Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times of a woman’s life. It can also be a stressful time, due to complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or miscarriage. Here’s what you need to know.
- In 2014, preterm birth, defined as birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy, affected about 1 in 10 infants born in the United States, putting these babies at higher risk for serious disability and death.
- Scientists estimate that preeclampsia affects 5 to 10 percent of pregnancies worldwide and 3 to 5 percent in the United States. The condition causes 15 percent of premature births and 18 percent of all maternal deaths in the U.S.
- Gestational diabetes increases risk for high birth weight in babies and increases the mother’s risk for preeclampsia and cesarean birth.
- Half of all women who have gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes after pregnancy.
- An estimated 10 to 25 percent of all clinically recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage.
