Research carried out by the University of Oxford has found that expectant mothers with medical health conditions have poorer outcomes than healthy mums and a higher chance of maternal death.

Looking at data from 1,661 women who survived life threatening complications of pregnancy or childbirth and 135 women who sadly died between 2009-2012, researchers found that women with chronic illnesses, a previous history of pregnancy complications and those that didn’t access enough ante-natal care or whose ante-natal care was inadequate had a 49% increased risk of dying from a pregnancy related cause.

Conditions that put expectant mothers at risk include hypertensive disorders, auto-immune diseases, inflammatory or allergic disorders, asthma, blood disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, infections and mental health issues. Unfortunately the rate of auto-immune, allergic and inflammatory illnesses are on the increase.

The top five causes of death among pregnant and newly delivered mothers were eclampsia, pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs), severe sepsis, amniotic fluid embolism and peripartum haemorrhage (heavy blood loss before birth).

Many of these deaths are entirely preventable with good ante-natal care. For instance, eclampsia, a hypertensive disorder that can lead to seizures and coma, can be monitored and treated by regular blood pressure and urine tests, anti-hypertensive medicine and the immediate delivery of the baby. Without regular checks, the initially non-descript symptoms of a headache and swollen ankles may be mistaken for the normal rigors of pregnancy.

Sadly, women who do live with a chronic condition or disability are less likely to take up all of the ante-natal appointments offered to them and this puts them at greater risk of an adverse outcome.

Professor Marian Knight, co-author of the study paper, suggested that women with auto-immune, inflammatory or other conditions should seek pre-conceptual counselling and be given extra support throughout pregnancy.

If you have a pre-existing condition and you would like expert, one-to-one care during your pregnancy, The Women’s Wellness Centre offer a private gynaecology service in London as well as a consultant-led maternity service. We can follow you from the earliest stages of pregnancy. We use state of the art facilities and can provide all the scans, blood tests and other checks you need. When the time comes to meet your baby, our consultants can refer you to one of the top private London hospitals so you can enjoy the comfort and safety of one of the best birthing units in the country.

For the best care for you and your baby, we would be happy to hear from you today.