Blood Pressure in Pregnancy

As a pregnant woman, your blood pressure readings are would go a long way in determining the type of medications you would be given. During pregnancy, normal blood pressure is expected to be below 140/90 mm Hg. When there is mild blood pressure, the reading could be between 140/90 and 149/99 mm Hg whereas for a moderately high blood pressure, there could be a recording between 150/100 and 159/109 mm Hg. When the case becomes severe, the blood pressure reading could be between 160/110 mm Hg or even higher.

The Different Types of Blood Pressure in Pregnancy 

There are different types of blood pressures as experienced by pregnant women and having a fair knowledge about the different types there are is good for you as a pregnant woman.

Pre-Existing High Blood Pressure 

For some women, there have been the telltale signs of high blood pressure ever before they became pregnant for which they may even have been on treatment. There are other women that will show full signs of high blood pressure before their pregnancy becomes 20 weeks old in which case it is most probable they have high blood pressure which was not detected before they became pregnant. This is chronic or pre-existing high blood pressure for which there is a greater risk of developing pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. It is noteworthy however that if you have been treating high blood pressure before you became pregnant, you need to get your doctor informed because there are some types of medications that should never be taken during pregnancy as they are potentially dangerous to the survival of the baby.

Gestational High Blood Pressure 

Some pregnant women develop high blood pressure while they are pregnant which is said to be pregnancy-induced high blood pressure or gestational high blood pressure. This type of high blood pressure develops for the first time after pregnancy has advanced into the 20th week. If it does not lead to pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, doctors find it quite easy enough to detect this type of pregnancy especially if the blood pressure of the mother returns to normal after about six weeks of delivery. Protein is observed to be absent in the urine of pregnant women that have gestational high blood pressure when tested by midwives or medical doctors. It is however possible to find traces of protein in the urine of a pregnant woman after 20 weeks of pregnancy even if this was not initially present.

What is pre-eclampsia and eclampsia? 

When a pregnant woman develops new high blood pressure or high blood pressure for the first time after the 20th week of her pregnancy, she becomes susceptible to this condition. However it is possible for this condition to affect women that have had high blood pressure before or women in whose urine there has been a detection of protein probably as a result of pre-existing kidney problems.

Pre-eclampsia is capable of causing high blood pressure as well as causing severe damages to the liver, kidneys, blood clotting system and the brain. With the onset of pre-eclampsia, there would be the leakage of protein from the kidneys into the urine of a pregnant woman which would be detectable when the urine is tested. The condition can however get better after about six weeks of delivery.

Causes of New High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy 

There may not be much research carried out with definite results on the reasons pregnancy leads to high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia. There are indications pre-eclampsia in pregnant women may not be unconnected with a problem with the placenta. Problems associated with the development of blood vessels of the placenta may lead to pre-eclampsia and some damages to the placenta. The transfer of nutrients and oxygen may also be affected in the baby.

Problems Associated With High Blood Pressure during Pregnancy

Where the blood pressure of a pregnant woman remains mild to moderately high and there is no development of pre-eclampsia, then the risk is low. Most pregnant women who have high blood pressure during pregnancy fall into this category. It is necessary however that you check your blood pressure and urine as a pregnant woman on a regular basis for quick detection of pre-eclampsia.

When pre-eclampsia occurs with high blood pressure in a pregnant woman, this is seen as a risky trend. The mother runs the risks of suffering a stroke, damages to the liver and kidneys and blood clotting while the baby runs the risk of premature or still birth.

With safe and close monitoring during pregnancy, the condition of high blood pressure can be safely avoided and for this purpose, regular visits to your health-care provider during pregnancy are mandatory.