Dangers of pregnancy and how to avoid them! - Doctor Explains

On this channel, we previously discussed how to get pregnant. This usually is one of the most excited phases in someone's life. Filled with new experiences, beautiful moments and of course ultimately a new born baby.
However, as always everything comes with a price. Most pregnancies will progress without major problems, but if problems do occur they can be, in extreme cases, life threatening.

That is where this video comes in. I want to prepare you as well as possible, make you aware of potential red flags and provide you with tips/tricks to hopefully prevent major problems during your pregnancy.

This video is part of a videoseries on sex and urinal tract related medical problem. Find the playlists here:    • Sex Related Medical Problems  

Before you get pregnant
Take 400 micrograms of folic acid per day as a supplement before you get pregnant, up until you're 12 weeks pregnant.
Next up, quit smoking and drinking alcohol.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Discuss any medicines you use with your personal doctor.
Lastly, some infections can be disastrous for pregnant women or the fetus. Luckily, there exist vaccinations for most of these. I would strongly recommend you to discuss this with your personal doctor.

First trimester: week 0 - 13
Most importantly, being pregnant has a huge impact on your hormonal balances. This causes most of the changes your body will undergo. For example your uterus, placenta and breasts start to grow.This may put pressure on your bladder, creating a feeling like you need to pee.
Furthermore, you may experience mood swings, may feel tired and you will gain 1-2 kg. This partly comes from an increased blood volume. This increases the stress on your cardiovascular system leading to a increased heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure.
These hormonal changes may also cause morning sickness. This can hit you at any time of day until about week 14.
Lastly, most miscarriages and birth defects occur during this period. These are usually due to genetic or chromosomal abnormalities.

Second trimester: week 14 - 26
You might develop a whole new set of symptoms, such as back pains, constipation, food cravings, heartburn, itching, hemorrhoids, leg cramps, edema, dizziness and shortness of breath.
In addition, you will also gain about 6kg, your hair may thicker and your fingernails may become stronger.
Lastly, the mental aspect is being pregnant starts to sink in. You might feel anxious, especially about all the tests which will be done in this trimester. Your mind might wander and it can be more difficult to focus at work or at home.

Third trimester: week 27 - 40
During this phase your physical symptoms might worsen. These are partly caused by the increased size of your uterus, which puts pressure on your other organs. You might experience; shortness of breath, fatigue, back pain, hemorrhoids, urinary incontinence, varicose veins and sleeping problems.
Lastly, there are several serious complications which might occur during any phase of pregnancy.

Disclaimer: this video and the comments are meant purely informational! This is not medical advice! If you are looking for medical advice always contact your own doctor. -

Literature:
1: NHS. (2020). Planning your pregnancy. NHS.
2: UCSF health. (2022). Pregnancy the three trimesters. UCSF Health.
3: Better Health Channel. (2021). Pregnancy stages and changes. Better Health Channel.
4: Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2022). Complications of Pregnancy. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
5: CDC. (2022). Pregnancy Complications. CDC.

The images in this video are used for educational purposes only. Most of the images and video material in this video come from https://www.canva.com/.

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