COMPLICATIONS DURING

PREGNANCY
 Complications of
Pregnancy

 Health problems that

occur during pregnancy.
 These complications
involve the mother’s
health, the fetus or both.
 Complications of
Pregnancy
1. Miscarriage/Pregnancy loss
 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriages
 Signs include vaginal spotting or bleeding

2. High blood pressure

 When arteries carrying blood from the heart to the body
organs are narrowed, which causes pressure to increase.
 In pregnancy it makes it hard for blood to reach the placenta,
which provides nutrients and oxygen to the fetus.
 Reduced blood flow slows the flow of fetus
 Complications of
Pregnancy
3.Gestational Diabetes
 Occurs when a women didn’t have
diabetes before pregnancy but starts
developing it during pregnancy.
 In this, hormonal changes from
pregnancy cause body to not make
enough insulin causing glucose to
build up in your body
 Can cause health problems
 exp: heart disease & vision
problems
 If not treated can lead to large
infant

which increases cesarean delivery

 Complications of
Pregnancy
4. Ectopic Pregnancy
 When a fertilize egg implants outside the
uterus
 There is no way to transplant it into the
uterus so ending the pregnancy is the
only option.

5. Placenta previa
 your placenta is lying unusually low in your
uterus, next to or covering your cervix.
 located near the top of the uterus – that
supplies your baby with nutrients through
the umbilical cord.
 If placenta gets close to
Cervix: can cause bleeding
 Fertilization and Fetal
Development
 Fertilization of the of the oocyte by a sperm usually take
place in the fallopian tube. The chromosomes of the ovum
combine with those of the sperm to for the diploid zygote;
it divides many time to form a zygote; it divides many
times to form a blastocyst, which implants itself in the
uterine wall.

 The blastocyst becomes an embryo and then a fetus,

which is nourished through the placenta via the umbilical
cord.
 Becoming Pregnant

 Preconception care is aimed at interventions that

help to improve pregnancy outcomes.

 The most commonly used chemical pregnancy test

can be taken 2-4 weeks after a woman misses her
menstrual period. Pregnancy is confirmed by the
detection of the fetal heartbeat and movements or
through examination by ultrasound.
 A woman’s feelings vary greatly during pregnancy. It
is important for her to share her concerns and have
support from her partner, friends, relatives. And
health care practitioners. Her feelings about
sexuality are likely to change during pregnancy.

 Sexual activity is generally save unless there is pain,

bleeding, or a history of miscarriage
 Harmful substances may be passed to the embryo
or fetus through the placenta (ex. alcohol, tobacco,
certain drugs, and environmental pollutants) as well
as infectious diseases (ex. STD’S)
 Labor and Delivery
 In the last trimester of pregnancy, a woman feels Braxton-Hix
contractions. These contractions also begin the effacement
and dilation of the cervix to permit delivery.
 During labor, contractions begin with the effacement (thinning)
and dilation (gradual opening) of the cervix.
 True labor begins when the uterine contractions are regularly
spaced, thinning and dilation of the cervix occurs, and the
fetus presents a part of itself into the vagina.
 Three Stages of
Labor
 The first stage is usually the longest
(4-16 hours or longer) – early sign is
the expulsion of a plug of a slightly
bloody mucus that has blocked the
opening of the cervix during
pregnancy.

 The second-stage begins when the

baby’s head moves into the birth canal
and ends when the baby is born. –
During this time, many women
experience a great force in their
bodies.
 Three Stages of
Labor
 The third stage is when the placenta (afterbirth) is
delivered . After the baby has been deliver, the
uterus continues to contract, expelling the placenta,
the remaining section of the umbilical cord, and the
fetal membranes.
 Fertilization

 Once the ovum has been released from the ovary, it

drifts into the fallopian tube and may be fertilized if
live sperm is present

 Oocyte- Ovum or unfertilized egg

 Oocyte remains viable for 12-24 hours after

ovulation

 For fertilization to occur, intercourse must take place

within 5 days before and 1 day after ovulation
 Capacitation

 The process by which their membranes become

fragile enough to release enzymes from their
acrosomes

 Acrosomes- The helmet like coverings of the

sperm’s nuclei

 Within 9 months, this single cell zygote may become

600 trillion cells that constitute a human being.
 Development of the
conceptus
 The zygote undergoes a series of divisions, during
which the cells replicate

 On the 5th day the blastocyst(100 cells) arrives in the

uterine cavity, where it floats for a day or two before
implanting in the soft, blood-rich uterine lining which
has spent 3 weeks preparing for arrival. The process of
implantation takes about a week. An embryo which will
turn into a fetus in about 8 weeks of gestation.
 Development of the
Conceptus continued…

 During the first 2 or 3 weeks , the embryonic

membranes are formed. This includes the amniotic
sac .
 3rd- 4th week the organs are beginning to develop
and body segments and the brain form. The
digestive and circulatory system begin to develop in
the 4th week and the heart begins to pump blood.
 5th-6th week the formation of arms and legs. The 6th
week the eyes and ears form.
 Being Pregnant

 A few facts….

 There were 4.1 million births in the United States in

2009, nearly 3% less than in 2008.

 The percentage of births to unmarried woman has

continued to increase.

 The term child-free is used to describe those who

expect and intend to remain nonparents.
Preconception Care, Pregnancy Detection, &
Changes during Pregnancy

 Preconception is used to identify and early defects that the

child or mother may have. During preconception partners
must be very cautious of how they are taking care of their
bodies. Pregnancy Detection can be as early as 7 weeks. A
babies sex can be determined with 95% accuracy at 7 weeks
and 99% at 20 weeks through a blood test. If a Y
chromosome is detected the fetus is male, the absence Y
means Female. In China men and wanted more than Females.
 Changes in Woman During
Pregnancy

 Women go through 3 trimesters.

 1st trimester (3 months)- Nausea,vommiting, and
swelling of breast are symptoms
 2nd trimester- The fetus begins to move and nausea
is less common
 3rd trimester- the fetus is the size of the mothers fist .
Swelling is more common in women now with their
feet and ankles.
 In•fer•til•i•ty
-adjective

The inability to conceive a child after a year of

unprotected intercourse, or the inability to carry
a child to term.
 Female Infertility

About 10% (6.1 million) women aged _____in the

United States have difficulty getting or staying pregnant.

A. 20-49
B. 15-44
C. 30-59
D. 32-61
 Physical Causes

Ovulation
 Low/HIGH levels of body fat
Benign Entities
Waiting to Conceive
 Around what age do women get
pregnant?
 Seasoned Ovaries
 Male Infertility

 Variocele
 Low Sperm Count
 Decreased Sperm Mobility
 Sperm Morphology
 Best Indicator

 Environmental Factors
 Rate of sperm
 Infertility Treatment

 Myth or NO?
 “We can’t get pregnant because we’re too anxious”

 Enhancing Fertility
 Timing Coitus

 Medical Intervention
 AI
 Surrogate Motherhood: Positive vs. Negative
-Gestational Carrier (Ovaries but NO Uterus)