High Blood Pressure in A Pregnant Woman

High blood pressure in a pregnant woman is taken seriously by health care workers because of the potentially harmful effects.

At the beginning of a normal pregnancy, the blood pressure of the mother drops, and towards the end of the pregnancy, it rises back to normal again. It should not go above normal.

Q - What is high blood pressure in a pregnant woman?

A - When a pregnant woman has a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg and above.

OR

When her systolic blood pressure before pregnancy rises by 30 points during a pregnancy.

OR

When her diastolic blood pressure before pregnancy rises by 15 points when she gets pregnant.

Click this link to learn about the differences between systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Q - Are there different types of high blood pressure in pregnancy?

A - Yes.

1. Chronic hypertension - In this case, a woman has hypertension before she gets pregnant. A woman who is pregnant and has high blood pressure before the end of the 4th month is also considered as having chronic high blood pressure because other forms of high blood pressure in pregnancy don't usually occur before the end of the 4th month. In addition, if the hypertension persists for more than 6 weeks after birth, it is considered to be chronic hypertension and the woman should consult a doctor.
2. Pregnancy induced high blood pressure - Happens when a woman who was normal before pregnancy develops high blood pressure after 4 months of being pregnant. It is also called gestational hypertension.
3. Pre-eclampsia - This happens when a woman in addition to developing pregnancy induced high blood pressure, also has a lot of protein in her urine (above 300mg of protein in 24 hours) and has accumulation of fluid in the tissues of her body (Oedema) learn more about Pre-eclampsia.
4. Eclampsia - This happens when a woman who has pre-eclampsia or pregnancy induced high blood pressure starts having seizures or convulsions that can't be traced to another cause. The treatment is to stop seizures using magnesium sulphate and plan for delivery of the baby.

..........
Side bar:

The questions below are for chronic hypertension and gestational high blood pressure. For more on pre-eclampsia, follow the link above.

..........

Q - How is high blood pressure in a pregnant woman treated?

A - It is usually treated by giving drugs that lower blood pressure. Drugs like labetalol, nifedipine and hydralazine have been successfully used. The mother and the unborn baby is also closely watched and cared for, so that she doesn't develop complications.

Q - Can it cause my baby to be abnormal?

A - If it is severe, it can prevent your unborn baby from growing well. A condition known as Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR). Regular visits to your obstetrician can be of great benefit to you and your baby.

Q - Can it cause death of my unborn baby?

A - If it is severe, it can cause death of the unborn baby, but this isn't common and can be prevented by good antenatal care.

Q - What harmful effects can it have on the mother?

A - In cases where the high blood pressure is not so high, there is usually no problem. But when the high blood pressure becomes too high, it could lead to complications like pre-eclampsia and eclampsia which have been discussed above.

Q - Where can I get more information on high blood pressure in a pregnant woman?

A -

1. Discuss with your obstetrician. This is your most reliable source.
2. You can augment with information from any of these websites that may contain information about high blood pressure in a pregnant woman.

Published - June, 2006