Complications of second and third trimester pregnancies

Kelly Abbrescia1, Barry Sheridan

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, USA. Kabbrescia@aol.com

The second and third trimester of pregnancy is a period of extensive physical growth and maturation of the fetus. Unfortunately, it is also a period that is marked by complications that can be life threatening for both the mother and fetus. The top three complications that affect pregnancy are hemorrhage, infection, and the hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. This article focuses on preterm labor, premature rupture of membranes, chorioamnionitis, bleeding in later pregnancy, and the hypertensive diseases of pregnancy.

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