Preconception Care
Being as healthy as possible before becoming pregnant, and getting early and regular prenatal care during pregnancy, are important ways to take the best care of you and your developing baby. Listed in the directory below, you will find some ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
Prenatal Counseling
Prenatal counseling gives parents the information they need to make informed choices. As modern medicine advances, more and more information becomes available regarding how diseases are inherited, and parents are given different choices to make ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
Maternal and Fetal Testing
The vast majority of women have healthy pregnancies and their babies are born without difficulties. The vast majority of women have healthy pregnancies and their babies are born without difficulties. However, women with high-risk pregnancies ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
Pregnancy Complications
There are many conditions that can complicate a pregnancy and require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. There are many conditions that can complicate a pregnancy and require clinical care by a physician or other ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
Pregnancy and Medical Conditions
There are many pre-existing medical conditions that can affect pregnancy or be affected by pregnancy that require the clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. There are many pre-existing medical conditions that can affect ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
How does pregnancy affect sickle cell disease?
Sickle cells only live for about 15 days, while normal hemoglobin can live up to 120 days. Also, sickle cells risk being destroyed by the spleen because of their shape and stiffness. The spleen is an organ that helps filter the blood of ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
Autoimmune Diseases
Some autoimmune diseases have little or no effect on pregnancy, while others can greatly increase the risks for pregnancy loss and maternal and fetal illness. Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which the body makes antibodies against one's own ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
HELLP syndrome
- a test that uses the nonstress test and ultrasound to examine fetal movements, heart rate, and amniotic fluid amounts. - a procedure to sample some of the umbilical cord blood during pregnancy. - medication given to the pregnant woman to help ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
What does a preconception examination include?
A preconception examination may include any/all of the following: Take control of any current or pre-existing medical problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. - an assessment of any possible genetic disorders, as several genetic ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
Risk Factors
Identifying potential risks of a pregnancy is an important part of preconception care. Identifying potential risks of a pregnancy is an important part of preconception care. Some women have increased chances for having a high-risk pregnancy ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
The risks involved with alcohol use during pregnancy:
Alcohol consumption by the mother is a leading cause of preventable birth defects in the fetus. Alcohol consumption by the mother is a leading cause of preventable birth defects in the fetus. Everything a mother drinks also goes to the fetus. ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
The risks involved with smoking during pregnancy:
Although fewer women are smoking during pregnancy now than ever before, the habit still persists among many women. Studies suggest that smoking increases the risk of preterm deliveries (delivery before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy). In ... [... more]
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital |
