What May Increase Your Risk for a Problem During Pregnancy or After Delivery?

Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your health professional.

Conditions

• Recent gynecologic procedures or surgery
• A history of cancer of the cervix
• A history of physical or sexual abuse
• A history of a previous blood clot
• A history of surgery to remove the spleen
• Previous miscarriage

Lifestyle choices

• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Engaging in high-risk sexual practices, such as multiple partners, unprotected intercourse, or prostitution
• Smoking or other tobacco use

Medicines

• Anticoagulant medicines such as aspirin, Coumadin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Antiseizure medicines, such as phenytoin (Dilantin) or carbamazepine (Tegretol)
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy

Diseases

• Adrenal disease, such as Cushing's syndrome or Addison's disease
• Asthma
• Current and prior pelvic infections (pelvic inflammatory disease)
• Coronary artery disease
• Depression or other mental health problems, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
• Diabetes
• Endometriosis
• Heart failure
• High blood pressure
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
• Kidney failure
• Leukemia
• Liver disease
• Pituitary disease
• Sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia or gonorrhea
• Sickle cell disease
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• Thyroid disease
• Uterine fibroids
• Von Willebrand's disease or other bleeding disorders

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