Common Pregnancy Complications

The majority of pregnant women have perfectly healthy pregnancies that go smoothly with little to no complications but it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with some of the common pregnancy complications that can affect you and your newborn baby. Knowing about the common pregnancy complications can help you identify these symptoms before they become serious issues. With the help of your doctor you can identify the symptoms of these pregnancy complications and hopefully reduce the risk to you and your newborn baby.

A very common pregnancy complication is called toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection which you can pass on to your baby and can cause serious health problems such as complications to your newborn baby’s central nervous system, anemia, and inflamed retinas. Many women contract toxoplasmosis through animal feces, kitty litter, and raw or undercooked meat. While you are pregnant you shouldn’t change your cat’s litter box because there is a high risk of getting toxoplasmosis when doing this activity.

Another infection that is common to pregnant women is called listeriosis. Listeriosis is an infection from the listeria bacteria that is sometimes found in soft cheeses and deli meats. In pregnant women listeriosis can lead to serious things such as fetal meningitis or still birth. This infection can be found with a simple blood test and treated with antibiotics, but it must be caught early on in the pregnancy by your doctor before it can affect your baby.

One of the most common and serious pregnancy complications is called preeclampsia and is a pregnancy related high blood pressure disorder. Preeclampsia can lead to kidney failure for both you and your baby, premature labor, and stillbirth. Some warning signs of preeclampsia are; high blood pressure, protein in your urine, swelling, blurred vision, dizziness, and serious stomach pains.

These are just of few of the common pregnancy complications that are known and there are plenty more. While nobody ever wants or anticipates any complications in their pregnancy there is always a chance they could happen so it would be a great idea for you to speak with your doctor about some of these common pregnancy complications and learn as much as you can about them. It never hurts to be prepared.