Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefining High-Risk PregnancyWhat It Doesn’t MeanProvidersAppointmentsWhat to DoSelf-Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Defining High-Risk Pregnancy
What It Doesn’t Mean
Providers
Appointments
What to Do
Self-Care
A pregnancy is considered high risk if the person giving birth and/or the fetus has an increased chance of experiencing a health problem during pregnancy or delivery, compared to a typical pregnancy.
Factors that may make a pregnancy high risk include preexisting health conditions of the pregnant person, their age, the medications they take, any health conditions they have that are related to the pregnancy or fetus, and their lifestyle factors such as substance use.
A high-riskpregnancydoes not necessarily mean something will go wrong; it means that your healthcare provider is likely to monitor the pregnancy more closely and may refer you to specialists, such as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist.
A pregnancy is considered high risk if the pregnant person, the fetus, or both have a higher risk for health problemsduring pregnancy or labor.
The increased risk may stem from a preexisting health condition the pregnant person has or problems with the pregnancy itself. The risk may be known before conception, develop during pregnancy, or happen quickly as the result of an event during pregnancy.
Existing Health Conditions
This list is not all-inclusive. Other health conditions may increase risks during pregnancy. Talk to your healthcare provider about your medical history and any health conditions you may have.
Health Conditions During Pregnancy
Health conditions or complications may arise during the pregnancy that could lead to the pregnancy being considered high-risk. These may include:
Some infections may also cause complications during pregnancy, including:
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Certain Medications
If you are taking certain medications, your healthcare provider may suggest alternative treatment, or make a plan to monitor you. These medications may include the psychiatric medication lithium, and the anti-seizure medications Dilantin (phenytoin),Depakene(valproic acid), and Tegretol (carbamazepine).
Don’t stop taking your medication or change your treatment plan without first talking to your healthcare provider.
Age of Birthing Parent
Birthing parents who are very young, such as teenagers, are more likely than adults to experience risks such as:
First-time birthing parents who areover age 35also have a higher chance of certain risks, such as:
Lifestyle Factors
Some lifestyle factors can increase the risk for pregnancy complications, including:
What High-Risk Pregnancy Doesn’t Mean
Having a high-risk pregnancy does not necessarily mean that:
Many people with high-risk pregnancies go on to have a typical pregnancy and birth.
Which Providers Oversee High-Risk Pregnancy?
Aperinatologist, also called a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, is a physician who has the traditional education in obstetrics and gynecology but also has an additional three years of training to treat pregnancy complications.
You may continue to see your regular healthcare provider and the perinatologist—or your perinatologist may be your primary healthcare provider—for your pregnancy.
Birthing parents with high-risk pregnancies are almost always advised to deliver in a hospital setting so that proper personnel, equipment, and monitoring are ready if needed.
The University of Utah offersa search toolon its website to help locate perinatologists in your area.
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) provides links to a number ofresources on high-risk pregnancies.
You may choose to meet with a perinatologist before you become pregnant if you have preexisting risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy. This allows you to discuss anything that needs to be addressed before pregnancy (such as managing blood pressure) and what pregnancy may be like. If applicable, you may choose to do pre-pregnancy genetic testing.
During a high-risk pregnancy, you may need more visits with your healthcare provider than is typical. You will have the standard pregnancy screenings, such asblood pressure checksand urine tests that check for protein and urinary tract infections, but you may be monitored more often. You may also have more than the standard amount ofultrasounds.
Tests that may be run during a high-risk pregnancy include:
Amniocentesis
Communicating With Your ProvidersGood communication between you and your providers is key for your medical care and emotional well-being. Having a high-risk pregnancy can be scary, and your provider must foster a relationship in which you feel comfortable voicing your questions and concerns.It is OK to ask for clarification, to bring questions or take notes, or to ask if someone can accompany you to your appointments and tests.It’s also important for you to be open and honest with your healthcare provider. They need to know about the medications you are on, substances you have used, and other pertinent information so that they can give you the most informed care.Ask them how best to contact them and where to go if you need to be seen urgently.
Communicating With Your Providers
Good communication between you and your providers is key for your medical care and emotional well-being. Having a high-risk pregnancy can be scary, and your provider must foster a relationship in which you feel comfortable voicing your questions and concerns.It is OK to ask for clarification, to bring questions or take notes, or to ask if someone can accompany you to your appointments and tests.It’s also important for you to be open and honest with your healthcare provider. They need to know about the medications you are on, substances you have used, and other pertinent information so that they can give you the most informed care.Ask them how best to contact them and where to go if you need to be seen urgently.
Good communication between you and your providers is key for your medical care and emotional well-being. Having a high-risk pregnancy can be scary, and your provider must foster a relationship in which you feel comfortable voicing your questions and concerns.
It is OK to ask for clarification, to bring questions or take notes, or to ask if someone can accompany you to your appointments and tests.
It’s also important for you to be open and honest with your healthcare provider. They need to know about the medications you are on, substances you have used, and other pertinent information so that they can give you the most informed care.
Ask them how best to contact them and where to go if you need to be seen urgently.
What to Do If You Have a High-Risk Pregnancy
First, take a deep breath. It’s natural to feel a wide array of emotions with a high-risk pregnancy. Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can manage any anxiety you are feeling and ask about resources for support.
What you read online or hear from others may not apply to you. Your healthcare provider can answer your questions, work with you to form a pregnancy and birth plan, and talk you through your concerns.
What to Do If the Birthing Parent Could Be In Distress
Talk to your healthcare provider beforehand about what to look for that could signal signs of distress or emergency, and what to do.
As a general guide,call 911 or seek emergency care right awayif you or a pregnant person:
Call your healthcare provider or seek urgent medical care if you or a pregnant person with you:
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Summary
A pregnancy may be considered high risk due to factors such as preexisting health conditions in the birthing parent, problems related to the pregnancy, medications the birthing parent may be taking, the age of the birthing parent, or lifestyle factors.
People with a high-risk pregnancy usually need extra monitoring and may have tests, such as anultrasound, performed more often. A high-risk pregnancy does not necessarily mean you won’t have a healthy pregnancy and birth.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MyHealth Alberta.High-risk pregnancy.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.About high-risk pregnancy.
Yale Medicine.High-risk pregnancy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes during pregnancy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.High-risk pregnancy: what you need to know.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rubella (German measles, three-day measles): pregnancy and rubella.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are some factors that make a pregnancy high risk?
March of Dimes.Pregnancy after age 35.
American Pregnancy Association.What is a high-risk pregnancy?
UNC Medical Center.High-risk pregnancy.
March of Dimes.Premature babies.
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