Most of them women face pregnancy without any problems. But yet some more are there who have troubles. This section is for all those who face troubles and have the courage to face them. Some of the problems pass of automatically while some more need the doctor's advice.

Common Pregnancy Problems

SLEEPLESSNESS

You may have difficulty in sleeping during pregnancy. In the beginning this is due to the unusual sensation of the growing womb. Later it is caused by the stretching of the whole stomach. There may be backache, and discomfort in the pubic region.

People turn in their sleep as often as 30 times during a single night. When you have a large swelling in your stomach, each turn may wake you. There is no need, however, for you to go without sleep. Your doctor can give you safe tablets that will not affect your unborn baby.

Top

BREATHLESSNESS

As the pregnancy advances you will find that you become increasingly breathless after even slight exertion. This may first be due to minor emotional problems, but, later, it is caused by a greater movement of blood away from the heart and lungs into the growing womb. The womb is growing bigger under the diaphragm, and pushing up on to the lower lungs. To avoid discomfort, cut down physical effort as much as possible.

Top

HEARTBURN AND INDIGESTION

You are likely to feel some soreness in the pit of the stomach, below the breastbone. This indigestion-like sensation is due to the acid contents of the stomach being forced into the gullet. Bending forward or lying flat makes the feeling worse. This is a normal physiological change, and is best treated by mild antacids obtained from the chemist. At night, prop yourself up with several pillows.

Top

PILES AND CONSTIPATION

Piles are enlarged veins at the lower end of the bowel. During pregnancy extra blood pumped to the pelvis passes through the rectal veins, which are also under pressure from the bulk of the growing womb. There may be a little bleeding when the bowels are open, or the piles may protrude.

Constipation makes this condition worse, so it is necessary to keep the motions soft by drinking more than usual and eating roughage, such as bran, salads and vegetables. A doctor may recommend a mild laxative. Smear piles, which have protruded with anaesthetic ointment, obtained from your doctor, and push them back. After the baby is born, most piles disappear completely and do not need further treatment.

Top

LIGAMENT PAINS

The womb is held in place in the pelvis by a series of ligaments that tether it to the sidewalls. Two of these, the round ligaments, have to stretch as the womb grows. Occasionally the pull is a little too much, and a small amount of bleeding occurs on to the ligaments, producing a sharp pain. To reassure yourself, consult your doctor. Ligament stretch usually settles down without major treatment.

Top

VARICOSE VEINS

Two sorts of varicose veins occur in pregnancy. The first are small, spidery groups of thin, blue lines on the thighs and are often accompanied by a discolouration of the skin of the lower legs. These varicose veins are due to hormone changes and usually disappear after the baby is born.

The larger varicose veins are knots of the blood vessels under the skin. In the later stages of pregnancy these occur inside the thighs, behind the knees and along both sides of the calves. The wearing of elastic tights or stocking will collapse the veins and remove some of the discomfort, but they will not stop the veins forming. Put on the tights before getting up in the morning and do not remove them until going to bed.

After the birth most of the large varicose veins reduce considerably. However, the veins may not disappear entirely.

Top

URINARY INFECTIONS

While many women pass urine more frequently during pregnancy, it should not be painful. If stinging or burning occurs on passing water, it may mean an infection has started. You should consult your doctor as soon as possible; in the meanwhile drink plenty of water. Although it may hurt it is better to dilute the urine and wash out the urinary tract.

If an infection is confirmed on examination of a clean specimen of urine, the doctor will start you on an antibiotic agent to try to kill the bacteria.

It is important to treat urinary infection as soon as possible in pregnancy. The high temperatures that are often associated with urinary infection can affect the growing baby. Further, if an infection is allowed to take hold, it can affect your kidneys in later life.

Top

BLEEDING

Once pregnancy has started, no more vaginal bleeding should occur. In early pregnancy a little vaginal blood loss may be the warning of a threatened miscarriage. Consult your doctor, who will help you sort out the more serious causes of this. If the neck of the womb stays closed, bed-rest may be enough to allow the pregnancy to continue without any further effect. Occasionally, however, the neck of the womb opens and an inevitable miscarriage occurs which may need hospital treatment. The commonest cause of a miscarriage is that something is wrong with the embryo. This is expelled in due course as nature’s way of preventing you from giving birth to an abnormal child.

In the later weeks of pregnancy, if you should have any bleeding from the vagina you should contact your doctor immediately. It does not matter if that bleeding is not painful; it still is a symptom the doctor should know about. Do not wait for your next antenatal appointment to report this symptom. Most bleeding does not come from a serious cause but from some local problem such as an erosion of the neck of the womb, but you cannot tell this without professional help. Very occasionally, the placenta is lying low and this would give rise to serious bleeding when the neck of the womb is taken up or dilates ( placenta praevia ). It could obstruct an attempted vaginal delivery and lead to a severe haemorrhage. Vaginal delivery may therefore not be possible and a Caesarean section will be necessary.

