High risk pregnancy/High risk obstetrics

A high-risk pregnancy is a pregnancy that involves increased health risks for the pregnant person, unborn baby or both. Certain health conditions and your age (being over 35 or under 17 when pregnant) can make a pregnancy high risk. These pregnancies require close monitoring to reduce the chance of complications.

All pregnancies carry risks. The definition of a “high-risk” pregnancy is any pregnancy that carries increased health risks for the pregnant person, fetus (unborn baby) or both. People with high-risk pregnancies may need extra care before, during and after they give birth. This helps to reduce the possibility of complications.

However, having a pregnancy that’s considered high risk doesn’t mean you or your unborn baby will have problems. Many people experience healthy pregnancies and normal labor and delivery despite having special health needs.