Among the most common diseases during pregnancy are Genital infections Asymptomatic bacteriuria Cystitis Urinary retention Bladder mole Placental insufficiency (placenta weakness) Placenta praevia Too much or too little amniotic fluid High blood pressure during pregnancy Pregnancy diabetes Pregnancy anemia
- Genital Infections
- Asymptomatic bacteriuria
- Cystitis
- Urinary retention
- Bladder mole
- Placental insufficiency (placenta weakness)
- Placenta praevia
- Too much or too little amniotic fluid
- High blood pressure during pregnancy
- Gestational Diabetes
- Pregnancy anemia
About 5-8% of all pregnant women have asymptomatic bacteriuria. This means that bacteria can be detected in the urine, but they do not cause any problems for the pregnant woman. The most common is E. coli, an intestinal bacterium.
An asymptomatic bacteriuria is treated with antibiotics during pregnancy, as it can lead to ascending infections such as pyelitis or infection of the child during birth. During pregnancy, cystitis causes symptoms such as burning sensation when urinating, frequent urge to urinate and frequent passing of small amounts of urine. The most common pathogen is the intestinal bacterium E. coli.
But other bacteria can also cause cystitis. Depending on the pathogen, different antibiotics are used for treatment. Acute renal pelvic inflammation occurs in about 1% of pregnant women and is the result of cystitis or asymptomatic bacteriuria.
Typical symptoms are high fever with chills, flank pain, burning sensation when urinating and frequent urge to urinate. Possible complications are blood poisoning (so-called sepsis), premature birth and irreversible damage to the kidney. Inflammation of the renal pelvis must therefore always be treated with antibiotics, which are administered in high doses via a venous access at the beginning of therapy.
Diseases of the circulatory system
High blood pressure occurs in 6-8% of pregnancies and is classified according to the time of occurrence and the level of blood pressure. Mild pregnancy hypertension exists when blood pressure is above 140/90 mmHg but below 160/110 mmHg. Severe pregnancy hypertension exists at values above 160/110 mmHg.
It is important to check the blood pressure values regularly in order to start a drug treatment in case of repeated values above 160/100 mmHg. During pregnancy, however, not all medications may be administered; well suited are e.g. alpha-methyldopa, metoprolol and nifedipine. The loss of protein via the kidneys is also regularly checked by examining the urine with a test strip.
This is used to detect pre-eclampsia, another form of hypertensive pregnancy disease (associated with high blood pressure). In pre-eclampsia, there is a loss of protein in the urine in addition to high blood pressure. If the loss of protein is very high, water can accumulate in the tissue (so-called edema).
The dangerous special forms of this disease include eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, which is colloquially known as “pregnancy poisoning“. Eclampsia affects less than 0.1% of pregnancies, HELLP syndrome about 0.5%. Both diseases occur after the 20th week of pregnancy.
Eclampsia not only causes high blood pressure and loss of protein through urine, but also seizures of the mother. The HELLP syndrome describes a complex of haemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells), high liver values and low platelet numbers (blood platelets). Affected pregnant women often have headaches and/or flickering eyes and complain of pain in the upper abdomen.
Both diseases can ultimately only be treated by terminating the pregnancy by giving birth to the child. In individual cases, depending on the condition of mother and child, it must be considered how far the pregnancy can still be extended. The return transport of blood from the lower half of the body is slowed down by the pregnancy.
This increases the pressure in the venous system. Dilated veins (so-called varicose veins) develop, which snake on the surface of the skin. These varicose veins develop in 30% of first-time mothers and in 50% of multi-mothers.
These affect the legs and the genital area. The occurrence of hemorrhoids is also possible.Typical symptoms are heavy and tired legs with water retention, nocturnal restlessness in the legs, a feeling of heat and calf cramps. 80% of pregnancy-related varicose veins disappear within a few weeks after birth.
Varicose veins are treated with compression stockings, which improve the return transport of blood from the legs. Anemia describes anemia and is associated with hemoglobin levels below 10g/dl (normal value 12-16g/dl). A small drop in hemoglobin levels is perfectly normal during pregnancy, as the increase in blood volume leads to a dilution effect despite increased production of red blood cells.
Anemia during pregnancy causes the following symptoms: Paleness, shortness of breath under stress, fatigue, rapid heart rate, ringing in the ears, headaches and frequent freezing. At the end of pregnancy, up to 30% of pregnant women are affected by pregnancy anemia, which is mostly caused by iron deficiency, as the need for iron is increased during pregnancy. In the case of an iron deficiency, the iron stores can be replenished during pregnancy by the administration of iron preparations.
However, iron therapy must still be carried out 3-6 months after reaching a normal haemoglobin level. A certain form of anemia (so-called megaloblastic anemia) is triggered by folic acid deficiency. Since folic acid deficiency can lead to frequent occurrence of spina bifida (open back) and cleft palate in children, it is recommended that women of childbearing age take 0.4 mg folic acid daily even before the beginning of pregnancy.
Due to the pressure of the uterus on the inferior vena cava, the blood from the lower half of the body is difficult to transport back to the heart. This leads to a relative lack of volume in the cardiovascular system and can even increase to the point of shock. Typical symptoms are nausea, paleness, sweating, dizziness and restlessness.
The vena cava compression syndrome is particularly pronounced in a supine or standing position. In a lateral position, most pregnant women do not have any symptoms. About one third of all pregnant women are affected. Pregnant women, whether with or without compression syndrome, should avoid lying on their back, especially in the last third. Compression also leads to a reduced blood flow to the child and consequently the child is not supplied with enough oxygen.
