Women's Services
High-Risk Pregnancy Factors And Symptoms
Your physician may refer you to a maternal-fetal medicine expert who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. A woman may be considered at risk in her pregnancy for any of the following reasons:
- Younger than 18 or older than 35
- Underweight or overweight
- Anemia (low red blood cell count and poor nutrition status)
- Previously given birth more than four times
- Previously delivered a very large or very small baby
- Previous miscarriage
- Family history of genetic disease or a previous baby with a birth defect
- Weak cervix
- Pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart, lung or kidney disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or epilepsy
- History of blood clots
- Low socioeconomic status
- Uses infertility medications or treatments (more likely to result in multiple births)
- Uses cigarettes, illicit drugs or alcohol to excess
- Is exposed to external risk factors such as exceptionally high temperatures, radiation, pesticides and high altitudes
