Hypertension in pregnancy usually affects 1 to 5 per hundred pregnant women. Usually it happens after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Common symptoms of high blood pressure during pregnancy are persistent headaches, swelling of face and hands, rapid, unexpected weight, gain of sudden nausea, and vomiting in the second half of pregnancy for severe cases blurring of vision and upper abdominal pain and convulsions.
When the blood pressure starts rising, there can be other organs involved like liver, kidneys and blood clotting .When do we call it high blood pressure when the BP is more than 140 /90 mm of mercury .Initially the BP is monitored. If it is mild and patients might need medication if it is above the range of 140/90. The aim is to keep the blood pressure below 135/85, so there are different medications given by your doctor which are safe for Pregnancy and baby. symptoms usually resolve with medicines. Sometimes the blood pressure is severely high and the patient might need admission under the guidance of a specialist team .
Hypertension in Pregnancy needs an individualised care plan, depending upon how many weeks pregnant you are, and how high is the blood pressure and whether there are any concerns about Patient or the baby’s well-being.
The patients are advised regular blood tests and ultrasounds for the well-being of mother and baby . When the blood pressure goes further higher there is a risk of having convulsions . The conditions are called eclampsia where admission under a high dependency unit may be needed .
In severe cases, the only way to cure preeclampsia is for the baby to be born.
Even after delivery, the patient may need blood pressure monitoring for a few days and may need to stay in hospital a little longer than usual. Some patients are at risk of having this pre-eclampsia in future pregnancies, and they may need additional care so if you’re having pre-eclampsia, you will be at high risk of having blood pressure, stroke and high disease in later life to so certain preventive measures can be maintaining a healthy lifestyle, healthy weight, and avoiding smoking.