Stretch marks. Varicose veins. Postpartum depression. Exhaustion.
Pregnancy does a number on your body, but happily, many of those changes are temporary. At the end, you have a beautiful baby to show for it. What you don’t know, though, is that some of the changes that your body goes through can raise the risk of other struggles later in your life.
For example, if you suffered from pre-eclampsia during your pregnancy, you may show symptoms of heart disease as many as three years sooner than those women who had normal blood pressure readings. Make sure to keep track of your blood pressure readings at every check up.
If you were diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you will need to be tested every year for type 2 diabetes, for your chances of being diagnosed with this disease increase as much as 50 percent.
For those women who suffer from postpartum depression, as many as 15 percent of all pregnant women will be afflicted with this debilitating disease, they are more than twice as likely to find themselves depressed later in life. Perimenopause and menopause may also be more likely to cause depression to surface.
These are definitely not reasons to avoid a pregnancy, though! They are all the more reason to actively pursue a healthy pregnancy. With careful planning and monitoring, these situations can be avoided and all that will remain at the end is your cute and cuddly little one!