What Is Considered Low Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
While there isnt a definitive number that is too low, there are symptoms that are associated with low blood pressure:
As a woman progresses in her pregnancy, her blood pressure may change or return to pre-pregnancy levels. There are a few possible reasons for this.
The amount of blood in a womans body increases. According to the journal Circulation , a womans blood volume increases by as much as 45 percent during pregnancy. This is extra blood that the heart must pump throughout the body.
The left ventricle becomes thicker and larger. This temporary effect allows the heart to work harder to support the increased blood volume.
The kidneys release increased amounts of vasopressin, a hormone that leads to increased water retention.
In most cases, high blood pressure during pregnancy will decrease after the baby is delivered. In cases where blood pressure remains elevated, your doctor may prescribe medication to get it back to normal.
Is It Dangerous For The Baby
It is vital that high blood pressure is recognized and treated as soon as possible in pregnancy.
This is because high blood pressure can lead to problems in the heart and circulatory system of the baby .
High blood pressure can affect your babys growth and development.
Pregnant women with high blood pressure have been found to deliver babies with smaller heads and smaller hearts than women who dont have high blood pressure.
If you already have high blood pressure then it is essential that you reduce your level of fluid intake, modify your medication , exercise more, and get your blood pressure checked regularly by a doctor.
However, some experts advise mothers with high blood pressure to continue taking their medications as prescribed by their physician because it can lower the babys chance of survival
Tips For Tracking Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
There are ways to track your blood pressure between doctor visits.
You can buy a blood pressure monitor from a pharmacy or online medical goods store. Many of these devices will go on your wrist or upper arm. To check the monitors accuracy, take it to your doctors office and compare the readings on the monitor to those from your doctor.
Visit a grocery store, pharmacy, or other store that has a machine that takes blood pressure readings.
For the most accurate readings, take your blood pressure at the same time every day. Take it while seated with your legs uncrossed. Use the same arm each time.
Notify your doctor immediately if you have repeated high blood pressure readings that are four hours apart or symptoms of high blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure during pregnancy, there can be complications.
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The Signs Of High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy
One of the scariest things about high blood pressure is that there usually are no signs that its happening. Severe cases may have a headache in the back of the head, blind spots in the vision, or new onset vomiting, Marchand says. But for mild blood pressure, you might not even know until you go to your OB-GYN appointment.
Lower Blood Pressure Permanently
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Lowering Blood Pressure Appears To Be Safe For Baby Too
Contact: Nicole Napoli, [email protected], 202.669.1465
WASHINGTON –
Treating even mildly elevated, or non-severe, blood pressure during pregnancy reduces the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and is unlikely to harm the developing baby, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiologys 71st Annual Scientific Session.
When compared with pregnant women whose mild hypertension wasnt actively treated, those who received medications to lower their blood pressure to less than 140/90 mmHg had about a 20% reduction in the combined rate of severe preeclampsia, preterm birth before 35 weeks, abruption and fetal or newborn deaththe studys primary outcome. The benefits of treating mild chronic hypertension, defined as high blood pressure that is less than 160/110 mmHg, remained even after controlling for other factors that may have played a role, such as hypertension treatment before pregnancy, race/ethnicity or diabetes.
The Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy Project was designed to assess the benefits and harm of treating pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension. The open-labeled, randomized, controlled trial enrolled 2,408 women with known mild chronic hypertension and who were less than 23 weeks into their pregnancy at 61 sites between 2015 and 2021. Women were similar across groups with over half already taking blood pressure-lowering medicine at enrollment 48% were Black, 28% non-Hispanic white and 20% Hispanic.
How Do You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure
Your blood pressure reading is given as two numbers:
Your blood pressure reading fits into one of five categories:
At each prenatal care checkup, your provider checks your blood pressure. To do this, she wraps a cuff around your upper arm. She pumps air into the cuff to measure the pressure in your arteries when the heart contracts and then relaxes. If you have a high reading, your provider can recheck it to find out for sure if you have high blood pressure. Your blood pressure can go up or down during the day.
