75 conditions explained
Pregnancy complications
What a diagnosis actually means, how it is monitored, and what changes about your care — with every threshold quoted from the guideline that sets it.
ConditionAmniocentesis and CVSHow amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling differ, when each is done, the miscarriage risk…ConditionAnaemia and Iron Infusions in PregnancyWhat happens when oral iron does not work in pregnancy: why an infusion is offered, the MHRA safety…ConditionAnaemia in PregnancyThe haemoglobin thresholds that define anaemia in each trimester, when you are tested, how iron…ConditionAntidepressants in PregnancyWhat NICE CG192 says about continuing or switching antidepressants, why stopping abruptly carries…ConditionAntiphospholipid Syndrome in PregnancyWhat separates positive antibodies from the actual syndrome, why the test is repeated 12 weeks…ConditionAppendicitis in PregnancyWhy appendicitis is harder to diagnose in pregnancy, where the pain moves to as the uterus grows,…ConditionAsthma in PregnancyWhy NICE tells you to keep taking your inhalers, which asthma medicines carry on unchanged, what…ConditionBipolar Disorder in PregnancyWhat NICE says about valproate and lithium in pregnancy, why the first weeks after birth carry the…ConditionBlood Clots and VTE in PregnancyPregnancy raises the risk of blood clots, with the peak just after birth. The symptoms needing…ConditionCervical Insufficiency and CerclageWhen a cervix shortens or opens too soon, and how a stitch or progesterone is chosen. Who gets…ConditionChickenpox in PregnancyWhat to do if you are exposed to chickenpox in pregnancy, why UKHSA now uses antivirals instead of…ConditionChronic Kidney Disease in PregnancyWhy your CKD stage decides your birth timing, what NICE NG121 specifies for each stage, and why…ConditionCMV and Toxoplasmosis in PregnancyWhy the UK does not screen for CMV or toxoplasmosis in pregnancy, what each infection can do to a…ConditionCOVID in PregnancyWhat COVID-19 means in pregnancy now, the symptoms that need an immediate call to your midwife,…ConditionEctopic PregnancyWhat an ectopic pregnancy does, the symptoms that get mistaken for a stomach bug, when to call an…ConditionEpilepsy and PregnancyWhy you should never stop antiseizure medication yourself, what the valproate figures really are,…ConditionFibroids in PregnancyWhat fibroids do during pregnancy, why red degeneration causes sudden pain, how they affect birth,…ConditionGallstones and Cholecystitis in PregnancyWhy pregnancy makes gallstones more likely, how biliary colic differs from cholecystitis, which…ConditionGestational DiabetesThe blood sugar targets you are given, what to eat and when, how metformin or insulin is added, how…ConditionGestational Diabetes After BirthWhat happens to gestational diabetes after delivery, the 6 to 13 week test NICE asks for, the…ConditionGestational Diabetes and BirthWhy gestational diabetes sets a 40 weeks plus 6 days limit, what happens to your blood sugar during…ConditionGestational Diabetes Blood Sugar LevelsThe exact NICE gestational diabetes targets quoted in full, how Diabetes Canada's figures differ,…ConditionGestational Diabetes Breakfast IdeasBreakfast is the hardest meal with gestational diabetes. Why morning readings run high, the…ConditionGestational Diabetes DietWhat NICE, Diabetes UK and the NHS actually publish about eating with gestational diabetes, why no…ConditionGestational Diabetes Foods to AvoidWhich foods UK guidance actually tells you to avoid with gestational diabetes, which are portion…ConditionGestational Diabetes Meal PlanNo UK body publishes a gestational diabetes meal plan. Here is what NICE, Diabetes UK and the NHS…ConditionGestational Diabetes SnacksSnack ideas for gestational diabetes from Diabetes UK and ACOG, why snacks are part of the…ConditionGestational HypertensionHigh blood pressure after 20 weeks without pre-eclampsia. The NICE monitoring schedule, treatment…ConditionGroup B Strep in PregnancyGroup B Strep found in pregnancy is not an infection in you. What the UK risk-based approach means,…ConditionHeart Conditions in PregnancyWhy cardiac disease dominates maternal mortality figures, what the modified WHO classes change, and…ConditionHepatitis B in PregnancyThe UK referral timeframes after a positive result, what higher and lower infectivity mean, and why…ConditionHigh Nuchal TranslucencyWhat an increased nuchal translucency measurement means, the 3.5mm threshold the NHS screening…ConditionHIV in PregnancyHow UK transmission rates fell from 25% untreated to under 0.4%, what viral suppression changes…ConditionHypermobility and EDS in PregnancyWhy joints hurt more in pregnancy when you are hypermobile, what pelvic girdle pain treatment…ConditionIBD in PregnancyWhy staying in remission matters more than stopping your medicine, what a flare in pregnancy looks…ConditionLarge for Gestational AgeTold your baby is measuring large? How accurate scans really are, what NICE says about induction…ConditionLow-Lying Placenta Follow-Up ScansNine in ten low-lying placentas found at 20 