Hypertension in pregnancy

High blood pressure during pregnancy

Changes in blood pressure (BP) in women during pregnancy are observed quite often, which can adversely affect the mother and fetus. Blood pressure is one of the most important indicators of the functioning of the circulatory system in the body. During pregnancy, all organs and systems of the mother work with increased stress, especially the cardiovascular system. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly measure blood pressure to prevent the development of severe complications. At the beginning of pregnancy, blood pressure, as a rule, decreases slightly, which is associated with the action of hormones. In later pregnancy, as the fetus grows and blood flow increases to feed it, blood pressure may increase relative to pre-pregnancy physiological values. Hypertension is said to occur when a pregnant woman's blood pressure exceeds 140/9.0 mmHg However, in women with low blood pressure before pregnancy, arterial hypertension may be at blood pressure levels that are usually considered normal. Therefore, it is important to know your normal blood pressure.

Why is high blood pressure dangerous during pregnancy?

High blood pressure during pregnancy poses a great danger to the mother and fetus. Against this background, vasoconstriction occurs and the blood supply to all vital organs, including the placenta, is disturbed. Due to the lack of essential nutrients and oxygen, the process of growth and development of the fetus slows down. There is a serious danger of placental abruption, which is accompanied by bleeding and threatens the life of the mother and fetus. High blood pressure during pregnancy can lead to the development of a dangerous pregnancy complication - preeclampsia. Edema, large weight gain, and the presence of protein in the urine can also be a manifestation of preeclampsia. Very dangerous symptoms of preeclampsia are: headache, blurred vision ("flies", "veil" before the eyes), pain in the upper abdomen. Deterioration of the general condition may be accompanied by dizziness, tinnitus, nausea, vomiting. Pre-eclampsia can provoke a formidable complication - eclampsia. In this condition, the pregnant woman loses consciousness and convulsions occur.

Register for pregnancy at the antenatal clinic as early as possible!

A very important feature of arterial hypertension during pregnancy is that often even with high blood pressure numbers, the patient feels normal. High blood pressure is detected by chance, at the next appearance in the antenatal clinic. The absence of clinical manifestations of elevated blood pressure does not exclude the development of dangerous complications.

In order to detect unwanted deviations during pregnancy in time and prevent the development of complications in the mother and fetus, pregnant women need to regularly monitor their blood pressure. It is very important to register for pregnancy in a antenatal clinic in a timely manner. The doctor will promptly detect changes in blood pressure and prescribe the optimal therapy to maintain blood pressure in the normal range. If a woman had high blood pressure before pregnancy, and she is taking medications, it is necessary to adjust the treatment and individually select the drugs that can be taken during pregnancy. To prevent high blood pressure, a pregnant woman should eat a healthy and balanced diet, observe a drinking regimen, and monitor weight gain. The correct recommendations on these issues will also be given by the doctor of the antenatal clinic. A pregnant woman must follow the recommendations and not violate the prescribed therapy.

What to do if a pregnant woman has high blood pressure?

If a pregnant woman regularly monitors blood pressure on her own and notes even a slight increase with good health, she should visit the doctor of the antenatal clinic as soon as possible (before the scheduled next visit). Self-administration of drugs in this case is strictly prohibited. Before visiting a doctor, you can reduce blood pressure by taking a mild sedative based on motherwort or valerian.

If necessary, you can consult with an obstetrician-gynecologist of the remote medical advisory panel of the Ambulance and Emergency Medical Care Station. A.S. Puchkov, Moscow by phone: (495) 620-42-44.

When is it necessary to call an ambulance?

If blood pressure rises suddenly, you feel unwell, urgent hospitalization is necessary, and it is advisable for the patient to immediately call an ambulance team. Such signs as: headache, feeling of flashing dots or "flies", a veil before the eyes, pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting, agitation or depression, along with this - an increase in blood pressure should alert. There may be a high convulsive readiness, which is manifested by twitching of the muscles of the face, neck, upper limbs, loss of consciousness, convulsions are possible.

What to do before the ambulance arrives?

First of all, go to bed, if possible, eliminate all unwanted irritants (turn off all sources of noise, close the curtains), do not leave the pregnant woman alone, as convulsions may occur and help will be needed. Give it a position with a raised head end. It is possible to take pressure-lowering drugs prescribed by a doctor. If a woman has not previously taken antihypertensive drugs, then drugs should not be taken on the advice of others.

If an attack of convulsions occurs, the pregnant woman should be laid on a flat surface, turn her head to the side (to prevent aspiration of vomit), protect from damage (cover with a blanket), do not hold physically. After an attack, clean the oral cavity with a napkin from vomit, blood and mucus. Wait for the ambulance to arrive!

The ambulance will arrive quickly and provide the necessary assistance. Hospitalization in this condition is mandatory. Only in a hospital is it possible to fully monitor the condition of the mother and child, complete therapy and determine the delivery plan.

We wish you health and happy motherhood!

Chief Specialist

in Obstetrics and Gynecology Arkhipova N.L.

