There are so many great things that come along with being pregnant such as bringing life into the world, the baby showers, the tax write-offs, and the amazing changes pregnancy does to a woman's body. Some women even consider the morning sickness and the bloating to be wonderful in pregnancy because they know it will all be worth it in the end. Some women, though, have a very difficult pregnancy with various risks that may make them second guess having children in the future. These risks range from the physical characteristics women may experience to preeclampsia to gestational diabetes.
If you're in your early twenties or early thirties, the physical characteristics that pregnancy will put on your body are slim. However if you're fifteen or younger, you could be at a risk for preeclampsia (high blood pressure that occurs during pregnancy). You could also be at risk for having babies that are underweight, that may develop anemia, or go into preterm labor. Women who are thirty-five or older still run a risk in having preeclampsia but also run a risk of getting gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It will usually go away after the baby is born.), stillbirth, Down Syndrome, difficult labor, or a placenta that will detach too soon or will mislocate.
Women who weighed less than 100 pounds before getting pregnant will more than likely give birth to babies that are smaller and underweight, while obese women will give weight to larger babies ultimately making their labor harder. Pregnant obese women also run a higher risk of gestational diabetes (gestational diabetes is less likely to go away in obese women versus average weight women) or high blood pressure.
A risk that can be preventable but sometimes is not is if the mother drinks alcohol during the pregnancy. Alcohol consumption by mother to fetus has a high risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) is the leading cause of mental retardation and can cause other problems such as facial defects, behavioral issues, eating and sleeping problems with the baby, sight and hearing problems, the need for medical care sometime during the child's life, deformed organs, and central nervous system dysfunction. FAE (fetal alcohol effects) is less severe but still has damaging side effects if the mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy.
Any cold or infection must be taken care of and treated right away. If treatment is prolonged, it could possibly cause preterm labor and other health problems from mother to fetus. Some infections include toxoplasmosis, HIV or AIDS, and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite found in raw, uncooked meats or in cat feces. It is extremely important for the mother to wear gloves when dealing with raw meats or when changing the cat's litter box. Any contamination can be passed along to the fetus and can cause mental and physical problems before birth.
If a woman is pregnant and HIV positive, there is a one in four chance that the disease will passed along to the fetus. Since HIV slowly kills the immune system, it can slow the process of the body's ability to fight off sickness and diseases. HIV can also be spread to the fetus through the contact of infected blood or during delivery.
Certain STDs such as Chlamydia can cause preterm labor as well a rupture of the membranes. Another STD that can be passed on from mother to child is Hepatitis- more specifically Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B can be spread mainly from infected blood, shared needles, and sexual intercourse. Hepatitis B can be passed on to the fetus through pregnancy or during delivery.
