Medical aspects of pregnancy

Pregnancy holds a unique position in the health journey of a woman and her family. Every woman’s contact with community health services and/or hospital services during her pregnancy is an opportunity to support health literacy and thus to measure and understand risks to her health. All available data suggest that childbirth should be attended by an assistant trained in the care of normal childbirth and in the anticipation of risk. While achieving optimal sexual and reproductive health touches on all aspects of a woman’s life, a culturally appropriate and planned approach to pregnancy can ensure that normal pregnancy is supported as naturally as possible and childbirth is not treated as an illness. But as importantly, in the circumstances where common conditions and sometimes potentially dramatic medical complications do occur, a whole-of-health-system approach is required to ensure that childbirth can be the successful event that every woman wants.