Antenatal Care and Screening Flashcards
morning sickness is worse in patients with higher levels of what?
human chorionic gonadotropin
eg in twins or molar
cardiac output increases by what % in pregnancy?
30-50%
BP drops in which trimester (then comes back in which trimester)?
drops in 2nd and comes back in 3rd
what happens to urine output in pregnancy?
increases
also get increased UTIs due to urinary stasis
common problems in pregnancy:
increase urine increased cardiac output morning sickness anaemia increased respiratory rate reduced GI motility
gravidity
total number of pregnancies (regardless of the outcome)
parity
total number of pregnancies carried over the threshold of viability (24 weeks in the UK)
what is pre-eclampsia?
disorder of pregnancy characterised by a high BP and high protein levels in the urine
when does pre-eclampsia usually arise?
after 20 weeks of pregnancy
what can happen if pre-eclampsia is left untreated?
seizures
phenylketonuria
inborn error of protein metabolism (causes an inability to metabolise essential amino acid phenylalanine)
results in mental development impairment
(women should go on a low phenylalanine diet)
what measures do women with pre-existing type 2 diabetes need to take when pregnant?
they need to switch from oral medications to insulin
and optimise glucose control
if the baby is in breech - you can offer an ECV - what is this?
external cephalic version
attempt to turn the fetus so he/she is head down
what happens if ECV doesn’t work?
they are offered a c section
nullparity
no babies/ first baby
never carried a baby past 24 weeks
