You want nothing more than to enjoy a smooth pregnancy, so you’re understandably worried when you receive the news that your pregnancy has been classified as high risk.
In the United States, between 6% and 8% of pregnancies are considered high risk, which means that the mother, the fetus, or both are at higher risk of issues during pregnancy and/or delivery.
At Beyond Women’s Care, the all-female healthcare team routinely helps women navigate more complex pregnancies. Based on this extensive experience, here’s what we’ve found to be the most common factors behind high-risk pregnancies.
One of the most common reasons why women have high-risk pregnancies is their age. Any pregnancy in women under the age of 17 or first-time pregnancies in women aged 35 and older qualify. So, if you’re on the younger or more mature end of the reproductive window, we label you as high risk out of caution.
And more women are facing this categorization as the age of motherhood in the US rises — between 2016 and 2023, first-time mothers under age 20 dropped by 26%. Simultaneously, there was a 25% increase in first-time mothers aged 35 and older.
If you’re carrying multiple fetuses, please know that we automatically place you in the high-risk category so that we can monitor you and your unborn children more closely.
Another way in which mothers join the high-risk category is due to pre-existing health conditions that can impact the pregnancy. A few of these more common health issues include:
This list is by no means complete, but it gives you an idea about health issues that can influence a pregnancy.
Some women start with a typical pregnancy, but become part of the high-risk group later on due to health issues that develop. The two main examples of this are:
These are serious conditions that require a higher standard of care for the safety of the mother and the fetus.
If we know that there's a defect with the fetus, or we suspect one, we typically label the pregnancy high risk so that we can monitor the fetus more closely.
If your pregnancy is high-risk, your prenatal care will be governed by the underlying issue. That said, in broad terms, you can expect more prenatal visits and closer fetal monitoring. We may also run more tests and revise delivery plans accordingly.
Ultimately, your high-risk pregnancy care is tailored to you and your baby’s needs, so it’s tough to say here what your care might entail.
We invite you to call our Rochester Hills, Michigan, office at 248-284-4859 today to set up a consultation. You can also contact us through our website to schedule your visit.
