If you think that all pregnancies usually follow a routine course without any complications, think again. There are some women who experience high-risk pregnancies – which can be serious if they do not act promptly.
Consequently, these women need to take precautionary steps to ensure a healthy pregnancy. A pregnancy is considered high-risk when the mother is known to have certain conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, placental problems, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, placenta abruption or amniotic fluid embolism (AFE).
According to consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Liew Fah Onn, the major causes of maternal death (from the World Health Organization 2005 World Health Report) are: Severe bleeding (25%), infections (13%), unsafe abortions (13%), eclampsia (12%), obstructed labour (8%), other direct causes (8%) and indirect causes (20%).
“Obstetrical emergencies are life-threatening medical conditions that occur in pregnancy or during, or after, labour and delivery. What can go wrong is usually unpredictable,” he says.
Over 90% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries and the most common cause of maternal death is obstetrical haemorrhage (heavy bleeding during pregnancy or labour), followed by deep vein thrombosis (the formation of a blood clot or thrombus in a deep vein, most commonly of the legs).
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