How Common Is High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
High blood pressure during pregnancy is quite a common problem.
- About 1 in 10 pregnant women have problems with high blood pressure.
- Up to 3 in 100 pregnant women have pre-existing high blood pressure.
- About 4 to 8 in 100 pregnant women have gestational high blood pressure and do not go on to develop pre-eclampsia.
- Between 2 and 8 in 100 pregnant women develop pre-eclampsia.
- For every 100 women who have already developed pre-eclampsia in one pregnancy, 16 will develop it again in a future pregnancy. Up to half of these women will develop gestational hypertension in a future pregnancy.
Problems with new high blood pressure are more common during your first pregnancy.
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In The Earliest Stages Of Pih Total Bed Rest At Home Is Quite Helpful In Keeping Blood Pressure In The Normal Range
Normal blood pressure range during pregnancy chart. We aimed to define normal ranges of blood pressure across gestation. Taking into account you switch on your house blood pressure. High blood pressure in pregnancy is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes for the mother and offspring.
Pregnancy is a period of considerable change in blood pressure with an early pregnancy decrease followed by a late pregnancy rise. Pressure can be measured for your arteries your capillaries and your veins but taking into consideration we talk nearly blood pressure we are normally talking virtually the pressure in your arteries sometimes called your arterial pressure and that is what is measured once the doctor takes your blood pressure. It is also very helpful for patients to obtain a digital automatic blood pressure machine for the arm not wrist then check and write down their blood pressure readings at least 3 times per day.
Blood pressure and other problems. This can put the mother and her baby at risk for problems during the pregnancyHigh blood pressure can also cause problems during and after delivery. Gary Cunningham University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Dallas TX USA There are a number of profound physiological changes that result during normal pregnancy.
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What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor
If your healthcare provider has diagnosed you with preeclampsia, it’s normal to have concerns. Some common questions to ask your healthcare provider are:
- Do I need to take medication?
- Do I need to restrict my activities?
- What changes should I make to my diet?
- How are you planning to monitor me and my baby now that I have preeclampsia?
- Will I need to deliver my baby early?
- How can I best manage preeclampsia?
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Preventing High Blood Pressure
To keep your blood pressure in the normal range, your daily habits are key. These things help:
Donât smoke. Among the many health problems that smoking causes, it raises your blood pressure.
Make physical activity a habit. Most experts recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five or more times a week. Or you could do a harder activity for a shorter period of time per session.
Eat right. Read food labels to see how much sodium is in a serving. Check with your doctor to find out what your daily limit should be. Include a lot of vegetables and fruits, along with whatever else you choose to put on your plate.
Stick to a healthy weight. Extra pounds raise your blood pressure. If youâre not sure what a healthy weight would be for you, ask your doctor.
Get enough sleep. For most adults, thatâs 7-8 hours of sleep per night, on a regular basis.
If you drink alcohol, limit it to no more than one drink a day if youâre a woman and up to two drinks a day if youâre a man.
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What Is Low Blood Pressure
While hypertension can be problematic for your overall health, blood pressure thats too low can also be cause for concern. With that said, the American Heart Association doesnt recognize a specific day-to-day blood pressure reading as too low. Instead, its a matter of what symptoms you may be experiencing due to low blood pressure, how these symptoms affect you and how long they persist.
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How Is My Blood Pressure Measured
- Hypertension is when your top figure is between 140 and 159 and your bottom figure is between 90 and 109
- Severe hypertension is when your top figure is 160 or greater and your bottom figure is 110 or greater
- Before youre 20 weeks pregnant, if you have high blood pressure, its called chronic hypertension or pre-existing high blood pressure. This means you probably had high blood pressure before you became pregnant. Youll only know for sure if this is the case if your blood pressure stays high after your baby is born.
- After 20 weeks, high blood pressure is called gestational hypertension. This is the name for high blood pressure that develops only during pregnancy.
What Is Normal Blood Pressure In Pregnancy
Normal blood pressure in pregnancy is less than 120/80 mm Hg. That’s expressed as “120 over 80.”
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury , and the measurement has two numbers. The top number is the pressure of your blood against the walls of your arteries when your heart contracts and pumps blood. The bottom number is when the heart relaxes and fills with blood.
High blood pressure is diagnosed when either the systolic or diastolic number is at an unhealthy level or if both are.
