How is high-risk pregnancy treated?

Treatment for high-risk pregnancy depends on the woman’s specific risk factors.

For example, treatment for a woman whose pregnancy is high risk because of a thyroid problem is usually medication to ensure her body has the right levels of thyroid hormones. Treatment for a woman whose pregnancy is high risk because of cigarette smoking is helping her to quit smoking. Treatment for a woman whose pregnancy is high risk because she is HIV positive would involve antiretroviral treatments during pregnancy, possibly a surgical delivery, and additional medications for her and the baby after birth.

In a high-risk pregnancy, healthcare providers will want to keep a close watch on the woman and the pregnancy to detect any potential problems as quickly as possible so that treatment can start before the woman’s or fetus’s health is in danger. This is particularly true of pregnancies that are high risk because of preeclampsia and previous preterm labor or birth. In these situations, treatment could mean additional days in the womb to allow for fetal development to continue.