Emergencies in pregnancy: 10 reasons to go to the hospital

Pregnant women sometimes do not know how to differentiate between what would be normal pregnancy symptoms or warning signs. For this reason, gynecologists recommend that when in doubt it is better to go to the emergency room for an evaluation by a specialist. However, here we collect a few situations in which it is clearly convenient to go to emergencies in pregnancy.

• The main reason why the pregnant woman goes to the emergency room is vaginal bleeding. In the first trimester it can mean threatened abortion.
• Before week 37, if you have a sensation of contractions on a regular basis and that do not stop at rest, an examination should be done to rule out the threat of premature labor.
• If you have a sensation of fluid loss through the vagina, whether abundant or scant, an urgent assessment should be made.

Emergencies in pregnancy: We detail 10 reasons to go to the hospital

1. Vaginal bleeding: It is the main reason for visiting the emergency room. A bleeding during pregnancy should always be cause for. In the first trimester, it must be diagnosed if it is a threat of abortion or discard delayed or ongoing abortion, or ectopic gestation. Later, in the second and third trimesters, bleeding due to placenta previa or placental abruption should be ruled out. Sometimes, the bleeding is only from a small blood vessel in the neck of the womb that during pregnancy is easier to break and bleed. Depending on the diagnosis made, the treatment can be very different, but in cases of threatened miscarriage, that is, bleeding in the first trimester of gestation with an ultrasound that shows an embryo with a positive heartbeat, rest is indicated. relative or absolute according to the severity of the condition.

2. Abdominal pain: It is another frequent reason for consultation in the emergency room. In the first trimester, an ectopic pregnancy should be ruled out above all if none has yet been carried out in which it has been possible to verify that the pregnancy is well implanted within the womb. In the second and third trimesters, a placental abruption, contractions or, rarely, preeclampsia, which can lead to abdominal pain, generally in the upper half of the abdomen, should be ruled out.

3. Fever Fever in pregnancy is usually a cause that alienates the pregnancy, such as colds, tonsillitis, urine infection ... but you must make sure that it is not due to an obstetric cause and do the indicated treatment to prevent it from leading to an infection that may affect the fetus .

4. Headache A constant headache that does not improve with regular analgesia should always be considered as a reason for emergencies in pregnancy, especially after 20-25 weeks. A blood pressure measurement should be taken and it ruled out. If tension is normal, major headache causes should be ruled out just as in a non-pregnant woman.

5. Vaginal itching Pregnancy produces a decrease in defenses in women which makes it more vulnerable to infections, especially vaginal discharge. For this reason, the and other common infections of the discharge are very frequent and, although they are not usually dangerous for the fetus, it is better to treat them to avoid that they can lead to a more serious infection.

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6. Itchy skin With the increase in the volume of the abdomen, pregnant women frequently report itching in the belly. But If the itch is on the soles of the feet or on the palms of the hands, liver disease that could be dangerous for the fetus should be ruled out. If the itching is accompanied by significant redness of the skin, it also needs evaluation in case there is any type of allergic reaction.

7. Urinary discomfort The increased size of the womb compresses the bladder so urinary infections are more frequent. On some occasions, urine infections in pregnant women do not present with the typical symptoms of burning when urinating, but simply present with pain in the lower abdomen.

8. Contractions After 37 weeks of pregnancy, a normal delivery is considered. Before this moment, if you have a sensation of contractions (tightening of the abdomen that lasts between 1-2 minutes and pain as a rule) on a regular basis and that does not stop at rest, an examination should be done to rule out a threat of premature labor . Starting at 37 weeks, when the contractions are regular for an hour and approximately five minutes apart, an evaluation should be done to see if labor has started.

9. Decreased fetal movements If fetal movements decrease sharply or disappear for about 12 hours despite eating something sweet or stretching on the left side, an emergency evaluation should be done.

10. Loss of amniotic fluid If you have a sensation of fluid loss through the vagina, both abundantly or scant, an urgent evaluation should be made. If the color of the water is transparent, it is not necessary to rush to the emergency room, but the consultation should not take too long. If the waters are stained a greenish or brownish color, an assessment should be made as quickly as possible to check the fetal well-being. Sometimes, it is difficult to assess whether the bag of waters is broken or not and that is why a specialist must do an examination.