Of the 4 million women who become pregnant each year, 6–8 percent will have high-risk pregnancies, and two-thirds of these pregnancies have the potential for serious problems, including fetal death.

(Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, Obstetrics & Gynecology)

Learn what problems can put your pregnancy into the high-risk category. (13‑14)

The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancies of all developed countries.
(Source: Planned Parenthood)

Find advice for coping with the challenges of teen pregnancies. (86‑90)

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects 2–5 percent of pregnant women.

(Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Learn the standard of care for managing GDM and the proper role of diet, medication and exercise. (112‑118)

Preterm labor occurs in only 6–10 percent of pregnancies but is responsible for 75 percent of infant deaths and 50 percent of the cases of physically challenged children.

(Source: Obstetrics & Gynecology)

Discover the risk factors for preterm labor and learn why ethnicity matters. (134‑138)

A deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in the leg that occurs in three out of one thousand new mothers, typically during the first three days to four weeks after a delivery.

(Source: Russell K. Laros Jr., “Thromboembolic Disease,” in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 3rd ed.)

Learn to recognize the symptoms of a clot and find out what to do. (218)

The postpartum blues affect 50–70 percent of women after delivery. Postpartum depression is a much more serious condition affecting approximately 8–20 percent of pregnant women.