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What Are Some Reasons For Getting Induced
While being induced might sound like a nightmare, its not always the worst thing in the world especially if its happening in order to keep you and your baby safe. Its worth pointing out that inductions happen quite often and are very common. It may even be something you might want to look into if youre trying to avoid a C-section. Marchand shares that new data has shown that inductions at 39 weeks reduce the cesarean section rate, so if your doctor recommends one by then because of high blood pressure or other issues, its worth considering..
According to Marchand, some of the most common reasons for getting induced are:
- Elective to reduce the risk of cesarean section
- Low amniotic fluid levels
- Preeclampsia spectrum disease
- Your water breaks
Remember: high blood pressure doesnt mean induction is around the corner. Communicating with your OB-GYN about what to expect is always your best bet.
Expert:
Greg Marchand, MD, FACOG, FACS, Accredited Master Surgeon/Board Certified in MIGS, board certified OBGYN, founder of the Marchand Institute
What Is Considered High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
A blood pressure that is greater than 130/90 mm Hg or that is 15 degrees higher on the top number from where you started before pregnancy may be cause for concern.
High blood pressure during pregnancy is defined as 140 mm Hg or higher systolic, with diastolic 90 mm Hg or higher.
Early in pregnancy, usually from 5 weeks to the middle of the second trimester, a pregnant womans blood pressure may actually decrease. This is because pregnancy hormones can stimulate blood vessels to widen. As a result, the resistance to blood flow isnt as high.
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What Are The Symptoms
High blood pressure doesn’t usually cause symptoms. You will probably feel fine, even if your blood pressure is too high.
Tell your doctor right away if you have any signs of very high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia, such as:
- A severe headache.
- Pain in your upper belly.
- Rapid weight gainmore than 1 kg in a week or 3 kg in a month.
Different Types Of High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy
There are 3 types of high blood pressure during pregnancy:
- Chronic hypertension: This is when you already had high blood pressure before you fell pregnant for example if you already had a medical condition such as kidney disease. Chronic hypertension also refers to when your high blood pressure is diagnosed in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Some women with chronic hypertension may develop pre-eclampsia when they are pregnant.
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension: This is high blood pressure that is diagnosed after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It is also called gestational hypertension.
- Pre-eclampsia: Pre-eclampsia is a serious condition that only occurs in pregnant women. As well as high blood pressure, it can also affect the kidneys, liver, blood and brain.
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How To Lower Your High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
Other Ingredients To Avoid
You already know how salt can sneak into a lot of packaged foods. But itâs not the only thing to watch when youâre watching your blood pressure.
Sugar
Sugar, in general, will add calories with little to no nutritional value. But the white stuff is also known by several other names, like agave, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, brown sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, maple syrup, date sugar, malt syrup, pancake syrup, fruit juice concentrates, and dextrose.
Remember that 4 to 5 grams of sugar is equal to a teaspoon. The American Heart Association recommends most adult women donât go over 6 teaspoons a day and adult men 9 teaspoons, or 36 grams. For comparison, a can of soda can have up to 40 grams, or about 10 teaspoons of sugar.
Nitrates
Sodium nitrate is most commonly used as a preservative for salty, processed meats like bacon and deli selections. Studies have shown that too much of these ingredients can increase your risk of heart disease and cancer.
Choose lean, fresh meats and seafood over processed as much as possible.
Partially hydrogenated oil
Trans fats are linked to heart disease and insulin resistance. Studies have shown that of all dietary fats, trans fats are the most dangerous, particularly if youâre overweight.
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Preventing High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
Common risk factors for high blood pressure, such as obesity, can be minimized through diet and exercise.
During pregnancy, its normal to gain some weight. If youre concerned, talk to your doctor about a target weight gain and ways to stay within a range thats healthy for you.
Dietary guidelines for pregnant women vary from person to person. A nutritionist can help create a meal plan thats designed for your specific height and weight.
Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Both are known to raise blood pressure and to cause other complications during pregnancy.
