Although much is known about patterns in fetal development at the cellular and molecular level, we do not yet have molecular tests that can reliably determine the gestational age of an individual fetus. Instead, gestational age is typically estimated based on the date of a woman’s last menstrual period and/or ultrasound imaging. However, women do…
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently published a committee opinion discussing necessary precautions for patients who may have eating disorders. Eating disorders encompass a wide range of conditions in which a person has abnormal feeding habits; often, eating disorders affect physical health in addition to mental and emotional well-being. Some of the…
At the age of 14, James Harrison needed to have one of his lungs removed. He was able to survive the surgery thanks to a large amount of donor blood from strangers. After he recovered, Harrison wanted to pay it forward and give blood to others in need, but Australian law prohibited him from doing…
High-risk pregnancies require more careful monitoring and follow-up to watch for developing complications during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. There are a lot of reasons a pregnancy might be considered high-risk. Some women enter a pregnancy high-risk, while others start out with a low-risk pregnancy but develop complications that put them in the high-risk category. Once…
High blood pressure, known clinically as hypertension, is a condition in which the constant force of blood pushing against the walls of the blood vessels is too high. Blood pressure measurements are composed of two numbers: The systolic blood pressure (top number) And diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) The American College of Cardiology defines normal…
Before I got pregnant, I thought nine months was a long time. But between preparing the baby’s room, going to birthing classes, and reading every book, magazine article, and blog post I could find about what to expect when I delivered my child, the time flew by! Still, all of my preparation did not prepare…
What does it mean when a pregnancy is deemed “high-risk”? In medical terms, a high-risk pregnancy is one involving any underlying potential complication that could harm the mother and/or baby. Having a high-risk pregnancy does not necessarily mean that the mother or baby will be harmed; rather, it implies that certain precautions must be…
The term grand multiparity is used in reference to women who have previously given birth several times. Some consider a pregnant patient to be a grand multipara if she has already given birth four or more times, and a great grand multipara if she has already given birth nine or more times. These numbers include…
