Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can definitely affect your pregnancy. If you have hypertension before pregnancy, you are at a much greater risk of developing pre-eclampsia, or pregnancy-induced hypertension. Preeclampsia is a serious condition that cannot be ignored, and can lead to other problems, such as dangerous seizures, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and even death to the baby and the mother.

Some of the symptoms of pregnancy-induced hypertension can include an increase in blood pressure, the presence of protein in the urine, a sudden gain of weight, blurred or double vision, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. If you experience these symptoms, you should contact your health care provider immediately.

Testing for pregnancy-induced hypertension can include testing of urine, examination of the eyes, testing of the kidneys and liver, and a variety of other factors. Depending on how severe your hypertension is, there may be a variety of treatments that your health care provider will proscribe. These can include:

- Fetal monitoring. This might include kick counts, Doppler flow studies, regular lab work, or other forms of monitoring your babys well-being.

- Bedrest. This is one of the most common treatments for pregnancy-induced hypertension. It is not uncommon for this bedrest to last from the time of diagnosis right up until the time of delivery. Bedrest helps keep the mom-to-bes blood pressure as low as it can be.

- medications. Magnesium sulfate or another medication that works against hypertension may be prescribed. Some of these medications carry risks in terms of pregnancy, so be sure to discuss these with your health care provider.

- delivery. If treatments can’t seem to get a handle on the hypertension, it may be necessary to deliver your baby. This will also be the case if you or your baby are in danger due to the hypertension.

Early diagnosis and early treatment are key to treating hypertension during pregnancy. By catching it earlier, you can help to prevent the disease from becoming worse and worse, and from negatively affecting your pregnancy.

Posted in Pregnancy

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