Salt is important during pregnancy and its usually not necessary to limit salt intake, even for women with high blood pressure. Restricting salt too much is harmful for pregnant women and can impact fetal growth and development.
Pregnancy causes hormone shifts as well as psychological and physical changes. This can bring on stress, which can make high blood pressure harder to manage. Try stress reduction techniques such as yoga and meditation.
Some traditional blood pressure medications can cause problems in pregnant women.
These medications for lowering blood pressure are typically not recommended during pregnancy:
What Are The Different Forms Of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
High blood pressure complicates about 10 percent of all pregnancies. There are several different types of high blood pressure during pregnancy. These types vary in severity and impact on the body. The forms of high blood pressure during pregnancy include:
- Chronic hypertension: High blood pressure which is present prior to pregnancy.
- Chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia: Preeclampsia, which develops in someone who has chronic hypertension .
- Gestational hypertension: High blood pressure is noted in the latter part of pregnancy, but no other signs or symptoms of preeclampsia are present. Some women will later develop preeclampsia, while others probably have high blood pressure before the pregnancy.
- Preeclampsia: A condition only found in the latter half of pregnancy and results in hypertension, protein in the urine, and generalized swelling in the mother. It can impact other organs in the body and also cause seizures .
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Cmo Puede La Hipertensin Arterial Durante El Embarazo Afectar A Mi Beb
Es posible tener hipertensión crónica y pasar a tener un bebé sano. Sin embargo, la hipertensión crónica tiene la posibilidad de una serie de efectos adversos en el bebé en desarrollo.Estas posibles preocupaciones incluyen:
- Daño al crecimiento del bebé
- Mayor riesgo de problemas respiratorios antes o durante
- Mayor riesgo de desprendimiento prematuro de la placenta
- Los posibles efectos secundarios de los medicamentos que está tomando
How Is High Blood Pressure Diagnosed
High blood pressure is usually found during a prenatal visit. This is one reason it’s so important to go to all of your prenatal checkups.
At each prenatal visit, your doctor, nurse, or midwife will:
- Check your blood pressure. A sudden increase in blood pressure often is the first sign of a problem.
- Test your urine for protein. Too much protein in the urine is a sign of kidney damage caused by pre-eclampsia.
- Check your weight. Rapid weight gain can be a sign of pre-eclampsia.
If you have high blood pressure while you’re pregnant, you will have regular tests to check your baby’s health. These may include:
- Electronic fetal heart monitoring. This records your baby’s heart rate.
- Fetal ultrasound. This test is done to check on your baby, the placenta, and the amount of amniotic fluid.
- Doppler ultrasound. This checks how well the placenta is working.
If your doctor thinks you are at high risk for pre-eclampsia, you may have other tests, including:
- Blood tests to check for problems such as kidney damage.
- A creatinine clearance test to check your kidney function.
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What Is High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force of blood that pushes against the walls of your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from your heart to other parts of the body. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood to the arteries. If the pressure in your arteries becomes too high, you have high blood pressure . High blood pressure can put extra stress on your organs. This can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure.
Some women have high blood pressure before they get pregnant. Others have high blood pressure for the first time during pregnancy. About 8 in 100 women have some kind of high blood pressure during pregnancy. If you have high blood pressure, talk to your health care provider. Managing your blood pressure can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Estoy Predispuesto A Desarrollar La Preeclampsia
La preeclampsia es la presión arterial alta que se produce exclusivamente en el embarazo. Por lo tanto, aún qué si hipertensión crónica esté bajo control antes de que usted esté embarazada, es posible que más adelante pueda desarrollar preeclampsia. Si usted tiene hipertensión crónica, es más propensa a desarrollar la preeclampsia, pero eso no significa necesariamente que lo hará. También, en caso de que usted desarrollé preeclampsia, el médico puede recomendar inducir el parto antes de su fecha de parto para prevenir más complicaciónes. Si la preeclampsia es grave, el médico puede recomendar un parto por cesárea.
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