Ask An OB.com is the premier website for medical information in pregnancy. If you have questions about blood pressure disorders in pregnancy, preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome, we have the information you need.
After deliver stabilization is marked by decreasing blood pressure, increasing urine output and decreased edema and protein found in the urine. BP should return to the pre-pregnancy baseline within the first few weeks postpartum. Failure of blood pressure to return to normal should be reported and the patient should be monitored for potential chronic hypertension.
HELLP Syndrome occurs in tandem with preeclampsia, but because HELLP Symdrome's symptoms may occur before preeclampsia's three findings (high blood pressure, protein in the urine and swelling), they may be misdiagnosed as symptoms of gastritis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), acute hepatitis, gall bladder disease, and other conditions. As a result, appropriate treatment may be withheld or modified leading to poor maternal-perinatal outcomes.