN. P.A., in San Antonio, Texas. As a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, he provides comprehensive, compassionate, and skilled care to women of all ages.
If you’re facing circumstances that may complicate your pregnancy or delivery, Dr. Washington and our team monitor you closely and ensure that you and your baby stay safe and healthy. Here, we explain what constitutes a high-risk pregnancy and how we manage it.
Let’s start with the good news: Having a high-risk pregnancy doesn’t mean you will have problems; it means you could have problems unless you and your doctor carefully manage your health. Also, high-risk pregnancies are fairly common — around 50,000 women in the United States experience high-risk pregnancies yearly, and most deliver healthy babies.
What conditions lead to a high-risk pregnancy diagnosis? Anything that requires extra attention or care to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery can be considered a risk factor. Here’s a partial list of possible high-risk factors:
You may start your pregnancy journey with no complications and develop a condition along the way. For example, you may be a healthy 25-year-old woman who develops gestational diabetes, or preeclampsia, which is pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
Working closely with Dr. Washington during your high-risk pregnancy can help you avoid complications, such as:
Most women of childbearing age experience worry-free pregnancies, but if Dr. Washington determines that yours falls into the high-risk category, he monitors you more frequently and runs tests to check on your health and your baby’s.
In addition to regular blood tests, blood pressure checks, and urine analyses, he uses ultrasound technology to follow fetal development. He also regularly checks oxygen levels, heart rate, movements, amniotic fluid levels, and breathing.
Because there are so many different causes of risky pregnancies, the symptoms are numerous and varied depending on the underlying problem. However, some symptoms indicate you may have developed a condition during pregnancy that qualifies you as high-risk, including:
Report these symptoms to Dr. Washington immediately, so he can perform a thorough exam and determine the source. Rest or lifestyle adjustments are often enough to resolve the issue.
If you have a preexisting condition that puts you or your baby at risk, Dr. Washington helps you manage that while keeping you both safe and healthy.
Dr. Washington takes high-risk pregnancies very seriously, and so should you. Contact us online or by phone to schedule a prenatal exam with Dr. Washington and find out if your pregnancy may require a bit of extra care.
