health Experts advise pregnant women with non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and sickle cell disorder to enroll in antenatal care at a teaching hospital where specialized care is available. There is.

Gynecologists noted that pregnancies in women with these health conditions carry high risks, especially during childbirth, and must be managed by professionals to avoid losing the baby, the mother, or both.

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, experts reiterated that pregnant women with the aforementioned health conditions should utilize tertiary hospitals for ANC to reduce complications during and after childbirth. .

Dr Stanley Egbogu, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Akwa, Anambra State, said pregnancy among women with comorbidities comes with concerns and many complications.

He said, “Women suffering from diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease before pregnancy should not visit a primary health center before giving birth.

“It is important to register at a teaching or specialist hospital because you need specialized care from an experienced gynecologist.

“If such women visit a PHC for antenatal care, they should be immediately referred to a teaching hospital as they are prone to many complications during pregnancy.”

The gynecologist revealed that people with high blood pressure can develop seizures during pregnancy, adding, “People with diabetes can develop kidney failure during pregnancy and childbirth.”

“People with sickle cell disease often develop anemia and have very low blood volume, which can cause problems during childbirth. If you have asthma, your symptoms may worsen with pregnancy. Depending on the medicines used, untreated asthma may affect the fetus.

“Thus, these women need specialized care, which cannot be provided at the primary care level. The truth is that if these complications are not effectively managed, “This could lead to the death of women and babies,” he warned.

Mr. Egbogu also advised such pregnant women to start their labor early, even before delivery, and visit the ANC clinic because “we want to see the person with the problem more often than the person with the problem.” advised to have regular check-ups.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that women with sickle cell disease have more problems during pregnancy that can affect their health and that of their unborn child, compared to women without sickle cell disease. It is said that there is a high possibility of having

“During pregnancy, the disease may be more severe and pain symptoms may occur more frequently. Pregnant women with SCD are at increased risk of premature birth, delivery of a low birth weight baby, or other complications. “However, with early prenatal care and careful monitoring throughout pregnancy, women with SCD can have healthy pregnancies,” the CDC says.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, about 30% of women with asthma report that their asthma worsens during pregnancy.

“Pregnant women with asthma may be at a slightly higher risk of giving birth prematurely. Or their baby may have a lower birth weight. High blood pressure and a related condition known as pre-eclampsia may also cause more severe asthma. It is commonly seen in pregnant women with the disease,” the report states.

Dr. Mahmoud Magashi, another maternal and child health expert and Senior Registrar of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, said that for effective management of pregnant women with comorbidities, it is best to give birth in a specialized hospital. He said it was better and safer. In case of associated risks.

According to the World Health Organization, Nigeria’s estimated maternal mortality rate in 2015 was more than 800 per 100,000 live births, with approximately 58,000 maternal deaths recorded in the same year.

However, Nigeria’s latest maternal mortality rate, at 512 per 100,000 live births, according to the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey, remains very high, experts say.