Why some pregnant women have a harder time giving birth, cases that lead to complications

For many mothers, the moment of birth is perhaps the most dangerous in their lives, because you never know how long the birth will last, if everything will go well.

Some medical conditions make this particularly challenging.

Whether or not childbirth will be difficult depends on the "readiness" of the birth canal, how softened, shortened and permeable the cervix is. The softer the cervix, the more permeable the cervical canal is, and the shorter the cervix, the faster the birth process. Therefore, preparation for childbirth is important so that everything is normal.

What makes childbirth difficult?

Polycystic ovary syndrome, hormonal disorders

PCOS is a disease that affects 5 to 10 percent of women. Many small cysts form on the ovaries, and this leads to many problems, including infertility. And if you manage to get pregnant, then the excess androgen affects the course of labor: in women with hormonal disorders, the uterus is usually dense, the cervix is ​​​​shorter.

Often, specialists prepare expectant mothers with such problems in advance for childbirth: from the 36th to the 37th week of pregnancy, they need special therapy.

Pelvic dimensions

The width of the hips has nothing to do with the pelvis – we are talking about the size of the internal pelvis. If it is a question of a flat or narrow pelvis of the first degree, then the birth process is naturally delayed: the configuration of the fetal head in this case takes longer than in a woman with a normal pelvic size, it is also more difficult for the child to pass through the birth canal.

Fetal size

The larger the fetus, the more difficult the birth. Especially if a large baby is born to a mother with a narrow pelvis: with a fetal size of, for example, 3900 grams, the birth is likely to be long and painful.

Deadline

Pregnancy can be carried beyond the due date. In this case, the bones of the baby's head become stronger, which can mean injuries to both the mother and the fetus. Therefore, delivery is planned when the pregnancy reaches 40 weeks. At this stage, the large fontanel on the baby's head has not yet closed. The bones of the baby's head become denser at the 42nd week of pregnancy.

Premature birth is a particular problem. It can be associated with tearing of the perineum and vagina during delivery.

But, as a rule, due to premature birth, the fetus suffers more, and birth injuries are more common in the baby. And mothers, due to the fact that children are born with low birth weight, rarely suffer from injuries and complications during childbirth.

When the large diameter fetal head passes through the birth canal, injury such as intracranial hypertension of the baby, cervical injuries, and cerebral palsy can occur.

Therefore, it is necessary to foresee the possibility of such situations, to calculate in advance the risks for the patient: age, size of the pelvis, size of the fetus, how the pregnancy is progressing, what underlying diseases the woman has, including chronic ones. And depending on this, she prepares for childbirth.