Common Pregnancy Complications and Ways to Avoid Them

Lizzy Swick Nutrition Counseling: Common Pregnancy Complications and Ways to Avoid Them

Women often experience increased motivation for healthy behaviors and self-care during pregnancy. After all, it’s not just you anymore; you want the best for your baby, so it’s an excellent time to harness that motivation and make changes.

However, trying to do everything perfectly during pregnancy is stressful. There is wisdom in managing what’s within your control, including nutrition and exercise, while trusting your body to take care of the rest.

Pregnancy complications add another layer of worry for many women, but there is a lot you can do from a nutrition and lifestyle perspective to manage and even prevent complications.

Today’s article will discuss some common pregnancy complications and offer nutrition and lifestyle-based strategies for support. Remember that nothing beats personalized care, and your Lizzy Swick Nutrition team is here to help you dial in what your body needs.

Keep reading as we discuss this pregnancy complications list:

  • Hyperemesis gravidarum
  • Preeclampsia
  • Gestational diabetes
  • Infections
  • Anemia
  • Obesity
  • PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)

Learn How to Avoid Some of the More Common Complications of Pregnancy:

Pregnancy complications are health conditions affecting a pregnancy posing risks to the mother and fetus. Prevention is the best strategy, and addressing health concerns before pregnancy is beneficial, along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle and nutritious diet during pregnancy.

Complications during pregnancy can have roots in preexisting factors or be totally new during pregnancy. Even with the best attention to self-care, some women may still need medications or other medical interventions, so always attend your prenatal visits and work with your doctor or midwife.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), Vomiting That Can Lead to Dehydration and Weight Loss

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is severe vomiting during pregnancy, which can lead to dehydration and weight loss. It’s much more extreme than morning sickness and can last the entire pregnancy. Hg pregnancy complications affect approximately 2% of pregnancies in the U.S.

Hyperemesis gravidarum causes are largely unknown, but you may be more at risk if you:

  • Are prone to nausea and vomiting
  • Experience nausea from estrogen-containing medications (like birth control pills)
  • Have a history of migraines
  • Have a family history of HG

While you may not be able to prevent HG, nutrition and lifestyle strategies can help you manage the symptoms:

  • Staying hydrated and replacing electrolytes with beverages and foods
  • Regular intravenous fluids
  • Increasing protein-rich foods and eating a small amount frequently
  • Meeting pregnancy nutrition requirements with palatable options
  • Ginger tea for nausea
  • Medications as indicated

Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH), Preeclampsia

Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH or gestational hypertension) is elevated blood pressure during pregnancy. Blood volume increases by 50% and the heart must work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Lifestyle changes before and during pregnancy to manage blood pressure can reduce pregnancy risks.

Preeclampsia symptoms include elevated blood pressure, along with symptoms of organ dysfunction such as:

  • High protein in the urine
  • Decreased blood platelets
  • Increased liver enzymes
  • Shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs
  • Edema

Preeclampsia affects up to 10% of pregnancies and requires careful monitoring. It occurs after 20 weeks, and sometimes early labor induction is recommended.

How to prevent preeclampsia and PIH:

  • Eat a nutritious, whole-food diet to support blood pressure regulation. Include abundant plants (especially magnesium and potassium-rich produce) and healthy fats (like omega-3s from fish)
  • A calcium-rich diet may reduce the risk of preeclampsia
  • Exercise to reduce preeclampsia risk, both before and during pregnancy
  • Work with your dietitian for personalized supplement recommendations
  • Ask your doctor about aspirin or other evidence-based medications 

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes can make for a complicated pregnancy. In gestational diabetes, there is increased insulin resistance and difficulty keeping blood sugar stable. It’s the most common pregnancy complication and is typically diagnosed with an oral glucose tolerance test around weeks 24 to 28 of pregnancy.

A nutritious, plant-forward diet, exercise, stress management, and good sleep before and during pregnancy can help prevent gestational diabetes. Because of the placental hormones during pregnancy, some women will still develop gestational diabetes even while following a blood sugar-balancing diet and lifestyle. Some women can keep their blood sugar in a healthy range with lifestyle, but others will require medication like insulin.

Gestational diabetes self-care includes:

  • Working with your Lizzy Swick Nutrition team for personalized nutrition support, blood sugar monitoring, and meal plans
  • Exercise and movement, especially after eating
  • Managing stress
  • Prioritizing sleep and rest
  • Meeting daily nutrition needs for all nutrients, including those specific to blood sugar management 

Infections and UTIs

The immune system is suppressed during pregnancy. This adaptation is beneficial because you don’t want your immune system to target the fetus, but it can increase susceptibility to yeast and urinary tract infections in pregnancy. Additionally, hormonal changes during pregnancy affect the genito-urinary system and microbiome.

A healthy, robust microbiome is a key component of immunity, as beneficial bacteria crowd out potential pathogens and help to prevent recurrent UTIs and yeast infections during pregnancy.