weeks have moved by the follow-up scan. Here is the 32…ConditionLow PAPP-A in PregnancyWhat a low PAPP-A result means after combined screening, why it triggers extra growth scans rather…ConditionLow Platelets in PregnancyWhy platelets fall in normal pregnancy, how gestational thrombocytopenia differs from ITP and…ConditionLupus in PregnancyWhy quiet disease before conception matters, what the anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies change, and…ConditionMeasles in PregnancyWhy measles is more serious in pregnancy, what counts as an exposure, the 72-hour rule that does…ConditionMigraine in PregnancyWhy most migraine improves after the first trimester, why aura behaves differently, and the…ConditionMiscarriage: What Actually HappensWhat a miscarriage involves physically, how it is diagnosed on a scan, the three management options…ConditionMolar PregnancyA molar pregnancy is a chance error at conception, not something you caused. How it is found, why…ConditionMultiple Sclerosis in PregnancyWhat NICE says about relapse rates in pregnancy and after birth, why disease-modifying therapy is…ConditionNIPT and What It Can Tell YouWhat NIPT tests for on the NHS, who is eligible, the 21 weeks and 6 days cut-off, why it is…ConditionObstetric Cholestasis (Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy)Diagnosed with intrahepatic cholestasis? The RCOG bile acid bands, what each means for stillbirth…ConditionOligohydramniosLow amniotic fluid on a scan. What is measured and how imprecise it is, the first question your…ConditionOvarian Cysts in PregnancyWhy most ovarian cysts found in early pregnancy resolve, what torsion feels like, why UK guidance…ConditionPlacenta Praevia and Low-Lying PlacentaA low-lying placenta at 20 weeks usually resolves. What the 20 mm rule means, when your follow-up…ConditionPlacental AbruptionPlacental abruption is a clinical diagnosis, not a scan finding. Why ultrasound cannot rule it out,…ConditionPolyhydramniosPolyhydramnios means too much amniotic fluid. The measurement thresholds, the search for a cause,…ConditionPre-eclampsiaThe warning signs to act on today, the blood pressure and blood test thresholds, how often you are…ConditionPregnancy After Bariatric SurgeryWhy teams advise waiting before conceiving, the deficiencies that need testing, why the glucose…ConditionPreterm LabourHow to tell possible preterm labour from Braxton Hicks, what the hospital tests actually measure,…ConditionQuadruple Test ResultsWhy you were offered the quad test and not the combined test, the four markers it measures, and…ConditionRaised BMI in PregnancyThe risk figures RCOG actually publishes, why you are offered extra scans and a glucose test, and…ConditionRed Cell Antibodies in PregnancyWhich antibodies matter, why anti-D, anti-K and anti-c are singled out, what the monitoring…ConditionReduced Fetal MovementsReported your baby moving less? What assessment involves at each stage of pregnancy, why kick…ConditionRhesus Negative and Anti-DWhat being RhD negative means, when anti-D is offered and when it is not, and why the UK rules…ConditionNot Immune to RubellaWhy the UK stopped screening for rubella immunity in pregnancy, what to do if you are exposed, the…ConditionSickle Cell Disease in PregnancyThe appointment schedule RCOG sets out, why one medicine is stopped before conception, what happens…ConditionSingle Umbilical ArteryWhat a two-vessel cord means, why the NHS screening programme calls it a normal variant, and why it…ConditionSlapped Cheek and Parvovirus in PregnancyThe transmission and complication figures ACOG publishes, why 9 to 20 weeks is the risk window,…ConditionSmall for Gestational AgeTold your baby is measuring small. What the 10th centile means, how it differs from growth…ConditionSoft Markers on a ScanWhich soft markers the NHS 20-week scan reports and which it treats as normal variants needing no…ConditionSubchorionic HaematomaA subchorionic haematoma is a pocket of blood beside the pregnancy sac. What it means, what the…ConditionSyphilis in PregnancyWhy a positive test cannot separate current from treated past infection, the UK referral…ConditionThreatened Miscarriage and Early BleedingBleeding before 12 weeks does not always mean miscarriage. What threatened miscarriage means, who…ConditionThyroid Disease in PregnancyWhy levothyroxine doses usually rise in pregnancy, who is offered thyroid testing, what untreated…ConditionType 1 Diabetes in PregnancyThe HbA1c numbers NICE uses, the glucose targets you are asked to hit, continuous monitoring,…ConditionType 2 Diabetes in PregnancyWhich tablets stop before pregnancy and which one can stay, the HbA1c and glucose targets NICE…ConditionUTI and Kidney Infection in PregnancyWhy every UTI in pregnancy gets immediate antibiotics, what asymptomatic bacteriuria is and why it…ConditionVelamentous Cord and Vasa PraeviaWhat a velamentous cord insertion is, how it relates to vasa praevia, the survival figures RCOG…ConditionWaters Breaking Early (PPROM)Waters breaking before 37 weeks without labour is called PPROM. What the hospital checks, why…