Is my baby at risk?

Oct 09, 2014 Ruchira Dhoke Lifestyle & Health, Women's Health 0

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For a pregnant mom a feeling that something is growing in her womb is out of this world. She is pregnant with a dream to have a cute little munchkin to hold in her hands at the end of the nine months, for which she cannot wait.

Having a glowing and healthy pregnancy can bring this joy”

The few concerns that a pregnant mother experiences are:

I am pregnant and I have hypothyroidism, is my baby at risk?

The thyroid hormone ensures a baby’s normal development of the brain and nervous system. During the first trimester, the fetus gets his supply of the thyroid hormone from the mother through the placenta. At around 12 weeks, the baby’s thyroid begins to function on its own.

A notice­ably enlarged thyroid gland in a pregnant woman can be a sign of thyroid disease and needs to be evaluated. The main cause of hyperthyroidism in one out of every 500 pregnancies is usu­ally the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disor­der.

Uncontrolled hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lead to:

1. preeclampsia
2. anemia
3. miscarriage
4. low birth weight
5. stillbirth

Hypothyroidism can be checked and monitored by testing for the thyroid hormones TSH and T₄ levels.

The symptoms of hypothyroidism in pregnancy are extreme fatigue, muscle cramps, constipation, and problems with memory and concentration. Hypothyroidism can be treated with synthetic thyroid hormone called thyroxine which is safe and equally necessary for the well-being of the fetus if the mother has hypothyroidism.

I am pregnant and I have hypertension, is my baby at risk?

Hypertension is one the most common medical problem encountered during pregnancy, complicating 2-3% of pregnancies which is classified into 4 categories:

1. Chronic hypertension
2. Preeclampsia-eclampsia
3. Preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension
4. Gestational hypertension

High blood pressure during pregnancy poses various risks like:

1. Decreased blood flow to the placenta which leads to less oxygen and fewer nutrients the baby causing slow growth, low birth weight or preterm birth
2. Placental abruption due to preeclampsia where the placenta separates from the inner wall of your uterus before delivery. Severe abruption of placenta causes heavy bleeding and damage to the placenta, there by threatening the life of both mother and her baby.
3. Premature delivery
4. Future cardiovascular disease

Some medications used to lower blood pressure are considered safe during pregnancy, and can be prescribed to control high blood pressure but others such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and renin inhibitors should be avoided during pregnancy.

Treatment is important because high blood pressure can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby.

I am pregnant and I have gestational diabetes, is my baby at risk?

Pregnant women who have high blood glucose (sugar) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes whose prevalence as high as 9.2%.

Gestational diabetes generally does not cause the kinds of birth defects as it affects the mother in her late pregnancy, after the baby’s body has been formed.

Uncontrolled or untreated gestational diabetes can harm the baby. In gestational diabetes, the pancreas has to work overtime to produce insulin which in turn is incapable of lowering the blood glucose levels. Thus there is an unrequired amount of transplacental transfer of glucose causing the baby’s pancreas to secrete extra insulin .The baby is now getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, which  is stored as fat.

This leads to macrosomia, or a “fat” baby.

Such babies face health problems like damage to their shoulders during birth. Babies with excess insulin are more susceptible to risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for type 2 diabetes.

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• health, pregnancy, risk factor in pregnancy, women's health

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