Pregnancy Complications

Group B strep, gestational diabetes and toxemia can complicate an otherwise normal pregnancy and should be taken seriously. If you exhibit symptoms, see your health care provider right away for a diagnosis and treatment options.

Toxemia (Preeclampsia)

Toxemia (preeclampsia) in pregnancy can be a serious condition and usually occurs in the third trimester. The cause of toxemia is unknown. Danger signs are protein in the urine, high blood pressure and swelling.

More advanced symptoms include visual disturbance, severe headaches, abdominal pain and convulsions. If you or someone you know is pregnant and has any of these symptoms, contact a physician without delay!

Gestational Diabetes

One of the most common complications or conditions of pregnancy is gestational diabetes. Most pregnant women are tested for it around the 26th week of pregnancy. If a woman has a family history of diabetes, she is at greater risk for gestational diabetes. If she tests positive, a strict diet will be prescribed, and she and the fetus will be monitored closely for the rest of the pregnancy.

Group B Strep (GBS)

Group B Strep (GBS) is not a condition that is harmful to most people. However, during pregnancy, it can cause complications and endanger the newborn child.

Group B Strep (streptococcus) lives in the gastrointestinal tract of men and women under normal circumstances. At intermittent times, it can move from the intestinal tract to the vagina of a woman. If this happens during pregnancy, the newborn baby can contract a bacterial infection caused by Group B Step (GBS). An infant is at risk until approximately three months of age. A woman who is in labor and about to deliver is usually swabbed to see if the bacteria is present in the vagina at the time of delivery. If it is present, antibiotics will be given to the mother and the baby at birth.

For a newborn, complications of GBS include meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. If treated, most survive and develop normally. A small percentage of babies with GBS will not survive. In a study in Britian, about 100 babies out of 700 who were diagnosed with Group B Strep did not survive.