Pregnancy is considered to be bliss for each woman. However, it also brings with itself a range of issues for the expecting mothers. While many pregnant women encounter one or the other health issues, some of them suffer from serious pregnancy complications that can affect the health of the mother or the baby or both.
Complications during pregnancy can arise even if the woman was healthy before conceiving the child. These complications can sometimes pose a high risk to the health of expecting mothers. Hence, it is very important to get regular prenatal care so that any pregnancy related complication is diagnosed at an early stage and adequately treated before it can take a serious turn.
Some of the common pregnancy complications include:
- Gestational hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure occurs in pregnant ladies due to narrowing and increase of pressure in the arteries carrying oxygenated blood from heart to other organs of the body. This condition makes it hard for oxygenated blood to reach the placenta, which provides oxygen and nutrients to the child. Reduction in blood flow can slow down the growth of foetus, thereby increasing the risk for the mother of undergoing preeclampsia and preterm labour.
- Gestational diabetes
A woman can be said to be suffering from gestational diabetes if she was not diabetic before getting pregnant and develops the condition during her pregnancy. This condition arises when hormonal changes result in the body not producing enough insulin or not using it normally. Rather, glucose builds up in the blood and causes diabetes or high blood sugar in the pregnant woman. Gestational diabetes, if not controlled in time, can lead to gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.
- Preeclampsia and eclampsia
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication that is marked by high blood pressure in women who did not suffer with this condition before getting pregnant. This condition occurs late in pregnancy and pregnant women develop high concentration of protein in their urine which can result in swollen limbs.
If undiagnosed or left untreated, preeclampsia can result in eclampsia and put both the mother’s and baby’s life at risk. Eclampsia is marked by seizures and can lead to kidney and liver impairment, pulmonary edema and blood clotting.
- Ectopic pregnancy
It is a condition in which the fertilized egg implants itself outside the uterus and continues to grow and develop into a foetus, usually in the fallopian tube. If undiagnosed, ectopic pregnancy can result in rupturing of the fallopian tube, which can further lead to severe pain and bleeding (internal or external). Removal of pregnancy, through medication or surgery, is the only way to get rid of this condition.
Other pregnancy complications include iron deficiency and anemia, severe and persistent nausea and vomiting, infections, preterm labour and even miscarriage or stillbirth.
How to deal with pregnancy complications?
Pregnancy complications require proper care and treatment through medication and hospitalisation. Through adequate prenatal and postnatal care, a woman can give birth to a healthy baby and revive her health quickly. However, expenses related to pregnancy are not as reasonable these days as they used to be. Thus, it is a smart decision to procure a maternity health insurance plan.
A maternity insurance plan covers the expenditure incurred in pregnancy and childbirth. It provides coverage for pre and post-hospitalisation costs, pre and post-natal care and delivery expenses. Moreover, it also provides coverage for the newborn for up to 90 days and reimburses the costs of mandatory vaccinations for the first year of birth.
Bajaj Finserv has introduced a pregnancy complications insurance plan under its Pocket Insurance category, known as Pregnancy Complications Cover. Unlike most health insurance policies, this plan covers conditions such as gestational diabetes and ectopic pregnancy.
Available at a yearly premium of Rs. 499, this plan provides coverage of up to Rs. 50,000 against the expenses incurred during pre-hospitalization, hospitalization, and post-hospitalization stages of the child birth.
