Abstract
The first chapter of this book describes the most important maternal adaptations to pregnancy. In the following three chapters, that information is used as a reference for the pathophysiology of common pregnancy disorders, that may develop in seemingly healthy women (chap.
2), in women with a pre-existent chronic disorder that predisposes to these pregnancy complications (chap.
3) and in women with a preexistent chronic disorder that does not directly predispose to these pregnancy complications (chap.
4). Finally, chapter
5 discusses how the information on pathophysiology of pregnancy complications can be translated into strategies that enable early detection and/or prevention of these complications.