Pre-eclampsia And Blood Pressure

Pre-eclampsia is raised blood pressure in pregnant women. It usually occurs within the last weeks of pregnancy, and is often found in those women who suffered with chronic hypertension before becoming pregnant.

It's very important that all pregnant women have their blood pressure checked on a regular basis to ensure that signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia are discovered within its early stages. Pre-eclampsia is a very dangerous condition for a pregnant woman to suffer from and can prove ultimately fatal to both her and her unborn baby.

Signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia include,
* Swelling and oedema to face hands and feet
* Nausea
* Dizziness
* Blurred vision
* Sensitivity to light
* Pain on passing urine
* Seizures in the latter stages

All these symptoms are classic signs of pre-eclampsia and should be investigated immediately. The pregnant woman should also be aware of the signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia especially if she is at high risk. She should then be given strict instructions on what to do if ever experiencing the above symptoms. Even if it turns out to be a false alarm, then at least she will know she has done the right thing by getting herself checked out by her doctor or midwife.

It is difficult to prescribe specific drugs for women who have high blood pressure when they are pregnant as many of them have an adverse effect on the unborn child especially in the first three months of gestation.

For instance angiotensin converting inhibitors might cause a reduction in the blood flow to the tissues and membranes of her uterus thus causing problems with the foetal circulation. It's very difficult to get it completely right, and it is obviously due to the skill of obstetricians that it is completed successfully so often.

It may be possible for the woman to stop taking her medication for this period, as the blood pressure tends to drop within the first three months of pregnancy anyway. However she would of course need very careful monitoring possibly as an inpatient in hospital and if her blood pressure did rise to unfavorable levels within this period, then her doctor would have the difficult decision to make of whether to recommence her on medication or not.

When talking about raised blood pressure and pr-eclampsia in pregnant women, it should be remembered that when reducing their blood pressure it should be done gradually as a drastic reduction and fall in their blood pressure could have dire consequences on both her and her unborn child.




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