Updated on Apr. 22, 2025
Pregnancy is a profound and life-changing journey. While many pregnancies progress with little to no complications, some may require more medical attention. These are classified as high-risk pregnancies – cases where specific conditions, circumstances, or risk factors may increase the likelihood of complications for the mother, baby, or both. With the right specialized care and resources, high-risk pregnancies can be managed safely, offering reassurance and support for a healthy outcome.
A report from the National Vital Statistics System reveals that births among women over 40 are now more common than births among teenagers. Since 1990, the rate of teen births has dropped by 73%, whereas the rate for women aged 40 and above has increased by 193%. In 2023, 4.1% of all births were to women over 40, which slightly exceeds the 4% to teenagers.
How Do you Know If You are High-Risk?
While you are considered a high-risk pregnancy at the age of 35 and older, a big misconception is that women who are older are the only ones at risk of having a high-risk pregnancy. There are a variety of factors that can put a mother at risk at any age. The risk factors can include:
- Pre-Existing Conditions: Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, and obesity often elevate the risks associated with pregnancy.
- Pregnancy-Related Health Issues: Pregnancy-related health issues such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and chromosomal abnormalities.
- Multiple Gestations: Carrying multiples such as twins or triplets, increases the likelihood of complications like pre-term labor, low birth weight, and placental abnormalities, requiring enhanced monitoring throughout the pregnancy.
- Pregnancy-Related Complications: Some conditions develop during pregnancy itself, such as preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy that can eventually lead to organ damage. Since, preeclampsia causes a widespread blood vessel dysfunction, it reduces the blood flow to important organs such as kidneys, lungs, liver, heart, or eyes. Another condition would be placenta insufficiency – this is a condition that occurs when the placenta isn’t working properly and results in a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus.
- Lifestyle Factors: If you drink, smoke, or do drugs, it is imperative to quit use during pregnancy since it can harm you and the baby. It is also highly encouraged for women to start prenatal care either before or as soon as you know you are pregnant and adopt a healthier lifestyle, such as consuming a diet rich in vitamins and fiber. By taking care of yourself first, you and your baby will have a healthy pregnancy,
- Past Pregnancy History: A history of miscarriage, preterm birth, or complications like placenta abruption, when the placenta separates from the inner wall of the uterus before birth, can increase the likelihood of similar challenges in future pregnancies.
For more than 35 years, The Women’s Hospital at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center has been at the forefront of maternity care – opening the first Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Postpartum (LDRP) suites in Orange Couty in 1988, designed with the health and bonding benefits of keeping mom and baby together. Since then, the LDRP suites have been recently renovated to become a more holistic and spa-like environment with lavender-scented towels, Labor Relief Cart, celebratory brunches for new mothers, and six rooms are equipped with birthing tubs for mothers who are wanting a more natural laboring experience.
Where Quality Defines the Care
In addition to comfort amenities, we are leaders in quality initiatives. For eight years running, we’ve been named a Center of Excellence by the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, a recognition that underscores our commitment to providing exceptional obstetric anesthesia care. This prestigious designation sets a benchmark for expected care, improving standards nationally and internationally, and highlights our dedication to maintaining high standards of care for our patients. We’ve also implemented initiatives to reduce infection rates and support vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), empowering women with safe, evidence-based childbirth options. At Saddleback Medical Center, we maintain a 23.2% NTSV (Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex) cesarean birth rate – lower than national and state targets, including many local hospitals.
Saddleback Medical Center’s commitment to excellence has earned it national recognition. We have been recognized as a ‘High Performing’ hospital in maternity care by U.S. News & World Report and ‘America’s Best Maternity Hospitals’ by Newsweek. We’ve also been recognized for our equitable maternity care by the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).
Supportive & Clinical Excellence for Pregnancies Common to Complex
In addition, Saddleback Medical Center is the only hospital in Orange County that provides a maternity concierge to every patient who delivers at the hospital regardless of acuity. The concierge guides the parents-to-be, to help determine which provider is the right fit, and provide education to prepare mom and dad for their pregnancy and delivery journey. We have an on-site level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that’s equipped to support premature and fragile infants with a team of neonatologists, specialized NICU nurses, and respiratory therapists available 24/7. To complement our high-risk pregnancy care, we also have a 24/7 Obstetric Emergency Department (OB ED) to care for patients who are 16 weeks pregnant and up to six weeks postpartum by specialized nurses and a board-certified OB hospitalist.
When addressing a high-risk pregnancy, it is important to have a trusted care team that specializes and has the capability to care for high-risk pregnancies. To ensure that mom-to-be has the right care team for her, based on her and her baby’s unique needs is to receive prenatal care as soon as she knows she’s pregnant. It is during prenatal care that it’s discovered if a mom-to-be has a high-risk pregnancy or not.
Choosing the Right OBGYN or Midwife for You
At MemorialCare our OBGYNs and certified nurse midwives, provide expecting mothers a robust framework for high-risk pregnancy management, with a focus on collaboration, innovation, and compassion. Mothers benefit from access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists, advanced diagnostic tools, and a fully integrated care system designed to address every aspect of their health.
Ultrasound, fetal monitoring, and genetic screening are some of the diagnostics used to detect the health of you and your baby early. For example, doppler ultrasounds evaluate blood flow between the placenta and fetus, identifying potential problems before they escalate. Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) screen for chromosomal abnormalities, providing critical information about the baby’s health.
By identifying risks early, the care team at Saddleback Medical Center develops personalized care plans tailored to each patient’s unique needs. This proactive approach minimizes complications and maximizes positive outcomes.
The challenges of a high-risk pregnancy extend beyond physical health. Emotional and psychological well-being are equally critical, and Saddleback Medical Center provides resources, including complimentary childbirth and postpartum education classes.
Education After Delivery & Beyond
The education provided by The Women’s Hospital extends to its Mommy & Me Postpartum Support Classes in partnership with the Mommy Center. Funded by the MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center Foundation, these weekly series of five 75-minute classes offer support for moms with babies 0 to 3 months or moms with babies 4 to 6 months. The classes are led by qualified professionals, including licensed occupational therapists, physical therapists, marriage and family therapists, and infant specialists. A wide range of age-tailored topics are covered in small group settings – up to 12 moms – so those in the same stage of motherhood can connect. The Mommy & Me Postpartum Support Classes are available exclusively to moms who deliver at The Women’s Hospital at Saddleback Medical Center.
By addressing the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of patients and their families, Saddleback Medical Center ensures that every mom who is expecting, receives the support they need to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Want to learn more about the advanced care offered by The Women’s Hospital at Saddleback Medical Center? Call our maternity concierge at (949) 416-6455.
