Which statement below accurately describes the role of the ductus arteriosus?

Choice A rationale: Surgical history does not necessarily increase pregnancy complications, especially with resolved conditions like cholecystectomy and appendectomy. However, each surgical procedure's impact varies, and this client's surgeries were neither recent nor directly related to reproductive health.

Choice B rationale: Asthma and hypertension both increase pregnancy risk. Uncontrolled asthma can lead to preeclampsia and low birth weight. Hypertension, particularly with losartan use, can affect placental function and fetal development, necessitating close monitoring and medication adjustment.

Choice C rationale: Advanced maternal age (over 35) heightens risks such as chromosomal abnormalities, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia. Pregnancy complications increase with age, necessitating more frequent prenatal monitoring and potential interventions to ensure maternal and fetal health.

Choice D rationale: BMI information isn't provided, making it impossible to assess its impact. BMI outside the normal range can influence pregnancy outcomes, but without this data, we cannot definitively link it to increased risk in this scenario.

Choice E rationale: Psychosocial factors, like recent marriage and work stress, do influence pregnancy, but the primary clinical concerns here are medical history and age. Addressing psychosocial stress is still important but is secondary to physiological conditions.

Choice A rationale

A reactive nonstress test is defined as having two or more fetal heart rate accelerations of at least 15 beats per minute lasting 15 seconds or more within a 20-minute period.

Choice B rationale

No late decelerations of the fetal heart rate do not define a reactive nonstress test, which focuses on fetal heart rate accelerations as indicators of fetal well-being.

Choice C rationale

The presence of late decelerations in more than 50% of contractions indicates uteroplacental insufficiency and fetal distress, not a reactive nonstress test which requires accelerations.

Choice D rationale

Fetal heart rate accelerations less than 15 beats per minute or lasting less than 15 seconds do not meet the criteria for a reactive nonstress test, which requires accelerations of 15 beats per minute lasting 15 seconds or more.