Begin supporting your microbiome before pregnancy, if possible, and during pregnancy for immense benefits for yourself and your baby. Key factors for a healthy microbiome include:

  • A fiber-rich, plant-forward diet to supply a minimum of 25 grams of fiber per day. Include specific fiber called prebiotics from onions, garlic, bananas, oats, flax, asparagus, artichokes, etc.
  • Include colorful plant foods for their microbiome-supportive polyphenols, such as berries, cacao, green tea, leafy greens, pomegranates, apples, cherries, etc.
  • Eat fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, and kimchi daily

Anemia

Anemia in pregnancy is common, and pregnancy itself is a risk factor. Anemia occurs when you don’t have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body and to the fetus. Iron, folate, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and vitamin C are necessary for red blood cell formation. Anemia and pregnancy complications are intertwined; iron-deficiency anemia is the most common anemia in pregnancy.

Iron needs increase substantially in pregnancy to account for the rise in blood volume. A woman needs 27 mg per day of dietary iron during pregnancy, increased from 18 mg per day before pregnancy. This increased demand can be challenging to get from diet alone, and supplementation can be helpful.

Prevent complications of anemia in pregnancy with these tips:

  • Ask your doctor to monitor iron levels throughout pregnancy
  • Eat an iron-rich diet. Your Lizzy Swick Nutrition team can help you personalize your diet to meet your individual needs
  • Supplement with iron (we recommend iron bisglycinate) as required, along with a quality prenatal vitamin to ensure optimal micronutrient intake

Obesity

Obesity and pregnancy can be controversial. On one hand, excess body weight can complicate pregnancy, increasing the risk for gestational diabetes and other conditions. On the other hand, a healthcare system that tells women to lose weight without support puts a lot of stress and pressure to navigate that path on their own, often by adopting unhealthy behaviors.

Instead of talking about weight, we need to shift the conversation to metabolic dysfunction. Obesity and pregnancy risks don’t always correlate. Many people who carry extra weight also have metabolic dysfunction (but not always), and many “normal” weight people are also at risk for complications because of metabolic dysfunction.

If you have weight management goals or want to improve your metabolic health, working with Lizzy Swick Nutrition can be the compassionate approach you need. There is a lot that you can shift with nutrition and lifestyle factors to optimize your metabolism and set yourself up for a healthy pregnancy, including:

  • Eating a personalized whole-food diet to meet your nutrition needs and support a healthy weight
  • Nutrition strategies to balance blood sugar and promote metabolic flexibility
  • Finding your exercise sweet spot – not too much or too little
  • Supporting the emotional and psychological factors that play a role in our relationship to food and body
  • Understanding your metabolic health and tracking progress over time (beyond BMI)
  • Making sustainable changes for a lifetime of health

PCOS

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age, which can affect fertility and pregnancy outcomes. PCOS pregnancy complications may include gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and more.

For women with PCOS, addressing metabolic health and hormonal balance before pregnancy is essential. Nutrition, supplements, and medical interventions, when necessary, can help support regular menstrual cycles, ovulation, and the hormonal balance required for a healthy pregnancy.

It’s impossible to cover PCOS and pregnancy in this brief article fully but know that many women with PCOS who want to be mothers have successful pregnancies. Nutrition and lifestyle factors are the most essential pieces of the PCOS plan. Consider:

  • A personalized approach to address each woman’s PCOS presentation and root causes
  • Whole-food, plant-forward nutrition for blood sugar balance and hormonal support
  • Targeted nutrients and herbs to promote ovulation and egg quality
  • Regular exercise, stress management, and good sleep
  • Reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment

Pregnancy complications are scary, but you don’t have to wait for a diagnosis to begin implementing good nutrition and lifestyle strategies. In fact, the earlier you dial in these health foundations, the better. While you can’t control everything about your pregnancy, you can control how you nourish yourself to reduce risks as much as possible. At Lizzy Swick Nutrition, we understand what you are going through and are her to support you.

References

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  2. Garovic, V. D., Dechend, R., Easterling, T., Karumanchi, S. A., McMurtry Baird, S., Magee, L. A., Rana, S., Vermunt, J. V., August, P., & American Heart Association Council on Hypertension; Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease, Kidney in Heart Disease Science Committee; Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology; Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease; and Stroke Council (2022). Hypertension in Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Blood Pressure Goals, and Pharmacotherapy: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 79(2), e21–e41.
  3. Brownfoot, F., & Rolnik, D. L. (2024). Prevention of preeclampsia. Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology, 93, 102481.
  4. Habak, P. J., Carlson, K., & Griggs, Jr, R. P. (2024). Urinary Tract Infection in Pregnancy. InStatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
  5. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/iron
  6. McAuliffe, F. M., Killeen, S. L., Jacob, C. M., Hanson, M. A., Hadar, E., McIntyre, H. D., Kapur, A., Kihara, A. B., Ma, R. C., Divakar, H., & Hod, M. (2020). Management of prepregnancy, pregnancy, and postpartum obesity from the FIGO Pregnancy and Non-Communicable Diseases Committee: A FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) guideline. International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 151 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), 16–36.
  7. Parker, J., O’Brien, C. L., Yeoh, C., Gersh, F. L., & Brennecke, S. (2024). Reducing the Risk of Pre-Eclampsia in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Using a Combination of Pregnancy Screening, Lifestyle, and Medical Management Strategies. Journal of clinical medicine, 13(6), 1774.