7: Complications of Pregnancy

Question 1

Spontaneous rupture of membranes

Answer 1

SROM

Question 2

Rupture of the membranes prior to 37 weeks.

Answer 2

Preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM)

Question 3

Risk factors for ectopic pregnancy.

Answer 3

1. Age 15-19
2. Age 35+
3. Racial minorities
4. Previous ectopic
5. Previous tubal surgery or deformity
6. Hx of PID
7. Hx of infertility
8. IUD use
9. Low-dose progestins or postcoital estrogens for contraception
10. Assisted reproduction
11. Hx of therapeutic abortion, esp with complications

Question 4

T/F Lying in the left lateral position helps prevent UTIs.

Answer 4

True. To avoid bladder stasis, clinicians should encourage women who are pregnant to maintain adequate water intake and to rest in the left lateral position—this position shifts the enlarged uterus away from the vena cava and aorta, which in turn enhances cardiac output, kidney perfusion, and kidney function.

Question 5

Rupture of the membranes prior to the onset of labor.

Answer 5

Premature rupture of membranes (PROM)

Question 6

T/F During pregnancy cell-mediated response is not as active. Thus, pregnancy is considered an immuno-compromised state.

Answer 6

False. It is true that cell-mediated response is not as active. Despite the alterations that occur in the immune system during pregnancy, gestation is not considered to be an immunocompromised state.

Question 7

What can sudden SROM be associated with?

Answer 7

Umbilical cord prolapse

Question 8

Which medication should not be used to treat UTIs in the 1st and 3rd trimesters?

Answer 8

Trimethoprim / sulfamethoxazole. Trimethoprim (a folate antagonist) should be avoided during the first trimester of pregnancy. Sulfonamides have an increased likelihood of causing hyperbilirubinemia in the neonate and should be avoided during the third trimester.