Sometimes the placenta, even though it is sited in the right place in the upper part of the uterus, separates early and is associated with vaginal bleeding and sometimes severe abdominal pain (abruptio placentae). This is a serious symptom for the fetus and sometimes for the mother also. If this should happen, you will need to go to hospital and it may require a Caesarean section to save your baby.

Top

ANAEMIA

With the increased demand for iron in pregnancy to cope with the growing baby and the increase of mother’s blood volume, you may become anaemic. A woman whose diet is usually on the borderline of obtaining enough iron might find it too sparse during pregnancy. The best way to prevent anaemia is to ensure that your diet is adequate and to take iron supplement pills which your antenatal clinic or doctor will prescribe. These are useful in pregnancy for they make up for any deficiency in your iron intake. Vitamin C should be taken to help absorption of the iron, and folic acid supplements are also important in preventing anaemia

In the Western world, anaemia is very rarely severe enough to cause a woman to become ill, but if anaemia is allowed to proceed in pregnancy it may affect the iron stores of the fetus and the woman’s health after her baby is born.

Top

BLOOD PRESSURE

One of the major problems of pregnancy is raised blood pressure. In the past this sometimes led to the serious condition of pre-eclampsia, or toxaemia, that claimed many lives. Today this is no longer such a big problem because of regular checks at antenatal clinics, where rises in blood pressure can be detected early; but 10 percent of mothers still suffer from them.

If in later pregnancy you have mildly raised blood pressure you will probably be advised to take extra rest in bed. Often no other treatment is necessary, but if the blood pressure rises or protein is found in the urine, you would be advised to enter hospital for tests on the unborn baby to ensure that he is well. This often is enough to carry you through for the rest of pregnancy. Should however the blood pressure rise further or the amount of urinary protein increase, doctors may think it wise to induce the birth in order to remove the baby from the hostile intrauterine environment.

Raised blood pressure can, to some extent, be prevented by taking proper rest throughout pregnancy. This is one of the valuable things you can do to help your unborn child. It means resting during the day for at least an extra hour on your bed or on a couch. In the last weeks, it is preferable to lie on your left side so helping the flow of blood to the placental bed.

Top

POOR FETAL GROWTH

With the better methods of diagnosis provided by ultrasound, doctors can now diagnose that the unborn baby is not growing as fast as he should. Probably this is due to a diminution of the blood supply to the placental bed or a defect in the transfer of nutrients across the placenta itself.

In either case, it would be wise to stay under closer observation at the antenatal clinic or even to become an in-patient in the hospital. Your doctors and midwives will want to watch the baby very carefully and try to help him grow. One way of doing this is for you to rest a lot to allow a better blood supply to the uterus and placental bed, as less then goes to the muscles of your body. If normal fetal growth is resumed, you will be allowed up to move around for the rest of pregnancy. If however growth is still retarded, your doctor will advise you on the optimal time for delivery to get the best result for your baby.

Top

GERMAN MEASLES

The symptoms of rubella, or German measles, are a transient rash and swelling of the lymph glands at the back of the neck, accompanied by a fever. An attack in early pregnancy can bring a high risk of permanent damage to the baby’s heart, eyes or ears. The risk may be avoided by immunization against German measles before pregnancy occurs.

Top

RHESUS PROBLEM

Most humans are rhesus positive, that is, they possess a substance known as the rhesus (or Rh) factor, but a small proportion do not possess this and are known as rhesus negative.

If a rhesus negative woman conceives a baby who has inherited rhesus positive blood from his father, some of the fetal rhesus positive red cells may escape into the mother’s blood, either across the placenta during pregnancy or, more usually, when the baby is born, and cause antibodies to form. This does not harm the mother and seldom harms her first baby. If however, she conceives another rhesus positive child, these antibodies may leak back into the baby’s bloodstream and destroy its red cells, leading to anaemia, brain damage and in a few cases to the death of the fetus.

Tests can be done on the amniotic fluid to see if the fetus is affected and if so to what extent. The baby can be given a blood transfusion, if necessary while still in the womb, to prevent anaemia or other damage.

The mother can be treated by an injection of a blocking serum (anti-D-gammaglobulin). This prevents antibodies forming and is now given to a rhesus negative mother who has had a rhesus positive child, within a day or two of delivery. Its use has to a large extent overcome the rhesus problem.

Top