A pregnant woman at 12 weeks' gestation comes to the office reporting she has begun minimal fresh vaginal spotting. she is distressed because her primary care provider indicates after examining her that they will "wait and see." which response would be most appropriate from the nurse in answering this client's concerns

A pregnant woman at 12 weeks' gestation calls you because she has begun minimal fresh vaginal spotting. She is distressed because her physician says she is not going to do anything for her but "wait and see." Which of the following would you suggest?

a) Suggest she take an over-the-counter tocolytic just to feel secure.

b) Tell her that medication to prolong a 12-week pregnancy usually is not advised.

c) Advise her to ask for a second physician opinion.

d) Explain that her doctor meant for her to maintain strict bed rest by "wait and see."

Answer:

B. Tell her that medication to prolong a 12-week pregnancy usually is not advised.

Explanation:

Prolonged pregnancy is term that describes the pregnancy that lasted beyond the expected or estimated time of delivery. Often times, it is pregnancy that lasted or progresses beyond the traditional 38 weeks after conception or 42 weeks after estimated day of confinenment.

However, there are many risk associated with prolonged gestation or pregnancy, and they includes the following amongst others

1. Uteroplacental insufficiency, which leads to fetal hypoxia

2. Perinatal death, notably antepartum stillbirth often occur.

3. Unexpected fetal death

4. Serious complications

5. Labour abnormalities may increase

Hence, in this case, it is not advisable to prolonged the pregnancy because many early pregnancy loss occurs due to chromosome abnormalities, hence, an aggressive approach to prolong preganancy is not usually recommended.