Pregnancy, Childbirth and Bladder Control
... Do pregnancy and childbirth affect bladder control? Yes. But don''t panic. If you lose bladder control after childbirth, the problem often goes away by itself. Your muscles may just need time to recov...

Chorioamnionitis
... Chorioamnionitis is a condition that can affect pregnant women in which the chorion and amnion (the membranes that surround the fetus) and the amniotic fluid (in which the fetus floats) are infected b...

Facts About Placenta Previa
... What is placenta previa? Placenta previa is a condition in which the placenta (the organ that connects the developing fetus to the mother’s uterus) lies low in the uterus. The placenta may partly or c...

Fetal Distress
... What is fetal distress? Fetal distress is a condition in which the fetus (unborn baby) develops a problem during the mother’s labor. Although fetal distress is a loosely defined medical term, it usual...

Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)
... What is IUGR? Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), also called fetal growth restriction, is a condition in which the fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks of pregnancy. Newborn bab...

Miscarriage
... A miscarriage, also called spontaneous abortion, is the spontaneous ending of a pregnancy before the fetus is mature enough to survive outside the uterus. About one-third of all pregnancies end in mis...

Placenta Abruption
... What is a placenta abruption? Placenta abruption, also called abruptio placenta, is the premature separation (abruption) of the placenta from the uterus before childbirth. The placenta is the organ th...

Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension
... What is high blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into the arteries (blood vessels) that carry the blood throughout the body. ...

Premature Labor
... What is premature labor? Premature or pre-term labor is labor that begins more than three weeks before you are expected to deliver your baby. Contractions (tightening of the muscles in the uterus) cau...

Stillbirth
... What is a stillbirth? Stillbirth is the death of a baby after the 20th week of pregnancy, but before delivery. The baby may have died in the uterus weeks or hours before labor, or rarely, during labor...

Umbilical Cord Prolapse
... What is the umbilical cord? The umbilical cord is a flexible, tube-like structure that, during pregnancy, connects the fetus to the mother. The umbilical cord is the baby’s lifeline to the mother. It ...

Cell-Salvage Therapy Beneficial in High-Risk C-Sections
... Procedure Avoids Complications Associated With Donor Transfusions Cell-salvage blood-replacement therapy, a method of "recycling" the patient’s blood that would otherwise be lost, is a safe ...

Cesarean-Section Delivery
... What is a cesarean section? A cesarean section, also called a c-section, is a surgical procedure performed when a vaginal delivery is not possible or safe, or when the health of the mother or the baby...