Here is a vital look at recognizing critical maternal health warning signs to ensure a safe journey for both mother and child
Columnist: Dr. Sanjay Kumar
While the journey of pregnancy is celebrated as a time of profound joy, the physiological shifts taking place inside a mother’s body can sometimes trigger or mask severe health complications. Too often, the excitement surrounding a new arrival overshadows the critical need to monitor maternal well-being, leaving expectant mothers unprepared for severe physical challenges. Here is a clear understanding of gastrointestinal and liver health to safeguard both mother and baby.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
• Mostly occurs in the first trimester.
• Characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, dehydration, elevated liver enzymes, and metabolic disturbances.
Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy
• Occurs during the late second and third trimesters.
• Caused by a defect in bile acid excretion, which leads to bile acid accumulation in the liver and systemic circulation.
• Symptoms include severe, progressively worsening itching (pruritus).
• Liver function becomes deranged. Elevated bile acid levels can affect the fetus in utero, leading to prematurity or even fetal death.
HELLP Syndrome
• Affects pregnant women with hypertension, proteinuria (the presence of protein in the urine), and limb swelling, leading to severe vascular problems (such as vasoconstriction and hemorrhage).
• Characterized by right upper quadrant pain, jaundice, encephalopathy, and coagulopathy.
• Key features include severe hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet counts.
• Liver rupture can occur in rare cases, leading to intra-abdominal bleeding, hypotension, multi-organ failure, and death.
Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy
• This is the most dangerous liver disorder associated with pregnancy.
• Characterized by a very rapid deterioration of liver function that leads to acute liver failure, which stems from a defect in fatty acid oxidation.
• Liver failure manifests as encephalopathy (altered sensorium progressing to coma) and coagulopathy (bleeding from the mouth, GI tract, lungs, brain, or urine).
For all of these pregnancy-related GI and liver ailments, awareness and a prompt consultation with GI and liver specialists are essential. Early recognition and treatment can save both mother and baby.
Dr. Sanjay Kumar is a Senior Director Gastroentrology
at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Sector 138, Noida.
He can be reached at 9818509547.