The guidelines for blood pressure readings during pregnancy are:
- Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg
- Mild hypertension: Higher than 140/90 mm Hg
- Severe hypertension: Higher than 160/110 mm Hg
These numbers are different than guidelines for blood pressure for people who aren’t pregnant.
Your provider or a medical assistant will measure your blood pressure at each prenatal visit. Your healthcare provider may also ask you to monitor your blood pressure at home.
Before concluding that you have hypertension, your provider will probably take your blood pressure readings at least two different times. That’s because your blood pressure varies throughout the day, and it can go down when you’re relaxed and up when you’re active or stressed. Some people may have an above-normal blood pressure reading because they get nervous at the doctor’s office a phenomenon called “white-coat hypertension.”
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Will I Have High Blood Pressure After Pregnancy
Unless you have preexisting or chronic hypertension, your blood pressure will most likely return to a normal level within a few weeks after you have your baby.
After you give birth, your blood pressure will be closely monitored, and your caregiver will be watching you for signs of worsening hypertension and preeclampsia.
In some women, though, blood pressure remains elevated. If your blood pressure is still high three months after you give birth, you’ll be diagnosed with chronic hypertension.
Learn more:
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ACOG 2022. Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
ACOG. 20201Managing high blood pressure. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Types Of High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy
There are three main types of high blood pressure that women experience in pregnancy:
Chronic hypertension is high blood pressure that existed before pregnancy or is diagnosed before 20 weeks. If you have a high blood pressure reading early in your pregnancy, it’s likely you had hypertension before you became pregnant. Chronic hypertension is also the diagnosis for women who have high blood pressure for longer than 12 weeks after delivery.
Having chronic hypertension can put you at risk for preeclampsia later in pregnancy. About 1 in 4 women with chronic hypertension will develop preeclampsia.
A new study suggests that women with pre-pregnancy hypertension should be treated with blood pressure medication during their pregnancy to keep their blood pressure below 140/90. Previous conventional wisdom encouraged treatment only for those with readings above 160/110. Women who were treated more promptly in the study had fewer severe complications, and their babies grew just as well as those in the non-treatment group.
Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure that usually occurs for the first time at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later. It’s diagnosed if you have new onset high blood pressure during pregnancy but not preeclampsia. Women with gestational hypertension usually have just a small increase in blood pressure, but 10 to 25 percent of women with the condition may show signs of preeclampsia later in pregnancy.
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Are There Any Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy
Symptoms can vary from person to person and at each pregnancy, but the main symptom of high blood pressure when youre expecting is a high reading in the second half of gestation, usually around week 20. Yet one of the tricky things about high blood pressure when youre pregnant is that some women feel completely normal and dont show any symptoms at all.
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Can Low Blood Pressure Harm Your Baby
We know a lot less about the effects of low blood pressure on babies than the effects of high pressure. Some research suggests that it may lead to stillbirth and low birth weight, but this correlation is difficult to establish because there are so many other variables and risk factors involved during pregnancy. In the vast majority of cases, low blood pressure at this time is nothing to worry about.
What Are The Symptoms During Or After Delivery
High blood pressure often causes no noticeable symptoms, which is part of what makes the condition so dangerous. Go to the emergency room immediately if you experience any of these emergency symptoms, especially during pregnancy or after having a baby:
- Blood pressure of 160/110 or higher
- Seeing spots or sparkles
- Stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting
- Swelling in the hands or face
- Trouble breathing or shortness of breath
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When Should I Call The Doctor About High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
If you’re checking your blood pressure at home, contact your provider if your blood pressure is above a certain level. Your provider can tell you what those levels should be and what to do if you go above them.
Let your provider know immediately if you notice any changes in your baby’s movements. If your baby seems less active than usual, you may need to do kick counts.
Also call your provider right away if you have any signs of severe preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome:
- A headache that’s severe or doesn’t go away
- Vision changes, including double vision, blurriness, seeing spots or flashing lights, light sensitivity, or temporary loss of vision
- Intense pain or tenderness in the upper abdomen or shoulder
- Nausea or vomiting
- Difficulty breathing
Can High Blood Pressure Affect The Baby
High blood pressure in pregnancy can prevent blood from flowing to the placenta. Because the baby doesnt get enough nutrients or oxygen, they are at higher risk of being low birth weight or being born prematurely.
For this reason, its very important that high blood pressure is picked up early and treated.
