High-Risk Pregnancy

A high-risk pregnancy is defined as any pregnancy in which the potential for complications has been identified due to such factors as the mother’s age or health condition, history of premature births or miscarriage, and/or problems with the fetus’s in-utero development. When a pregnant woman is over 35 years old, has had complications with a previous pregnancy, is a smoker or drug user, is carrying more than one baby, or has an underlying medical issue such as high blood pressure, these are all factors that may contribute to the “high-risk” categorization. Sometimes, a health condition with the mother or fetus develops during pregnancy that causes the birth to be classified as "high-risk." All such situations indicate the need for medical attention from an obstetrician who is specially trained in high-risk births. Medical care for high-risk mothers and babies includes more frequent prenatal visits and additional testing throughout the pregnancy.