What are the most common complications of pregnancy?

Common pregnancy complications include:

• Urinary tract infections in pregnancy
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Gestational diabetes
• Hypertension
• Pre-eclampsia

‘Complications of pregnancy’ is a term that covers any physical or mental condition that might actually affect your health or the health of your baby, including conditions you already have before your pregnancy, as well as those that develop while you’re pregnant or after the birth.

Some risk factors you can control – by changing your diet, for example – some are hereditary (but this doesn’t mean you’ll automatically develop them). You’re more likely to be at an increased risk of pregnancy complications if:

• You are over 40
• You are diabetic
• You’re overweight with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of more than 30
• You already have hypertension (High Blood Pressure) when you conceive
• You're carrying twins
• You have a serious pre-existing condition such as a heart, kidney or lung problem

You’ll be happy to hear that the vast majority of pregnancies are free from any serious complications – over 80%. It’s estimated that only about 8% of women may be diagnosed with a complication during pregnancy – a condition that could affect their own or their baby’s health if left untreated. So the two things to take away are:

1. The odds are well in your favour to enjoy a pregnancy free from complications.
2. If a pregnancy complication is diagnosed, with the right treatment it need not affect your or your baby’s health.

It’s hard to keep the germs and bugs at bay at the best of times. But there are some infections you really don’t want to get while you’re pregnant as they can lead to pregnancy complications. here are a few to avoid.

Increased vaginal discharge during pregnancy is perfectly normal and, surprisingly, a Good Thing. It’s nature’s way of flushing the vagina clean, preventing infection travelling up into the womb. However, do talk to your GP or midwife if your discharge has an unpleasant smell, you feel itchy or sore, or you have pain when you wee. It might be a sign of infection, the most likely diagnosis being vaginal thrush. Vaginal discharge is undignified, unpleasant, but treatable. And not a complication.

Around one in five women experience some degree of pain and discomfort in their pelvis and abdomen during pregnancy. Occasionally this turns out to be more serious than the everyday discomfort of carrying all that extra weight while your body seems to be turning into rubber. The pain is worse when you’re going up or down stairs, and it even hurts when you just roll over in bed.

The symptoms could be related to a pregnancy complication known as pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain (PGP). This can lead to long term problems if left untreated, so do talk to your doctor. They’ll probably refer you to physiotherapist who may recommend you wear a pelvic support belt.

As well as gentle exercise combined with plenty of rest and avoiding heavy lifting, here are a couple of tips for living with PGP:

• Putting a pillow between your legs gives you extra support when lying on your side in bed
• Keeping your knees together while getting in and out of the car makes it a lot easier

Diabetes is a disease that affects how our bodies process sugars and turn them into energy. You can be born with it (type 1), or it may develop later in life (type 2) due to an unhealthy diet and lifestyle – eating too many sugary foods, being overweight and not getting enough exercise are all risk factors. Then there is gestational diabetes, which is not food related, one of those pregnancy complications that appears just because of all those changes in pregnancy hormone levels.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes caused not by your genes or your sugar intake, but purely by the hormonal changes brought on by pregnancy. With all the extra demands on it, your body sometimes just can’t produce enough insulin to control your blood glucose levels.

It affects a small percentage of pregnant women (around 1 in 20 in Europe) and usually appears around the 24th week. Even though it’s not directly caused by high blood sugar (glucose) levels, you’re at risk if you are overweight, inactive or pre-diabetic. So ditch the desserts and think about some safe, gentle exercise you might enjoy!  You’re also at increased risk if:

• You are over 40.
• Your body mass index (BMI) is over 30.
• You’ve already given birth to a big baby weighing 4.5kg (10lb) or more at birth.
• You developed gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.
• One of your parents or siblings is diabetic.
• You are of south Asian, Black, African-Caribbean or Middle Eastern origin (regardless of where you were born).
• You have had a gastric bypass or other weight-loss surgery.

Sometimes there are no symptoms at all, and gestational diabetes is only discovered through your routine blood tests.