Pregnant women face a number of changes in their body such as weight gain, swelling of legs, puffiness of eyes and fluid retention. It is important for them to find the exact cause of that change as some of these changes can be a sign of health disorders such as kidney disease. Excretion of protein traces in urine found to be normal but when the protein excretion gets higher, it terms as the condition of proteinuria in pregnancy. Proteinuria in pregnancy with normal blood pressure can be a health disorder or can be a symptom of kidney dysfunction.
Situations like edema , Proteinuria , and sudden weight gain, needs to get monitored on-time.
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Definition Of Normal Pregnancy
To restrict to normal pregnancies, we excluded 515 women who delivered preterm , 937 who had an SGA offspring, 1040 who had an LGA offspring, 369 with preexisting hypertension, 213 who developed preeclampsia, 38 with existing diabetes and 46 who developed gestational diabetes . We did not exclude women who had gestational hypertension, as this would have removed the top end of the blood pressure distribution and biased reference ranges downwards. After these exclusions, there remained 7504 women who had a normal pregnancy.
Will I Still Have High Blood Pressure After The Baby Is Delivered
High blood pressure during pregnancy typically goes away after the baby is delivered but increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease in the future. Women who had chronic hypertension before pregnancy will usually still have the condition after delivery. Sometimes, blood pressure can remain high after delivery, requiring treatment with medication. Your healthcare provider will work with you after your pregnancy to manage your blood pressure.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 01/21/2019.
References
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What Is The Treatment For High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy
If your doctor or midwife finds that your blood pressure is high during your pregnancy, they will usually check to see if you have any protein in your urine and ask you if you have any symptoms of pre-eclampsia. If your blood pressure remains high, or if you have any signs of pre-eclampsia, you will usually be seen by a specialist . In order to advise on treatment, there are various questions that need to be considered by the specialist, such as:
- How severe is your high blood pressure ?
- Is there pre-eclampsia and, if so, how severe is it?
- How far on is your pregnancy?
- What are the risks to you, the mother, and your baby? This will depend on the severity of your high blood pressure and whether or not pre-eclampsia is present.
Home Blood Pressure Checks
We strongly encourage women to own and use a home blood pressure cuff. Devices can be purchased from local drug stores or online for $20 to $50.
If cost is a barrier, check out the Preeclampsia Foundation. This nonprofit organization offers low-to-no-cost blood pressure Cuff Kits for women who meet eligibility requirements. Learn more.
When checking your blood pressure at home:
- Check it at the same time every day when possible.
- Sit upright and slightly reclined. Lying down may lead to a false low reading.
- Record your blood pressure readings in a journal or on your phone. Show it to your doctor to assess trends related to your daily life. Get more tips now.
Morbidity and mortality related to postpartum hypertension should be 100 percent preventable. Our goal is to help educate and care for more women to prevent maternal blood pressure issues postpartum. It wont take much to make a big difference.
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Complications Of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
Most expecting moms with high blood pressure do just fine. If you have chronic hypertension, you and your caregiver will likely be able to manage it with lifestyle changes, medication, and close monitoring for complications.
Most women who get gestational hypertension have only a mild form of the condition and don’t develop it until near the end of pregnancy. If you’re in this category, you have a somewhat higher risk of having labor induced. But other than that, you and your baby are likely to do as well as you would if you had normal blood pressure.
But sometimes high blood pressure results in a decreased blood flow to your baby, which means they may not get enough nutrients and oxygen to grow properly. The more severe your high blood pressure and the earlier in pregnancy it appears, the greater your risk for problems. There’s also a greater risk of complications if you’ve had high blood pressure for a long time and it has damaged your heart, kidneys, or other organs. The risks are also higher for women with high blood pressure that’s caused by another medical condition, such as diabetes or kidney disease.
High blood pressure risks during pregnancy include:
If your high blood pressure develops into preeclampsia, you’re at risk of:
Treatments For High Blood Pressure
Your doctor or midwife will check your blood pressure regularly. If you have high blood pressure, it is important to:
- exercise regularly
- make sure you are a healthy weight
If high blood pressure is caused by a medical condition such as kidney disease, its important to talk to your doctor about what medications are safe to take during pregnancy.
Pre-eclampsia can be managed with medication and close monitoring of both you and the baby. However, it can become worse very quickly. If this happens, you may need to go to hospital or have the baby delivered early.
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