Common Health Conditions That Affect Pregnancy

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During your pregnancy, your job will be to help the baby grow as healthy as possible during those first nine months. If you have pre-existing health conditions, you need to take even better care of yourself and manage your symptoms more closely.

Your body will be going through a period of immense change, and additional pressure will be placed on all your joints, organs, and muscles. To keep yourself strong for the baby, you need to know how common health conditions can affect this period.

Thyroid Disease

Your thyroid is responsible for maintaining every bodily function. From sufficient hormone release to keeping your body temperature normal, thyroid disease affects numerous parts of the body in a variety of ways. With an underactive thyroid, you will need to take a daily hormone tablet to increase your TSH levels. If your levels are not managed properly, it can affect the baby. Growth may be restricted, and hypertensive disorders are common during pregnancy when the mother has thyroid disease.

It is the second most common disorder that affects pregnant women, and can even be a result of pregnancy. Be sure to get your levels checked every three months, and then every six months after the baby is born.

Type 1 Diabetes

With diabetes, your blood sugar and insulin levels are affected. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where your body attacks the insulin-producing cells in your body by mistake. It registers that those beta cells are harmful, and in turn tries to eradicate them. This results in a severe deficiency of insulin that can affect your growing baby.

Type 1 diabetes treatment usually requires a daily injection of insulin and a good diet to keep your glucose levels optimal as your body changes through the next few months. For help with understanding type 1 diabetes, consult The London Diabetes Centre. This clinic has 12 world-renowned consultants with expertise in diabetology and how to manage the condition. The centre uses state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and has helpful resources on how to take care of diabetes during pregnancy.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a common condition for many people, but it’s potentially dangerous for a pregnant woman. If you have this condition before falling pregnant, your chances of developing preeclampsia increase in the second and third trimesters. What this means is that you may have to plan your pregnancy, as well as carefully monitor it throughout.

Lowering your cholesterol levels is the first thing you need to do. Cut salt, fat, and most cheeses out of your diet and drink extra water for kidney function. Maintain your stress levels and try to be a little active while you are pregnant. The right kind of exercise during pregnancy can alleviate a lot of problems like back and joint pain.

Having a baby is stressful enough but keeping your body in tip-top shape will help keep both you and your baby healthy during your pregnancy. Keep an eye out for any conditions you may have and maintain regular doctor visits.