Make managing health issues a priority

Many things can affect whether you can get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby, including existing health issues. Your primary care provider (PCP) and care team need to know about your current and past health issues. They might want to discuss management options if you are treating a health problem.

You can talk to them about these and other health matters:

  • Diabetes.1 Type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes can all affect the health of pregnant women and their babies in different ways. Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy in women who don't already have diabetes. Having unmanaged or poorly managed type 1 or type 2 diabetes around the time of conception increases the risk of birth defects, stillbirth, and preterm birth. Having any type of unmanaged or poorly managed diabetes while you are pregnant increases the risk of having a cesarean delivery. It also increases the risk of a baby being born too large and developing obesity or type 2 diabetes in the future.
  • Obesity.2,3,4 Being obese before and during pregnancy can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation (A-fib). If you have A-fib, your heart beats too slowly, too quickly, or in an irregular way. Obesity is also linked with high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia usually develops after the 20th week of pregnancy. Women who have pre-eclampsia have high blood pressure and signs of liver or kidney damage.
  • High blood pressure.5 Having high blood pressure while you are pregnant can cause serious health issues for you and your baby. It puts you at risk of pre-eclampsia, eclampsia (seizures in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia), and stroke. You may also need to get medicine to start labor, and the placenta can separate from the wall of your uterus. If you have high blood pressure, it is hard for the baby to get enough oxygen and nutrients to grow. This can put the baby at risk of being born early and having a low birth weight.
  • Taking certain medications.6 You will need to talk to your PCP about any medications you take. This includes prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, herbal and dietary supplements, and vitamins. Sometimes, not taking a medication while you are pregnant can be more dangerous than taking it. On the other hand, some medications can increase the risk of premature delivery or pregnancy loss.

You can also talk to a maternity care manager if you have questions about how best to manage your health while you’re trying to get pregnant.

 

Sources

1Diabetes during pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024. Accessed Jan 9, 2025. cdc.gov/maternal-infant-health/pregnancy-diabetes/index.html
2Pregnancy complications increase and unmask short- and long-term cardiovascular risk for people with obesity. National Institutes of Health. Oct. 10, 2023. Accessed Jan. 9, 2025.  nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/pregnancy-complications-increase-unmask-short-long-term-cardiovascular-risk-people-obesity

3Cardiovascular disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. June 3, 2024. Accessed Jan. 9, 2025. cdc.gov/cdi/indicator-definitions/cardiovascular-disease.html

4About atrial fibrillation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024. Accessed Jan. 9, 2025. cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/atrial-fibrillation.html

5High blood pressure during pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. June 6, 2024. Accessed Jan. 9. 2025.               
https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy.html

6Medicine and pregnancy: An overview. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024. Accessed Jan. 9, 2025.
cdc.gov/medicine-and-pregnancy/about/index.html