Health problems during pregnancy - anaemia, UTIs, miscarriage

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Sometimes despite your best efforts, pregnancy health problems can occur.

Once you find out you are expecting a child your pregnancy health should become a major preoccupation. Giving your child the best start in life means maintaining a balanced diet, staying fit and looking after your body.

Anaemia

Anaemia can be caused by a number of factors: iron deficiency, hereditary abnormalities in haemoglobin or because of a dilution of red blood cells during pregnancy. A large number of women become anaemic during pregnancy as the dramatic increase in blood circulating around the body may not be accompanied by an equal increase in red blood cells. Symptoms include fatigue, pallor, dizziness and shortness of breath. Few women have sufficient stores of iron in the body to create the red blood cells and so iron supplements and increased intakes of iron-rich foods are advised.

Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very common during pregnancy and as symptoms can be very mild your urine will be tested throughout your pregnancy. UTIs can trigger contractions and premature birth if left untreated so it's best to contact your doctor if you feel an urgent need to urinate, pain or a burning sensation on urinating, and an immediate need to urinate again minutes later. Your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics but you can ease the condition by drinking plenty of water and cranberry juice.

Rubella (German measles)

Although a minor illness outside pregnancy, if you contract rubella when expecting a child it can cause serious problems such as deafness, heart defects and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Most women are immune to the disease because of contracting it as a child or receiving immunization. Ideally your rubella immunity should be checked before you become pregnant. Rubella manifests itself as a rash that begins on the face and moves to other parts of the body, accompanied by fever and swollen glands. The risk of passing the infection to your baby decreases as the pregnancy wears on but should you contract rubella during pregnancy there is nothing that can be done to protect the baby. See your doctor for advice if you suffer from any of the above symptoms.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

The carpal tunnel at the front of the wrist houses the tendons and nerves that run to the fingers. During pregnancy your hands, fingers and other tissues, including the carpal tunnel, can swell causing pain in the wrist and putting pressure on the nerves which in turn causes pins and needles in all the fingers except the little finger. The sensation is often worse at night but it may help to sleep with your hands raised on a pillow. Dropping your hands over the side of the bed on waking and giving them a good shake should also help to alleviate symptoms. The condition should disappear following delivery.

Miscarriage

Miscarriage is a heart wrenching event but occurs in one in three pregnancies. Often it is the body's way of rejecting a fetus that would never have developed normally. Most miscarriages occur early in pregnancy and may just seem like a late period if you have not yet realised you are pregnant. Your risk of miscarriage is increased if you smoke, are older, have had previous miscarriages or have lupus, fibroids or diabetes. Miscarriage is accompanied by vaginal bleeding, lower back pain and cramping abdominal pains. Hospitals often treat miscarriage as a routine occurrence which can be very distressing but ask to speak to a counselor or your doctor if you feel it will help you cope.

Other pregnancy health conditions are discussed on the pages on pregnancy complications and pregnancy information but our space on this site is limited; for comprehensive advice on pregnancy health visit the National Women's Health Information Center, or the National Health Service Direct.

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Problems During Pregnancy