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Pregnancy - What does High Risk actually mean?

Carlos75
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Hi - My wife was diagnosed with Leukemia 6 years ago - She had a stem cell transplant and I am happy to say is cancer free. 

We have also been lucky enough to become pregnant through Egg Donor IVF - She is 5 months along and all is looking fine. 

For context I am British and my wife is American but we live in Doha, Qatar and have done for many years. The hospital system here is very good and went a long way to saving my wifes life with early detection and treatment of her cancer. We eventually had the stem cell transplant in Atlanta, Georgia in the US as it was advised this was the best place. However, we are now living back here full time and although the system for care here is good the communication and admin / organisation is quite frustrating. 

They have free national health care for residents as well as private clinics everywhere - Prices range massively. 

We cannot get great Insurance that will cover what we need due to her previous diagnosis - They say 10 years has to pass. Therefore we know we will have to pay out of pocket.

We have been referred to a couple of satelitte hospitals by the national system which have great facilities and reviews for childbirth. However, even after being referred by these places, who are well aware of her previous ailments, we keep getting told that she cannot give birth due to being "HIGH RISK". 

These words "HIGH RISK" keep getting thrown at us but we never get a full explanation as to what this actually means. the outcome is that she will only be allowed to give birth in the main hospital which is far from ideal and not acceptable to us or the private clinics which obviously will be a large financial burden. 

Does "High Risk" pertain to my wife or the baby or the pregnancy and why would certain hospitals not allow us to give birth there. Is this just something that will be on her records for ever more and hinder things in the future. 
It would be great to know the actual reasons so that possibly we can speak to her cancer Doctors here and get a special referral to be able to use these other locations. 

We just would like to know if those 2 words still mean anything that we need to be aware of or cautious of or if they are there just to protect the hospital / insurance company etc???

Your help would be much appreciated. 

  • Offline

    So happy for both of you and that your wife is well now too . 
    Don’t know much about leukaemia but I do know that the baby could be born with it and other possible complications.

    A haematologist should be involved to keep a close eye on things and maybe scans more often than usual too .

    Try and make an appointment with the anti natal clinic if you can to get more information.

    All the best and keep in touch xxx

  • Hello there and thanks for posting

    Firstly congratulations on your pregnancy and glad to hear it is going well so far.

    I appreciate you wanting to get your wife the best care during the pregnancy birth but at the same time wanting to understand more about what the term 'high risk' actually means for her.

    As nurses and without being directly involved in your wife's care or previous cancer treatment I'm afraid we are limited in what we can say. It would be best to arrange a time to speak with the team involved in her previous cancer treatment to understand this better.

    Whilst cancer treatment can affect a persons fertility many women are able to become pregnant and go on to have a healthy pregnancy and baby after cancer. It is usually advised to wait at least 2 years after treatment has finished, which you have done to reduce the risks.

    Unfortunately women who have undergone treatment for cancer are at higher risk of developing complications than women who haven't had cancer during the pregnancy and during and after labour. This includes a risk of preterm labour, heart problems for the mother and bleeding.

    Because of this it is suggested that both mother and baby are closely monitored during pregnancy ( including heart monitoring for mother and foetal monitoring. Due to the increased risks women are recommended to deliver at a hospital that has adequate staffing and facilities to deal with any medical intervention necessary should a complication arise during or after labour. 

    As I say I would encourage you to discuss this with the cancer team who were involved to understand what the actual risk/s may be for your wife and baby and ask where they recommend you go for the best care.

    All the best

    Naomi

  • Offline in reply to CRUK Nurse Naomi

    Thank you so much for your detailed reply - Much appreciated - Only problem we have is although very advanced here it is extremely hard to get an appointment with the after care doctors and there is still slight language barrier that prevents us from getting clear and concise answers. 
    However, you make very good points and we will endeavor to get answers from her cancer doctor! 

    All the best and thanks again. 

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