Although serious pregnancy issues are uncommon in the United States, thousands of women nevertheless experience them every year.
The mother’s health, the health of the foetus, or both, may be in jeopardy. Many of them are more prevalent in women of colour and raise the maternal death rate among them disproportionately.
While extreme circumstances may compel patients and their doctors to contemplate abortions, the choice has been restricted by regulations passed or proposed after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June.
If the mother develops an illness that has serious or life-threatening health repercussions, exemptions are permitted in at least 19 states that have abortion restrictions, but evaluating whether either circumstance applies can be difficult to judge. While a result of the new abortion restrictions, doctors claim they are being forced to watch as their patients’ conditions worsen.
Maternal mortality rates, by age group: United States, 2018–2020
Following is a list of some of the most typical pregnancy issues that could prompt a doctor to suggest an abortion:
PREECLAMPSIA
Preeclampsia is an extremely dangerous form of high blood pressure that can appear suddenly during pregnancy, usually in the second half.
One in every twenty-five pregnancies has it develop. A headache, impaired eyesight, and swollen limbs are among symptoms.
Hospitalization may be part of the course of treatment, along with blood pressure-lowering and lung-development-enhancing medications. When the mother’s life is in risk, ending the pregnancy by forcing birth or by an abortion may be advised.
Patients may experience difficulties with their kidneys in addition to high blood pressure. Seizures, strokes, and fluid in the lungs are all possible in extreme circumstances.
PREMATURE MEMBRANE RUPTURE
At the beginning of labour, or “water breaking,” membranes in the fluid-filled amniotic sac that surrounds the foetus frequently rupture or break. The sac ruptures prematurely in at least 3% of pregnancies, frequently resulting in preterm birth.
The syndrome makes uterine infections more likely. Doctors may advise aborting the pregnancy, particularly if the baby is unlikely to survive if the water breaks before 24 weeks.
Doctors might carefully follow the patients and look out for infection symptoms rather than performing abortions. However, odds of a healthy birth are low and risks of serious maternal problems are significantly raised, accord
ECTOPIC PREGNANCIES
When a fertilised egg develops outside the womb, frequently in a fallopian tube, it is called an ectopic pregnancy. In 2% of pregnancies in the United States, it occurs.
The embryo has no chance of living, but it may cause the tube to rupture, resulting in life-threatening internal haemorrhage.
Medication that prevents the embryo from growing and hence terminates the pregnancy may be used as treatment for less severe situations. If surgery is needed, the damaged tube may need to be removed.
Doctors stress that ectopic pregnancy treatment is not the same as an abortion.
Some pro-life politicians have asserted that ectopic pregnancies may be reimplanted in the uterus, occasionally citing two unsupported case reports that were published in medical publications decades apart. Any such actions, according to experts, would harm the
ABRATION OF PLACENTA
The placenta, an important organ that grows during pregnancy and connects with the umbilical cord to help the foetus eat, is attached to the uterine wall.
The placenta prematurely separates from the womb after about 20 weeks of pregnancy in about 1 in 100 pregnancies. That may endanger the foetus’ life and result in potentially harmful maternal haemorrhage.
It could be advised to induce labour or end the pregnancy.
(With inputs from agencies)
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