COMMON DISEASES DURING PREGNANCY

The risk of diseases during pregnancy can be increased by the various factors. Having certain medical disorders increases the risks of problems during the pregnancy period. These complications can cause problems both to the mother, the baby or both.

Some women, however, may not have problems but later during pregnancy they arise. Some of thecommon signs of a disease during pregnancy are the presence of watery discharge and cloudy urine.The following are some of the common diseases during pregnancy:

  1. Urinary Tract Infections

UTI develops mainly due to the enlarging of the uterus and the production of hormones during the pregnancy period. The hormones in return slow the flow of urine in the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder.

This means that the urine will not be flashed out from the urinary tract at the required pace increasing the risk of infection to the woman.Urinary tract infection increases the risks of the condition of the following conditions:

Preterm labor: This is basically labor that occurs before the 37 weeks of the pregnancy. This also brings in other problems such as premature babies.

Premature rupture of the membranes: Amniotic fluid leaking from around the fetus before labor commences. Therefore, if labor delays with about 6 to 12 hours then the risk of infections in the woman and the fetus gets high each time.

Symptoms

  • Need to urinate more than usual
  • Cloudy urine
  • Pain of burning session when passing out urine
  • Blood/mucus in the urine
  • Painful sexual intercourse
  • Pain in the lower abdomen or cramps
  • Occurrence of fever, sweating, urine leak and chills.
  • Decrease or increase the amount of urine
  • Bladder area becomes tender, pain and pressure.

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  1. Anemia

This condition develops when a woman experiences the lower number of healthy red blood cells than the standard. According to statistics anemia occurs among one-third of the women who are in the third trimester.

The risk of anemia is increased a lot when there are hereditary factors involved such as race, family history and ethnic background. During delivery, the doctors are keen to carry out blood tests for such disorders routinely. The disorders mainly occur in the fetus.

The most common known causes are the iron and folate deficiency in the body. When anemia develops, there is not enough oxygen in the blood as it is normally.

Symptoms

  • Women with this condition tend to feel tired and weak
  • Fatigue
  • Lightheadedness
  • Pale looking
  • Weak pulse and quite rapid (for severe anemia)
  • Fainting may occur
  • Low blood pressure

If the anemia persists, it may result in the following:

  • Insufficient oxygen supplies to the fetus which is obviously necessary for the normal development and growth most importantly the brain.
  • The mother may end up becoming excessively tired and running short of breath.
  • High risks of preterm labor occurring.

It is also good to know that the bleeding during labor can greatly make the anemia situation worse. Secondly, there is a high risk of infections developing after delivery. Detection of anemia is based on routine complete blood check and count right after the woman confirms she is pregnant.

  1. Diabetes

The risk of a complication as a result of diabetes during pregnancy depends on how long the disease has been in the body. It also depends on whether the woman has developed other diabetes-related complicated such as high blood pressure and kidney damage.

The doctors must check for the presence of these two accompanying conditions. There are two types of diabetes (1 and 2) both which worsen during pregnancy. According to research, at least 5% of the pregnant women develop diabetes in the course of their pregnancy.

This is what is referred to as gestational diabetes. It is common among the following groups of women:

  • Obese women
  • Women with a history of diabetes within the family
  • Certain groups of race and ethnic background

Symptoms

  • Weight loss
  • Blurred vision
  • Fatigue in extreme
  • Increased thirst and urge to urinate

Poor management of diabetes during pregnancy increases the risk of an early miscarriage and also increase in birth defects risks. Babies born to diabetic mothers are in some way larger than the ones born to women without the condition.However, it can be prevented through the following major ways:

  • A very close monitoring of both the woman and the fetus
  • Doing exercises, proper diet and taking drugs to control the sugar levels
  • Usage of glucagon medical kit in situations where the blood sugar levels tend to decrease too much
  • In some cases, the use of a drug to trigger labor.
  1. Hyperemesis Gravidarum

This is the extreme, nauseating repeatedly and vomiting during the pregnancy period. This in return leads to weight loss, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Electrolyte imbalance is the altered level of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium in the body.

Most women experience this which it’s referred to in other words as morning sickness. It mostly happens during the first three months of the pregnancy. The major cause of this common occurrence is the rapid rise of the blood level of a hormone called the human chorionic gonadotropin. The hormone is produced by the placenta.

Symptoms

  • Rapid weight loss
  • Dehydration
  • Weakness, headaches, fainting and light-headedness
  • Constipation
  • Continuous nausea during pregnancy
  • Salivating more than the usual rate

In this case, a physical examination is important to check the blood pressure and pulse. The laboratory tests associated with the treatment process are a complete blood count, urine ketones, and electrolytes. These tests are necessary to make sure that the mother does not have liver and gastrointestinal problems.

Additionally, an ultra sound is performed to check whether the woman is carrying twins and secondly to check for the hydatidiform mole. There are certain things that may trigger nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. They include:

  • Toothpaste
  • Certain smells such as perfume and other scented products
  • Riding in a car
  • Taking a shower
  • Some certain noises
  • Dust

However, the above may vary among individual women.

  1. Mental Health Conditions

Some women may experience depression during their pregnancies or after. The symptoms are as follows:

  • Losing interest in fun activities
  • The feeling of worthlessness, guilt or shame.
  • Having thoughts that life is not meaningful
  • Change in appetite
  • Sleepless and loss of energy
  • Sad mood

Mental health condition lasting more than two weeks and mostly results in depression. Depression during pregnancy makes it hard for a woman to take care of herself and the expected baby. This condition also increases the risk for developing postpartum depression.