All of the physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy can make a woman more susceptible to certain diseases and conditions – but also lowers the risk for others, reports Shine.
Pregnant women are at increased risk of developing gestational diabetes. As many as five percent of pregnant women will be effected by the condition, which can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes after giving birth.
Higher estrogen levels also increase the chances of developing gallstones. The excess estrogen is thought to raise cholesterol levels in the digestive fluid called bile, causing gallstones to form.
Pregnancy causes certain changes in blood and blood vessels, which can increase the risk of deep-vein thrombosis, where a blood clot develops in a vein deep inside the body.
Pregnant women are more likely to develop urinary tract infections during the sixth to 24th week of pregnancy, while the risk of yeast infection is higher during the second trimester of pregnancy than at any other time in a woman’s life.
On the other hand, pregnancy does offer extra protection against ulcers and pelvic inflammatory disease. Because the stomach produces less acid during gestation, expectant mothers are at decreased risk of developing an ulcer, and after the mucous plug has sealed the cervix during the first trimester, the reproductive organs have extra protection against infection.