3 Issues During Pregnancy That Demand Emergency Care

As early as possible during your pregnancy, ensure you can contact your health provider whenever there is a troubling issue. Your health provider can familiarize you with warning signs that may require emergency care. Talking with your doctor at St. Michael’s Elite Hospital will also enable you to identify some signs and symptoms of pregnancy that should not make you worry about your health and the baby. Subsequently, below are some common pregnancy complications that should make you call your doctor immediately.

1. Bleeding

Often if you are bleeding heavily, have intense pain in the stomach, experience cramps associated with menstruation, and feel like fainting between the first and 13th week of pregnancy, you may have an ectopic pregnancy. Also called extrauterine pregnancy, an ectopic pregnancy occurs due to the attachment of fertilized egg outside the womb (uterus). The bleeding occurs because an ectopic pregnancy grows large enough to rupture your fallopian tube. You will need urgent surgery to repair your ruptured reproductive organ to avoid bleeding to death.

You may also have an unusual level of bleeding when pregnant, which may indicate a miscarriage. That can happen anywhere from the first to the early stages of the second trimester.

In the third trimester, abdominal discomfort, pain, and bleeding may be due to placental abruption. Placental abruption is a premature separation of the placenta from your womb or uterus, which can be dangerous to you and your baby.

2. Intense nausea and vomiting

According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, 70%-80% of pregnant women experience morning sickness.

Various clinical studies suggest that the nausea and vomiting you experience when pregnant may be caused by the effects of a hormone the placenta produces. The hormone is called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and often, your body begins creating it immediately after a fertilized egg attaches to your uterine lining.

Morning sickness usually starts when you are six weeks into your pregnancy and may disappear in the second trimester or last throughout your pregnancy.

However, intense or severe morning sickness may indicate a health issue that can threaten your life and your baby. Extreme levels of morning sickness will make you avoid eating or drinking, which can cause dehydration and a lack of sufficient vital nutrients in the body.

Your doctor can eliminate intense nausea and vomiting through diet changes or prescription medications.

3. Less baby activity

With time your pregnancy reaches a stage where you can feel regular movement and activity of the baby inside your womb.

However, if you notice that the level of activity or movement has reduced, contact your health provider immediately. The less baby activity may also indicate low or excess amniotic fluid and other physiological distress. Decreased fetal movement may mean you are at high risk of stillbirth.

Sometimes less baby activity should not be a cause of concern. For instance, your baby may be sleeping, you may have less room in the womb as the baby has become bigger, or you are physically active, leading to the baby sleeping constantly. You may also need emergency pregnancy care if you have intense headaches, flu symptoms, and premature labor that can lead to premature birth.