How Prenatal Care Changes With a High-Risk Pregnancy

When a pregnancy is considered high risk, it means there’s a greater chance of complications for you or your baby. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including age, pre-existing health conditions, carrying multiples, or developing certain complications during pregnancy.

At Women’s Care of Beverly Hills, the OB/GYN team guides patients through all types of pregnancies, including high-risk cases. If you’ve been told your pregnancy is high risk, here’s what that means and how we may shift your prenatal care to keep you and your baby healthy.

Defining a high-risk pregnancy

A high-risk pregnancy is one that has a greater chance of complications for the mother, baby, or both. This might be due to pre-existing conditions, pregnancy-related issues, or lifestyle factors.

Common reasons a pregnancy may be considered high risk include:

• Age (under 17 or over 35)
• Pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or autoimmune disorders
• Multiple pregnancies (twins or more)
• History of pregnancy loss or complications
• Conditions that develop during pregnancy (gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and others)

Being labeled “high risk” can feel overwhelming, but with our proactive care, high-risk pregnancies can result in healthy deliveries.

Changes in your prenatal care

When you're managing a high-risk pregnancy, you’ll likely see our providers more often than with a typical pregnancy. Instead of monthly check-ins early on, visits may occur every two weeks – or even weekly in the third trimester.

These visits allow us to track your health and your baby’s development closely and catch any changes early.

Your visits may include specialized testing, such as additional ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, or lab work. 

Common tests include:

• Level II ultrasounds for detailed views of your baby’s anatomy
• Non-stress tests (NSTs) to monitor fetal heart rate
• Amniocentesis or genetic screenings, depending on your history or family background

If you have a chronic health condition or develop one during pregnancy, we coordinate care with maternal-fetal medicine specialists, endocrinologists, cardiologists, nutritionists, and diabetes specialists. 

We provide a team-based approach to ensure you’re receiving expert care that meets your specific needs.

Emphasis on education and support

While we provide exceptional, deliberate care to all patients, we provide extra time to answer questions, help with lifestyle modifications, and offer emotional support during high-risk pregnancies. You may also receive more guidance around birth planning, delivery timing, and postpartum recovery.

The goal is always a healthy pregnancy, a safe delivery, and an empowered experience for you. Ask questions, share concerns, and let your care team know what you need.

At Women’s Care of Beverly Hills, we’re here to guide you every step of the way — whether your pregnancy is low-risk or high-risk. Our team personalizes your care plan to give you the peace of mind and clinical excellence you deserve.

Contact Call Women’s Care of Beverly Hills today or make an appointment online. We’re here to support your pregnancy and overall gynecological health.