Medical Disorders in Pregnancy

IPregnancy is a joyous time for most. Full of excitement, expectation and wonderful experiences, it is a time that, for all of its occasional inconveniences is considered among the most special and cherished of any woman’s life. From the moment that most women get a positive test result, the dream of what each stage of their pregnancy will be like, and anxiously look forward to each pregnancy milestone. Unfortunately, not all pregnancies are easy and worry free. Some women suffer from different medical disorders during pregnancy that can make being pregnant more than just mildly uncomfortable, in some cases, turning pregnancy into a much bigger and more traumatic ordeal.

Most people are familiar with some of the inconveniences of being pregnant. Food cravings, morning sickness, hemorrhoids and swollen feet are practically synonymous with being pregnant. There is however a number of much more serious medical disorders in pregnancy that afflict many women. Though most women suffer from the nausea that is commonly known as morning sickness to some extent or other there are some women that will become so violently afflicted that they are unable to eat, unable to gain weight and need to take mediation in order to get through each day. This condition is known as hyperemesis, and afflicts approximately 2% of all pregnant women.

Another common medical disorder in pregnancy that afflicts many women is gestational diabetes. The process of growing a whole human being causes many metabolic changes in a pregnant woman. Pregnant women must take in more calories than they often did pre-pregnancy and this sometimes combines with the metabolic changes and stresses on the body to cause the pregnant woman to develop gestational diabetes. Heightened sugar levels are detected through a glucose tolerance test that is administered in the late 2nd to early 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes typically corrects itself upon the birth of the child.

There are other medical disorders in pregnancy that affect many women closer to delivery as well. Some of these may require bed rest or special medication. Most will resolve themselves once the child is born, though there are some that may linger on following pregnancy or that may recur in subsequent pregnancies. Close supervision by an obstetrician can help ensure that any condition that arises during pregnancy is managed effectively.