Preeclampsia is a complicated, dangerous
pregnancy-related version of high
blood pressure or hypertension. Formerly
called toxemia, it can cause problems
to both the mother and baby. The cause
is not totally understood but it tends
to be genetic and there seems to be
a link to the way the placenta grows
though this is not conclusive; strangely
the symptom goes away once the placenta
is delivered.
Who is
at risk?
• First time mothers-to-be after
week 24
• If you have a family history
of preeclampsia
• If you had high blood pressure
even before becoming pregnant
• If you have diabetes, lupus
or long term kidney disease
• If you are a teen or above
35
• If you are expecting twins
or more
• If you are very overweight
Symptoms
of Preeclampsia During Pregancy..
Although many women will have slightly
raised blood pressure and some protein
in the urine, only a small percentage
are affected enough to warrant treatment.
With the mild form, you can't even
tell you have this condition, since
it can be only be picked up with
regular urine and blood pressure
checks during your antenatal checkups.
If you have any of the below mentioned
symptoms, reach your doctor ASAP.
Severe preeclampsia can cause
• Rise in blood pressure
• Sudden weight gain due to
fluid retention
• Severe headaches
• Vision problems such as
blurry visions or flashing before
the eyes
• Protein in your pee
• Vomiting
• Sudden swelling of face,
hands or feet
• Difficulty in passing urine,
or passing urine in small amounts
• Upper or mild abdominal
pain
• Irritability
• Nausea, dizzy spells
Preeclampsia
Effects..
• It usually affects pregnant
women in the later part of their pregnancies,
though it can be as early as week
24! It can interfere with the blood
supply to the placenta thereby reducing
the nutrient and oxygen level to the
baby.
• It can cause labor to be induced
or a C-section to further curb the
raised BP levels
• Left untreated high BP can
damage mother's kidneys, nervous system
and blood vessels
• Babies of mothers with this
condition tend to be smaller
• There is an increased risk
of stillbirth
• Without warning preeclampsia
can turn into the very serious eclampsia,
although this is very rare these days.
• Eclampsia happens out of the
blue and is very dangerous as it is
life-threatening to both the mother
and the unborn child.
• The blood vessels in the uterus
go into spasms, cutting the blood
supply to baby
• Eclampsia starts with convulsions
and ends with a coma; kidney failure,
liver and lung problems, bleeding
from the placenta, blood clotting
problems are the other complications.
Checks
• It can be detected early and
therefore managed under care but it
is not preventable
• Your urine and blood pressure
are checked at your routine visits
• Inform your doctor about any
swellings, headaches, vision problems
or gastric pains (fluid retention
doesn't necessarily mean preeclampsia)
Treatment
of Preeclampsia
• The sure-fire treatment is
to deliver the baby.
• For mild preeclampsia, bed
rest at home or the hospital under
careful supervision of both mother
and baby
• Tests may include blood and
urine checks, monitoring fetal heart
rate, ultrasound scans to check baby's
weight and measure blood flow to the
placenta
• You will be drinking lots
of fluids
• Your sodium intake will be
controlled
• You may be put on medication
to bring your BP down
• For severe forms, you will
need to be hospitalized and observed.
You will be treated with medications
to control your BP and your labor
might be induced or you may have cesarean
depending on how well you respond
to the medications, the state of your
uterus and how advanced your pregnancy
is.
Final word…
Many women may blame themselves for
this condition: they feel it is lack
of exercise or too much of exercise,
wrong diet, stress and strain etc.
The fact is there is no known cause
for this condition; research is still
underway and hopefully there will
be some light shed on this soon.
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