High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
You will become very used to having your blood pressure checked during your pregnancy. It is important it is checked every time you see your GP or midwife because high blood pressure (hypertension) can lead to more serious complications such as pre-eclampsia, which we will explain more about later.
If you have high blood pressure and are planning a baby it is best to talk to your GP first. You can carry on taking medicine to lower your blood pressure while pregnant but they may want to swap you to a different, safer one. There are many things you can do to stop your blood pressure from rising including regular exercise and a healthy diet which is not high in salt. Women are at a higher risk of having high blood pressure if they are obese or have a family history of it.
It is important that you go to all of your antenatal appointments because if there is anything wrong with you or your baby’s growth, action can be taken quickly.
If you do have high blood pressure it will be closely monitored during labour and for a time after. It may also be recommended that it is checked by a health visitor two weeks after your baby is born and again at your six week postnatal check with your GP.
Pre-eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia is a condition which affects women in the second half of their pregnancy and although most cases are mild, it can lead to serious complications if it is not monitored and treated. It is diagnosed by high blood pressure and protein in your urine.
The NHS estimates that mild pre-eclampsia may affect 6% of pregnancies and serious pre-eclampsia 1-2%.
The exact cause of pre-eclampsia is still not known but it is thought to occur when there is a problem with blood supply to the placenta. If the blood supply between a mother and baby is disrupted because the blood vessels are not wide enough it can cause high blood pressure. Problems with the kidneys may cause proteins which should remain in the mother’s blood to leak into the urine which is why urine samples are taken at each antenatal appointment.
Symptoms of pre-eclampsia:
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Vomiting
• Sudden or new swelling of the face, hands and feet
• Pain below the ribs
Who is at high risk of getting pre-eclampsia?
• Women with Type 1 or 2 diabetes
• Women with chronic kidney disease
• Women chronic hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Anyone with an autoimmune disease such as lupus
• Anyone with hypertensive disease in a previous pregnancy
What else increases my chances?
• BMI of over 35
• Aged 40 or older
• Pregnancy break of over 10 years
• Family history of pre-eclampsia
• Carrying twins or triplets
If you have two or more of these risk factors your chances are higher and you may be advised to start taking a low daily dose of aspirin (75mg) from 12 weeks until your baby is born.
Diagnosis
As mentioned above high blood pressure and protein in your urine could signal pre-eclampsia. Your blood pressure will be checked at every antenatal check, along with your urine. If your medical team suspects you have pre-eclampsia they will usually do some extra blood tests and will also monitor your baby.
If it is confirmed that you have it you have pre-eclampsia your team will discuss the best way to safely manage it. You may be given medication to lower your blood pressure and sometimes it is recommended that you stay in hospital for further monitoring. You will usually have regular scans to check your baby’s growth and to check that the blood flow through the placenta is not effected.
Is there a cure?
The only cure is for you to have your baby so you will be monitored closely until you are ready to give birth. You may be advised to have your baby earlier than your due date and you may be offered an induction or caesarean section.
In most cases the symptoms of pre-eclampsia will ease soon after birth but in some rare cases there may be complications. One of these is eclampsia which is when the mother develops fits which can be life threatening for mother and baby. This is thought to only affect 1 in every 4,000 pregnancies.
:: For more information go to the NHS website or speak to your doctor or midwife.
