Is your blood pressure a little higher than usual? Well, for pregnant women, high blood pressure can indicate the risk of gestational hypertension.
Come on, find out what the normal blood pressure is for pregnant women, the causes and how to keep it within normal limits, Mom.
What is Gestational Hypertension?
Prenatal care visits are very important, Mom. This is how you find out about your health condition as well as the development and growth of the fetus.
The first thing that is usually done during a prenatal care visit is a blood and urine test. This is to check how normal your blood pressure, sugar, protein and other things are in your body.
When the doctor finds something abnormal, he will immediately provide further treatment or medication to you. Thus, you can reduce the risk of more serious health during pregnancy for yourself and your baby.
Checking your blood pressure during pregnancy is very important. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),What to Expect, gestational hypertension – also called pregnancy-induced hypertension or high blood pressure – is likely to occur in 1 in every 12 to 17 pregnancies in women between the ages of 20 and 44.
It was even mentionedWebMD, high blood pressure during pregnancy is common. About 8% of pregnant women in the US even have high blood pressure – common in first pregnancies.
What is meant by normal blood pressure is blood pressure that is at 120/80 mm Hg or less.
The first number (120) is the “systolic” or top number that describes the pressure against your arteries when your heart pushes blood out. The second number (80) is the “diastolic” or bottom number, which shows the pressure as blood flows back into your heart.
While gestational hypertension (gestational hypertension) is pregnancy-induced high blood pressure where the systolic number is 140 and the diastolic number is 90 (140/90 mm Hg) or more.
While low blood pressure is recorded at 90/60. This condition is called hypotension and can cause dizziness and fainting.
Signs and Symptoms of Gestational Hypertension
Symptoms can vary from person to person and also from pregnancy to pregnancy. However, the main symptom of high blood pressure during pregnancy is a blood pressure reading in the second trimester of pregnancy, usually at 20 weeks.
The tricky thing is that high blood pressure during pregnancy often has no symptoms. Some pregnant women feel healthy and normal.
Symptoms will generally only be felt and seen after gestational hypertension has reached a bad or serious stage, namely:
- Stomach feels bloated
- Swelling in the ankles, or a swollen face or upper body upon waking
- Headache
- Blurred vision or very sensitive to light
- Having seizures or convulsions
- Severe pain under your ribs, especially on your right side
Causes of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
It is not clear what causes high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Another cause of above-normal blood pressure readings may be a case of “white coat hypertension” – a fairly common phenomenon (even if you don’t expect it), where blood pressure spikes temporarily because you’re nervous or worried in a medical setting.
However, if your doctor sees your blood pressure above 140/90 on two separate visits, whether you’re just anxious when the cuff is placed on your arm or you have one of the risk factors listed above, your doctor will likely diagnose you with high blood pressure.
Impact on Pregnant Women
Referring to the explanation on the pageMayo Clinic, high blood pressure during pregnancy can cause various risks to pregnant women. Among others:
- Placental abruption . Preeclampsia increases the risk of this condition in which the placenta separates from the inner wall of your uterus before delivery. Severe abruption can cause severe bleeding, which can be life-threatening for you and your baby.
- Intrauterine growth restriction. Hypertension can cause slowed or decreased growth of the baby (intrauterine growth restriction).
- Injury to your other organs. Uncontrolled hypertension can cause injury to your brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and other major organs. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening.
- Future cardiovascular disease. Having preeclampsia can increase the risk of heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease in the future (in older age). The risk of future cardiovascular disease is higher if you have had preeclampsia more than once or have had a premature birth due to high blood pressure during pregnancy.
- Early labor. Your doctor may recommend inducing labor before your EDD (expected due date) to avoid complications. The timing of induction is based on how well your blood pressure is controlled, whether you have end-stage organ damage, and whether your baby has complications (such as intrauterine growth restriction due to your hypertension).
- Seizures, if you have preeclampsia with severe symptoms.
Impact on the Fetus
Gestational hypertension can not only endanger the health and safety of the mother, but also the fetus. Here are the impacts of high blood pressure risks on the fetus:
- Damages kidneys and other organs.
