In order to prepare its graduates for practice in a variety of settings, the Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency offers a thorough grounding in multiple areas of care. Many alumni of the Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency include obstetrics as part of their practices.
A woman can experience a high-risk pregnancy for a variety of reasons. Some relate to preexisting health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, which can adversely affect the expectant mother's health if not properly managed. Other conditions, including kidney or autoimmune disease, not only can affect the mother but may also increase the risk of preterm birth or still birth.
Moreover, certain conditions may develop during pregnancy to make the gestation high risk. A woman carrying multiple fetuses, for example, has an increased risk of both low birth weight and the need for caesarean section. Obstetricians also watch for pregnancy-related conditions, such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, which can develop in an otherwise healthy mother and increase the risk of problems with development, labor, or delivery.
Teenage mothers and first-time mothers over the age of 35 are also considered to be high risk in pregnancy. Risks for younger mothers range from a heightened risk of early labor to an increased risk of noncompliance with prenatal care, while older mothers are more likely to experience labor and delivery complications or give birth to children with genetic disorders.
Finally, if an obstetrician notes that the expectant mother is engaging in certain risky lifestyle behaviors, he or she may classify the pregnancy as high risk. Such behaviors include alcohol use and cigarette smoking, both of which experts discourage as potential causes of birth defects.
A woman can experience a high-risk pregnancy for a variety of reasons. Some relate to preexisting health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, which can adversely affect the expectant mother's health if not properly managed. Other conditions, including kidney or autoimmune disease, not only can affect the mother but may also increase the risk of preterm birth or still birth.
Moreover, certain conditions may develop during pregnancy to make the gestation high risk. A woman carrying multiple fetuses, for example, has an increased risk of both low birth weight and the need for caesarean section. Obstetricians also watch for pregnancy-related conditions, such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, which can develop in an otherwise healthy mother and increase the risk of problems with development, labor, or delivery.
Teenage mothers and first-time mothers over the age of 35 are also considered to be high risk in pregnancy. Risks for younger mothers range from a heightened risk of early labor to an increased risk of noncompliance with prenatal care, while older mothers are more likely to experience labor and delivery complications or give birth to children with genetic disorders.
Finally, if an obstetrician notes that the expectant mother is engaging in certain risky lifestyle behaviors, he or she may classify the pregnancy as high risk. Such behaviors include alcohol use and cigarette smoking, both of which experts discourage as potential causes of birth defects.
