Facts Pregnant women Should Know: Postterm Pregnancies

I hope this post will be a great help to a friend who is confused and worried because last week was supposedly her due date. The last time we've met (yesterday), i coaxed her to visit an ob-gyne so she can have the best advice for her predicament. I told her to pray for HIS guidance and protection.

What is a Postterm Pregnancy?

A pregnancy that extends beyond 42 weeks is called postterm pregnancy. Usually, 9 months is the basis of pregnancy duration period. However, in today’s modern technologies, health providers are tracking the length of pregnancy by days and weeks. It is estimated that about 10% of pregnancies are postterms.

Pregnancy’s duration is still normal between 37-42 weeks. At 40 weeks it is already referred to as “due date”; the baby is just almost there.

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What causes postterm pregnancies?

Even in our modern age, the cause of postterm pregnancy is unknown in most cases. But there are some patterns which experts say related to postterm’s:

·         genetic factor is one, if a mother is born postterm, the risk is higher.

·         first pregnancies

·         had a  previous postterm pregnancy

·         errors in calculation of gestational age

What are the possible treatments for postterm pregnancy?

Monitoring-this is a must to avoid higher risk. A mother-to-be should have a close contact with her obstetrician-gynecologist especially when the due date arrives and she is not yet in labor or having no signs whatsoever.

·         antenatal fetal- monitoring of the fetus if the pregnancy extends due date. This test will determine what to do next; if allowed to extend or inducement is necessary

·         non-stress testing-monitoring the heartbeats of the baby.

·         bio-physical profile-assessment of baby’s health

·         contraction stress test-inducement of uterine contractions through intravenous medication

·         inducement-a medication applied to “ripen” the cervix and dilate; and stimulates the uterus to contract

·         caesarian –either the choice of the patient or, the baby’s weight or the cervix would not dilate which makes it impossible to have a normal delivery.



 Related Readings: If a pregnant woman does not deliver in 40 weeks; is it still a normal pregnancy?
                             Pre-mature Pregnancy
                             Fetal Development