Kidney Diseases—Health Problems in Pregnancy

Every pregnancy has some risk of problems. You may have problems because of a health condition you had before you got pregnant. You could also develop a condition during pregnancy. Other causes of problems during pregnancy can include being pregnant with more than one baby, a health problem in a previous pregnancy, substance abuse during pregnancy, or being over age 35. Any of these can affect your health, the health of your baby, or both.

If you have a chronic condition, you should talk to your health care provider about how to minimize your risk before you get pregnant. Once you are pregnant, you may need a health care team to monitor your pregnancy. Some common conditions that can complicate a pregnancy include

• High blood pressure
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Kidney problems
• Autoimmune disorders
• Obesity
• HIV/AIDS
• Cancer
• Infections

Other conditions that can make pregnancy risky can happen while you are pregnant – for example, gestational diabetes and Rh incompatibility. Good prenatal care can help detect and treat them.

Some discomforts, like nausea, back pain, and fatigue, are common during pregnancy. Sometimes it is hard to know what is normal. Call your health care provider if something is bothering or worrying you.

• Bed rest during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hydramnios (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hyperemesis gravidarum (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Insufficient cervix (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Placenta abruptio (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Placenta abruptio (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Placenta previa (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vaginal bleeding in late pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Renal disease

You have two kidneys, each about the size of your fist. They are near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Inside each kidney there are about a million tiny structures called nephrons. They filter your blood. They remove wastes and extra water, which become urine. The urine flows through tubes called ureters. It goes to your bladder, which stores the urine until you go to the bathroom.

Most kidney diseases attack the nephrons. This damage may leave kidneys unable to remove wastes. Causes can include genetic problems, injuries, or medicines. You have a higher risk of kidney disease if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a close family member with kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease damages the nephrons slowly over several years. Other kidney problems include

• Cancer
• Cysts
• Stones
• Infections

Your doctor can do blood and urine tests to check if you have kidney disease. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• ACE inhibitors (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Acute nephritic syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Analgesic nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Atheroembolic renal disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bartter syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bilateral hydronephrosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Congenital nephrotic syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Distal renal tubular acidosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Glomerulonephritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Goodpasture syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• IgA nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Injury – kidney and ureter (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Interstitial nephritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Kidney removal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Kidney removal – discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Medicines and Kidney Disease – NIH (National Kidney Disease Education Program)
• Membranoproliferative GN I (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Membranous nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Minimal change disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nephrocalcinosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nephrotic syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Obstructive uropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Perirenal abscess (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Proximal renal tubular acidosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Reflux nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Renal papillary necrosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Renal vein thrombosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Unilateral hydronephrosis (Medical Encyclopedia)