- Decreased blood flow to the placenta. If the placenta does not get enough blood, the baby may receive less oxygen and nutrients. This can lead to slow growth (intrauterine growth restriction), low birth weight or premature birth. Prematurity can lead to other problems, such as breathing problems, increased risk of infection and other complications for the baby.
- Babies are born too small because of the decreased blood flow to the placenta. Most babies can catch up on their growth a few months after birth, but it is healthier if they are born with a normal weight.
- Premature birth . Sometimes early delivery is necessary to prevent potentially life-threatening complications when you have high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Risk Factors for Gestational Hypertension Sufferers
Gestational hypertension generally occurs in the second trimester of pregnancy. Some risk factors that trigger this are:
- Multiple pregnancy. Gestational hypertension can be more severe when you have twins, where you are more likely to experience placental abruption.
- First child pregnancy.
- History of high blood pressure and/or chronic kidney disease before pregnancy.
- Black skinned (African American).
- Having many babies.
- Have type 1 or 2 diabetes.
- Aged less than 20 years or more than 40 years.
- Being overweight or obese before pregnancy.
The good news is, if you have high blood pressure during pregnancy, your condition should return to normal about 6 weeks after you give birth.
Diagnosis
The doctor will diagnose you as having gestational hypertension during pregnancy based on the results of your blood pressure monitoring during prenatal care.
- First, there is an increase in blood pressure. Increased blood pressure is a systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 129 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and a diastolic pressure below 80 mm Hg. Increased blood pressure tends to get worse over time unless you take steps to control your blood pressure.
- Second, stage 1 hypertension. That is, systolic pressure ranges from 130 to 139 mm Hg or diastolic pressure ranges from 80 to 89 mm Hg.
- Third, stage 2 hypertension. This is when hypertension becomes more severe with systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher.
If after 20 weeks of pregnancy your blood pressure is above 140/90 mm Hg (on two or more occasions of blood pressure measurement), you are considered to have gestational hypertension.
Overcoming Gestational Hypertension
Treatment for gestational hypertension is important because high blood pressure can put you at risk for things like heart attack, stroke, and other major complications that can harm your baby.
The doctor will certainly prescribe a number of drugs to overcome the symptoms caused by high blood pressure. Take according to the given dose and do not add external drugs.
Also make sure that the medical personnel who will handle your delivery are aware of your condition to anticipate any worst-case scenarios that may occur.
Preventing Gestational Hypertension
There are several things that mothers can do to prevent or reduce the risk of complications of gestational hypertension, including:
- Taking the best possible care of yourself is the best way to take care of your baby, too.
- Have regular prenatal visits every month during pregnancy.
- Take the blood pressure medication prescribed by your obstetrician.
- Stay active by doing your usual activities.
- Eat healthy foods. If possible, ask a nutritionist for advice on what you should eat and drink during pregnancy.
- Avoid anything prohibited such as cigarette smoke, alcohol, and illegal drugs. Consult your doctor about any over-the-counter medication you buy.
Health experts and researchers are still studying ways to prevent preeclampsia. But so far, no progress has emerged.
4 Types of High Blood Pressure Problems During Pregnancy
High blood pressure is closely related to pregnancy. In addition to gestational hypertension, there are other types of high blood pressure that develop during pregnancy.
- Gestational hypertension. Pregnant women with gestational hypertension have high blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Some women with gestational hypertension eventually develop preeclampsia.
- Chronic hypertension(chronic hypertension). Chronic hypertension is high blood pressure that occurs before pregnancy or that occurs before 20 weeks of pregnancy. However, because high blood pressure usually has no symptoms, it can be difficult to determine when the problem is starting.
- Chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia (chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia). This is a chronic hypertension condition before pregnancy that worsens during pregnancy – influenced by high levels of protein in the urine or other blood pressure-related complications.
- Preeclampsia (preeclampsia). Occurs when high blood pressure develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and is associated with signs of damage to other organ systems, including the kidneys, liver, blood or brain. Untreated preeclampsia can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby, including the development of seizures (eclampsia). Previously, preeclampsia was diagnosed only if a pregnant woman had high blood pressure and protein in her urine. But now, preeclampsia may occur without protein in the urine.
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Do everything your doctor suggests to reduce the problem of gestational hypertension or high blood pressure during pregnancy, Mom.
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Indonesia
