Some medical conditions before and during pregnancy can make it a high-risk pregnancy. However, not all women with these illnesses come at a risk. Some of these health problems are:

• Diabetes: During pre-conception counseling your doctor asks you about any medical problems. If you have diabetes before pregnancy, you will require proper care, checkups and medications. 

However, in some cases, diabetes occurs during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). Here, your doctor will take care of your condition and prescribe medications. Moreover, he will monitor your baby’s development and well-being while also managing your health via dietary counseling, glucose monitoring, and potentially medicines.

• Pre-eclampsia: Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disease marked by elevated blood pressure, protein in the urine, and edoema (swelling of the skin). Pre-eclampsia may be accompanied by liver or platelet problems in some women. If your condition is severe, your doctor may refer you to a maternal-fetal medicine expert. 

Pre-eclampsia can only be treated by giving birth to your child. In other words, this is a situation in which careful monitoring is required to strike a balance between the risks of maternal problems and the benefits of an early delivery.

• Hypertension: There may be an increased chance of complications if you have high blood pressure before becoming pregnant. Certain hypertension medicines are safe to use outside of pregnancy but severe when taken during pregnancy. Consult your doctor before taking any medicines.
• Multiples: Complications are more likely in pregnancies that include twins or higher-order multiples. Pre-eclampsia and premature labor are more common in women who have had multiple pregnancies. Familial abnormalities and growth issues are more common in twin pregnancies, particularly if the placenta is shared. 
• If you’re expecting more than one child, your doctor will do extra ultrasounds to keep an eye on your progress. The expert in maternal-fetal medicine will provide recommendations on how and when to deliver your children. So long as everything is going well, you may keep seeing your Ob/Gyn or opt for multiple clinics if everything is good and without issues.
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs):  Some women may have an STD or develop it during pregnancy. Medical professionals who specialize in maternal-fetal medicine will take extra care of your unborn child. HIV drug regimens are so complicated, most women with HIV get care from maternal-fetal medicine experts.
• Obesity: Obese women are more likely to suffer from gestational diabetes, hypertension, and pre-eclampsia. A woman’s weight is one of the few health problems that need to be addressed before pregnancy. For this reason, medical experts urge expectant mothers to make healthy lifestyle changes such as cutting down on sugar and fat intake, etc.