What Causes High Blood Pressure In Pregnant Women
Pregnancy and high blood pressure isn’t necessarily a serious combination. But it raises a lot of concern among pregnant women. And if you are somebody who has been diagnosed with hypertension before pregnancy, there might be several questions plaguing your mind. Like, how will it affect my pregnancy? Or is it safe for me and the baby? Here, we have answers to all your questions regarding the risks and precautions and the causes of high blood pressure in pregnancy.
Causes Of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
There are several risk factors that can cause high blood pressure during pregnancy (1):
- Obesity
- A family history of hypertension
- Stroke and left ventricular hypertrophy
- Heart failure
- Alcohol intake
- Smoking
- History of hypertensive pregnancy (2)
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension is the blood pressure against the walls of the blood vessels every time the heart squeezes to pump the blood through your body. High blood pressure which is severe or uncontrolled during pregnancy can lead to complications for the mother and the baby (3).
Types Of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
High blood pressure in pregnant women can be categorized into the following (4):
Gestational hypertension: Gestation hypertension occurs in women during their pregnancy. It develops after 20 weeks of being pregnant. There is no amount of protein in the urine or other signs which indicate organ damage. Gestational hypertension can also lead to preeclampsia in some women.
Chronic hypertension: Chronic hypertension is high blood pressure that was present before you even became pregnant or something that occurred 20 weeks before pregnancy. As hypertension generally doesn’t have symptoms, it could be hard to diagnose when it began.
Chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia: It occurs when women with chronic hypertension develop worsening of high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine or other hypertension-related complications during their pregnancy.
Preeclampsia: This condition occurs when high blood pressure develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy and is linked with signs of organ damage, including the liver, kidneys, blood or brain. If it goes untreated, it can prove to be serious and fatal. It can pose several complications for the mother and the fetus, including the occurrence of seizures. Though previously it was diagnosed by checking for high blood pressure and protein in the mother’s urine, now experts believe that it’s possible to have this condition even if there’s no protein in the urine.
How To Know If You Develop Hypertension During Your Pregnancy?
Your health care provider will monitor your blood pressure during your prenatal visits (5). Your doctor will measure your blood pressure to find out if its elevated blood pressure, stage 1 hypertension or stage 2 hypertension. If the blood pressure exceeds 140/90mm Hg and is documented more than once, with a minimum 4 hours gap, and there are no signs of organ damage, it is considered to be gestational hypertension.
If high blood pressure is accompanied by any of the symptoms, it could be preeclampsia (6):
- Severe headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Impaired liver function
- Excess amounts of protein in the urine
- Temporary loss of vision, blurred vision, or sensitivity to light
- Low platelet count in the blood
- Shortness of breath
How To Manage High Blood Pressure In Pregnant Women?
- Do not skip your prenatal appointments (7)
- Take your blood pressure medicines as prescribed by your doctor
- Do not drink, smoke, or use any illicit drugs
- Have a healthy diet, and limit your intake of sodium (8)
- Stay active, although your doctor may ask you to take bed rest if you have preeclampsia
- Check your weight gain
It’s important to take care of yourself during those 9 months, especially if you have hypertension. Only then will you be able to provide the best care for your developing baby. You may need to visit your doctor more often for close monitoring of you and your baby. So keep your appointments throughout your pregnancy and listen to your doctor.
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