Pregnancy guide
HYPERTENSION IN PREGNANCY
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are a major cause of maternal, foetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.
Hypertension is the most common problem in pregnancy, both in developing and developed countries.
Up to 15% of pregnancies are complicated by hypertension.
There are different types of hypertension in pregnancy:
- Chronic hypertension, where the high blood pressure was present before pregnancy.
- Gestational hypertension, or pregnancy-related high blood pressure, which develops after 20 weeks of gestation.
There are three levels for each of these different types of hypertension:
- Mild hypertension: a blood pressure between 140/90 and 149/99 mm Hg.
- Moderate hypertension: a blood pressure between 150/100 and 159/109 mm Hg.
- Severe hypertension: a blood pressure of 160/110 or higher.
Women with hypertension during pregnancy have a higher risk of:
- Abruptio placentae.
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation.
- Cerebrovascular accident.
The foetus has an increased risk of:
- Intrauterine growth restriction.
- Prematurity.
- Intrauterine death.
Symptoms associated with hypertension during pregnancy and that you must quickly tell your doctor:
- Severe headache.
- Blurred vision, flashing before the eyes.
- Severe epigastric pain.
- Vomiting.
- Breathlessness.
- Sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet.
Treatment.
While the type of treatment you are given will depend on the cause of your hypertension, the key to a healthy pregnancy is to make sure that your blood pressure remains under control.
Having check-ups with your antenatal team is the best way of monitoring your hypertension.
You should keep active and get some physical activity each day, such as walking or swimming.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet and keep your salt intake low.
Guide summary