In the 1970s, women with lupus were often advised against becoming pregnant because of associated complications that can make pregnancies with lupus dangerous to both mothers and babies. Today, doctors recognize that with proper medical oversight and careful timing, most women with lupus can have a successful pregnancy (1). However, it is important to note…
Women with sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait (those who are carriers of the gene that causes sickle cell disease) can often have safe and healthy pregnancies, but there are certain risks that are important to know about. If doctors fail to consider these risks or mismanage associated complications, this can harm the mother…
The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that produces thyroid hormones, which affect heart rate and metabolism. A thyroid disorder occurs when the thyroid makes too much or too little of certain thyroid hormones (1). Hyperthyroidism: This condition occurs when the thyroid is overactive, or makes too much thyroid hormone. It can cause…
One of the major risk factors for birth injuries, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), is lack of access to high quality healthcare. This means that births may be more dangerous if the mother does not live near a hospital with trained and qualified staff, or if she is uninsured/unable to afford care. Additionally, some states…
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a relatively common ailment, affecting about 50-60% of women in their lifetimes (1), and in many cases are easily treatable. However, if not effectively treated, they can lead to a variety of dangerous complications, especially in certain high-risk groups. One population particularly threatened by UTIs is pregnant women and their…
In September of 2017, famed tennis star Serena Williams experienced shortness of breath during her recovery from the C-section delivery of her daughter, Alexa (1). Because she had a history of blood clots, she assumed it was a pulmonary embolism, and chased down a nurse to ask for a CT scan and IV heparin. The…
Maternal-fetal medicine specialist, Shivani Patel, wrote an op-ed piece for STAT in May that detailed her experience with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during pregnancy (1). Eight years ago, Patel learned she had preeclampsia during her pregnancy. Preeclampsia is not an uncommon pregnancy condition, affecting roughly 5-8% of pregnant women (2). It involves high blood pressure,…
A recent story in HuffPost entitled “Why Are We Still Cutting Women’s Vaginas During Birth?” tells the story of a woman named Rachel who experienced an episiotomy during childbirth (1). An episiotomy is an incision made to the perineum, the area between the vaginal opening and the anus, to aid in delivery (2). Rachel heard…
In May of 2019, the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark completed a register-based study on the effects of migraine headaches in pregnant women and their babies (1, 2). The researchers used Danish health registry data (collected between 2005 and 2012) to find 22,841 pregnant women who had…
According to the American Pregnancy Association, dizziness and fainting are very common during pregnancy as a result of the drastic hormonal and metabolic changes the body goes through during the first trimester (1). These changes can lower the mother’s blood pressure or blood sugar, causing dizziness and faintness. In the second trimester, the mother may…
