Preeclampsia usually begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had been normal.
Even a slight rise in blood pressure may be a sign of preeclampsia.
Left untreated, preeclampsia can lead to seriouseven fatalcomplications for both you and your baby.
If you have preeclampsia, the only cure is delivery of your baby.
Preeclampsia sometimes develops without any symptoms.
High blood pressure may develop slowly, or it may have a sudden onset.
But these also occur in many normal pregnancies, so they’re not considered reliable signs of preeclampsia.
confirm you attend your prenatal visits so that your care provider can monitor your blood pressure.
If you’re concerned about your symptoms, contact your doctor.
The exact cause of preeclampsia involves several factors.
Experts believe it begins in the placentathe organ that nourishes the fetus throughout pregnancy.
Early in pregnancy, new blood vessels develop and evolve to efficiently send blood to the placenta.
In women with preeclampsia, these blood vessels don’t seem to develop or function properly.
The other three are:
Preeclampsia develops only as a complication of pregnancy.
Preeclampsia may require induced labor and delivery.
Your obstetric provider will assist you in deciding what bang out of delivery is correct for your condition.
Complications of preeclampsia may include:
Fetal growth restriction.Preeclampsia affects the arteries carrying blood to the placenta.
This can lead to slow growth known as fetal growth restriction, low birth weight, or preterm birth.
Prematurity can lead to breathing and other problems for your baby.
Your health care provider will help you understand when is the ideal time for your delivery.
Severe abruption can cause heavy bleeding, which can be life-threatening for both you and your baby.
Symptoms of HELLP syndrome include nausea and vomiting, headache, and upper right abdominal pain.
HELLP syndrome is particularly dangerous because it represents damage to several organ systems.
Eclampsia.When preeclampsia isn’t controlled, eclampsiawhich is essentially preeclampsia plus seizurescan develop.
It is very difficult to predict which patients will have preeclampsia that is severe enough to result in eclampsia.
Often, there are no symptoms or warning signs to predict eclampsia.
The amount of injury to other organs depends on the severity of preeclampsia.
Cardiovascular disease.Having preeclampsia may increase your risk of future heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease.
A blood pressure reading in excess of 140/90 mm Hg is abnormal in pregnancy.
However, a single high blood pressure reading doesn’t mean you have preeclampsia.
Your doctor may have you come in for additional blood pressure readings and blood and urine tests.
Blood pressure in the 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) range generally isn’t treated.
Bed rest used to be routinely recommended for women with preeclampsia.
For most women, bed rest is no longer recommended.
Severe preeclampsia may require that you be hospitalized.
A lack of amniotic fluid is a sign of poor blood supply to the baby.
If it’s not possible to wait, your doctor may induce labor or schedule a C-section right away.
During delivery, you may be given magnesium sulfate intravenously to prevent seizures.
If you need pain-relieving medication after your delivery, ask your doctor what you should take.
Preeclampsia will probably be diagnosed during a routine prenatal exam.
After that, you’ll likely have additional visits with your obstetrician.
Questions your doctor may ask include:
Discovering that you have a potentially serious pregnancy complication can be frightening.
It may help to learn about your condition.
In addition to talking to your doctor, do some research.
Researchers continue to study ways to prevent preeclampsia, but so far, no clear strategies have emerged.
Increasing your intake of vitamins C and E hasn’t been shown to have a benefit.
Some studies have reported an association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of preeclampsia.
Once you’re pregnant, take care of yourselfand your babythrough early and regular prenatal care.
Updated: 2017-04-21
Publication Date: 2005-04-21
