High blood pressure in pregnant women needs a different set of guidelines and treatment, compared to general case of hypertension without pregnancy. This condition requires prompt attention, since both the health of the mother and her baby is involved.
Types of Hypertension in Pregnancy
Chronic Hypertension
This condition means a woman already has hypertension before getting pregnant. It may also show up in the first half of pregnancy. Since there are no particular symptoms for hypertension, it may be difficult to point out how long you may have been affected with this condition.
Gestational Hypertension
This condition occurs in the second half of pregnancy and may last till the end of pregnancy. In most cases there may not be any other serious issues and the problem resolves after delivery. But, some pregnant women with high blood pressure may develop preeclampsia towards the end of their pregnancy.
Chronic Hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia
This condition develops in women who are diagnosed with chronic hypertension or having high blood pressure in the early pregnancy stage. These women are at risk of rising blood pressure and presence of protein in urine. They may also be prone to other serious issues related to hypertension.
Preeclampsia
This condition occurs in women who develop hypertension in the second half of their pregnancy and is considered to be very dangerous. It leads to protein in urine, inflammation of face, hands and feet of the mother and damage to organs such as heart, liver, brain and kidneys. If preeclampsia is not treated in time, it can lead to life-threatening complications for both the mother and her baby. Preeclampsia may also result in eclampsia, a serious condition in which the expecting woman develops seizures.
Regular checkups are highly necessary for timely diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure during pregnancy. Women with hypertension also have normal pregnancies and births without any adverse effects.
