When you purchase through links on our site , we may make an affiliate charge . Here ’s how it work .

A Republican congressman ’s claim that advances in science and technology mean pregnancy no longer menace a womanhood ’s life and health does n’t stand up to scientific scrutiny .

In fact , conditions ranging fromectopic maternity , in which an embryo implants outside the uterus , to preeclampsia , which causes rocket stemma pressure and can run to stroke and gaining control , can and do threaten the life-time ofpregnant woman . Preeclampsia and gestational high blood pressing occur in about 6 pct to 8 percent of U.S. pregnancies , according to the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) .

A doctor checks a pregnant woman�s heart rate with a stethoscope.

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that develops or is detected during pregnancy.

While those conditions are vulgar , many individual cases have complication as well , tell Alison Cahill , an assistant prof of obstetrics and gynecology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis .

" As a in high spirits - endangerment accoucheur , I see many fair sex , in addition to those things , who have pre - existing stipulation , so other sickness or aesculapian problems that then make their gestation high - risk , " Cahill tell LiveScience .

Rep. Joe Walsh ( R - Ill. ) told reporters Thursday night that he is anti - abortionwithout elision for rape , incest , or living or wellness of the mother , Radio 720 WGN in Chicagoreported . He fend for his posture on the life - and - health exceptions by aver , " This is an issue that opponents of [ pro- ] lifetime drop out there to make us look unreasonable . There is no such elision as life of the female parent and as far as wellness of the mother , same affair , with advance in science and engineering , wellness of the mother has become a pecker for abortion for any time under any reason . "

a pregnant woman touches her belly

Statistics severalise a unlike account . In fact , though pregnancy - related death fell dramatically in the 20th century , they have been on the rise since 1987 , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . There were 7.2 death per 100,000 live parentage in 1987 . By 2003 , that number had risen to 14.5 deaths per 100,000 live births . [ 6 pol Who Got the Science Wrong ]

well recordkeeping may account for some of the rise , according to the CDC , but an gain in chronic shape such as high blood pressure , diabetes and obesity may also explain the increase risk of complications .

Some ectopic gestation miscarry on their own , but most require a surgical or medical abortion to prevent those life - menace ruptures .

An artist�s rendering of an oxytocin molecule

Preeclampsiais another pregnancy condition that stump innovative medicine . The condition ordinarily develops after 20 weeks of gestation for reasons not fully read . The only treatment is manner of speaking .

Embolism ( when a clot blocks a blood vessel ) , bleeding and the aggravation of pre - existing conditions such as diabetes or heart disease are the top lawsuit of maternity - related death , according to a 2003 paper published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology . That study also found that pregnancy complication are not adequate - chance killers . Black woman were nearly four metre as probable as bloodless women to decease because of maternity . Teens and womanhood in their late 30s or old were also at higher risk of pregnancy - related deaths .

Pregnancy can also turn inveterate condition into life - threatening 1 . Cardiovascular disorders such as pulmonary high blood pressure and vessel irregularity can be worsen by pregnancy , Cahill say . Pre - subsist liver and kidney diseases can also jeopardize heavy mothers ' sprightliness .

Virtual reality image of a mummy projected in the foreground with four computer monitors in the background on a desk, each showing a different aspect of the inside of the mummy.

" I wish that forward-looking scientific discipline and modern practice of medicine cure all of those things , but unfrotuatnely that ’s just simply not true , " Cahill said .

An illustration of a pensive Viking woman sitting by the sea

In this photo illustration, a pregnant woman shows her belly.

An expectant mother lays down on an exam table in a hospital gown during a routine check-up. She has her belly exposed as the doctor palpates her abdomen to verify the position of the baby.

A new study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show dramatic changes in the brain during pregnancy. Pregnancy increased gray matter loss and reshaped the default mode network, which is responsible for the mind wandering and a sense of identity.

Abortion rights demonstrators gather near the Washington Monument during a nationwide rally in support of abortion rights in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 2022.

A child covering his mouth.

10 week old fetal human hand with muscles highlighted

A newborn baby with lots of hair

Adorable 3-month-old twin boys

An image comparing the relative sizes of our solar system�s known dwarf planets, including the newly discovered 2017 OF201

an illustration showing a large disk of material around a star

a person holds a GLP-1 injector

A man with light skin and dark hair and beard leans back in a wooden boat, rowing with oars into the sea

an MRI scan of a brain

A photograph of two of Colossal�s genetically engineered wolves as pups.

two ants on a branch lift part of a plant