If their blood sugars levels get to a really high level, some women may experience symptoms like:

• Feeling thirsty all the time.
• Needing to pee more often than usual.
• A dry mouth.
• Tiredness and fatigue.
• Blurred eyesight.
• Genital itching or thrush

If you have any type of diabetes, high blood sugar levels while you're pregnant can increase the risk of serious pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia, the need for a caesarean delivery or the baby being born too large. So do work with your healthcare professional and make sure your blood sugar levels are kept under control both before and after the birth.

First of all, if your health care professionals think you’re at risk you’ll be offered a screening test called an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This involves a blood test after fasting for a few hours, then again after a sugary drink to see how your body is handling the glucose.

If you develop gestational diabetes you’ll need regular blood tests (you’ll be given a home test kit) and careful blood sugar management throughout your pregnancy. This may involve tablets or insulin injections. If your diabetes is not too severe, with regular checks and the right medication there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a straightforward natural birth and a bouncing baby.

The monitoring and treatment may need to carry on after the birth, too, to make sure you don’t develop further complications.

Some women are already diabetic when they become pregnant, with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. For them, managing their blood sugar levels becomes more important than ever. In fact, high blood sugar as early as conception has been shown to affect the health of the baby and the birth further down the line.

High blood pressure (or hypertension) may not have any symptoms but can be serious when you’re pregnant. If you already have chronic hypertension before you become pregnant, you should be referred to a specialist to make sure your blood pressure is carefully monitored and managed throughout your pregnancy. You may need to change your regular prescription, as not all blood pressure medications are safe to take while you’re pregnant.

Some women develop high blood pressure for the first time when they get pregnant – usually after 20 weeks. This is known as pregnancy induced hypertension. If tests show that you have high blood pressure combined with protein in your urine, you may have pre-eclampsia and require even more careful and frequent antenatal checks throughout your pregnancy.

High blood pressure while you’re pregnant increases the risk of pre-term delivery and low birth weight as well as more serious issues such as eclampsia, stroke, and placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus).

The risks attached to high blood pressure while you’re pregnant are all good reasons to take especially good care of yourself: eating heart-healthy foods, avoiding salty snacks and foods, keeping active, keeping a check on your weight and regularly checking your blood pressure at home so you can spot changes straightaway.

If you’re on the high risk list for pre-eclampsia, your health provider may recommend you take low-dose baby aspirin from 12 weeks onwards. (But please, never just buy over the counter medicines without checking with your doctor or midwife.)

If ante-natal tests show that you have high blood pressure and protein in your urine, this could be a sign you have pre-eclampsia, one of the more serious pregnancy complications.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition that affects some pregnant women, and usually appears after the 20th week of pregnancy. Very rarely it can occur after the birth, most often within 48 hours but any time up to 4 weeks afterwards. This is called postpartum preeclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is usually picked up during your routine ante-natal checks. But if you’re experiencing symptoms such as the ones on this list, contact your health professionals. It can come on quite suddenly, and it’s important to treat it straightaway to avoid more serious complications.

The symptoms of pre-eclampsia?

• A blinding headache that just won’t go away.
• Blurred vision or flashing lights in front of your eyes.
• Severe pain just below your ribs.
• Vomiting.
• Swelling of your feet, ankles, face and hands.

The exact cause of pre-eclampsia isn’t known, but it’s thought to be due to a problem with the placenta – the organ that links your baby to your blood supply so that nutrients can flow through to them.

There are risk factors that can increase your chances of getting it, such as heredity, high blood pressure, carrying more than one baby, your age and your BMI (Body Mass Index). If you think you might be at risk, or tests show that you are, your medical professionals may suggest preventive measures you can take to avoid pregnancy complications.

If you’re diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, you’ll find you’re spending more time at the ante-natal clinic than before. You’ll be regularly checked and monitored, and maybe even spend some time in hospital during your pregnancy to make sure everything’s OK with you and baby. Pre-eclampsia usually resolves itself within 6 weeks after the baby is born. But occasionally the only cure for pre-eclampsia is to have the baby, sometimes somewhat earlier than planned!

If this list of pregnancy complications looks alarming, just remember they're really not that common and many women sail through with nothing more than minor backache, strange food cravings and a few weeks of morning sickness. But now you know what to look out for and when to call for help.

The information in this article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal advice.