High blood pressure during pregnancy: causes and consequences

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10 December 2019

Every pregnant woman needs to control many different factors that can potentially affect her condition: nutrition, lifestyle, stress, environment, bad habits, etc. It is important to carefully monitor your health, because from This directly affects the health of the baby. One of the key points in this matter is the level of blood pressure, at high levels of which the risk of developing conditions that threaten the life of both the expectant mother and the child increases.

What is the normal pressure? This indicator cannot be universal for everyone. It is generally accepted that the range from 120/80 to 140/90 is a conditional norm. If the pressure level is below the minimum value, then the person is diagnosed with "hypotension", if it is higher - "arterial hypertension" (AH). The goal of treating such deviations is to bring the pressure into the specified range with the help of drug therapy and non-drug means (physical activity, proper nutrition, stress reduction, outdoor walks, weight normalization, etc.).
During pregnancy, the lower end of the range can drop to the level of 90/60. Such a spread in indicators is characterized by the fact that there are constant changes in the body of the expectant mother, which will certainly affect her condition and well-being. Therefore, the pressure can "jump" from the lower to the upper limit.
Even if a woman is not bothered by anything, it is important to control the pressure. Moreover, it is worth measuring it not only during planned visits to the doctor, but also on your own every day.
In cases where the pressure of the expectant mother exceeds the upper conditional norm, during pregnancy it greatly increased compared to the usual one, or at least once diastolic (lower) pressure was above 110, then the doctor will most likely diagnose hypertension. And here already without treatment not to do.

It is worth measuring the pressure not only during scheduled visits to the doctor, but also to do it yourself every day.

High blood pressure: is it dangerous?

High pressure leads to changes in tissues and organs, first of all, the impact falls on the cardiovascular system. At the same time, the baby is also involved in this process - the pressure of the mother prevents the proper formation of organs, as a result of which the child may experience congenital malformations of the heart, blood vessels, circulatory system, etc.
So, what are the pathological conditions in the mother associated with high blood pressure that can affect the health of the baby?
As a result of hypertension, there are violations of the blood supply to the placenta - preeclampsia . The main symptoms to look out for are persistent headaches, abdominal pain, vision changes such as blurred vision, spots or lights, swelling of the face or hands, nausea or vomiting, sudden weight gain, and trouble breathing. Preeclampsia often has no obvious symptoms. This is another reason why it is extremely important to get regular prenatal care, control your blood pressure, and have urine and blood tests. They will help to identify dysfunction of the liver or kidneys. The most formidable complication of preeclampsia is eclampsia - a condition in which the blood circulation of the brain in a woman is disturbed. This leads to a sudden seizure with severe convulsions and coma, which can result in the death of the mother or miscarriage.

Mother's pressure interferes with the proper formation of organs, as a result of which congenital malformations of the heart, blood vessels, and circulatory system may occur in the child.

Arterial hypertension is not always an independent disease. Sometimes high pressure becomes a marker of another dangerous condition. One of these pathological conditions is preeclampsia , which can provoke dysfunction of a woman's vital organs. The main symptoms of preeclampsia are high blood pressure, persistent swelling and increased protein (protein) in the urine. With such a complication during pregnancy, the work of the kidneys is disrupted, and eclampsia also develops, as mentioned above. By the way, at present there are not only personal blood pressure monitors, but also personal urine analyzers that reliably determine the protein content in urine and can be connected to a smartphone
Another danger associated with high blood pressure is fetoplacental insufficiency , which disrupts the supply of oxygen to the fetus. This is fraught with stopping its development and can lead to the death of the fetus.
Placental abruption is a complication also caused by high blood pressure. And if in the later stages, closer to childbirth, such a pathological condition can still be resolved favorably, then at the beginning or middle of pregnancy, premature birth ends in the death of the baby.

What to look out for?

Symptoms such as tinnitus, “flies” before the eyes, headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, increased swelling, as well as red spots on the skin after minor physical exertion or slight stress can alert you. These signs are true companions of high pressure and should not be ignored.
However, high pressure does not always manifest itself. You can quite calmly engage in daily activities and not even suspect that “bad” changes are taking place in the body. That is why it is necessary to independently control the level of pressure.

You can go about your daily activities quite calmly and not even suspect that “bad” changes are taking place in your body.

The state of a woman during pregnancy is constantly changing. Toxicosis, fatigue or hyperactivity, despondency or, conversely, emotional arousal - all this within reasonable limits is the norm. But if any symptoms seem inappropriate to you, it is better to consult a doctor for advice.

Where does high pressure come from?

High blood pressure can accompany a woman during pregnancy if she has been diagnosed with hypertension before. In this case, it is doubly important to control your condition and listen to all the doctor's recommendations. You can not take the same drugs that were prescribed before pregnancy, as they can affect the development of the fetus. There are medicines that do not have side effects on the baby - the doctor will select them for you.

There are medicines for pressure that do not have side effects on the baby - they will be selected by the doctor.

You can “acquire” high blood pressure as a result of constant stress, heredity, smoking, overweight or obesity, diabetes mellitus or other concomitant diseases of the kidneys, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pituitary gland.
In any case, consultation with a specialist is necessary to minimize the risk of developing hypertension while expecting a child. To do this, it is desirable at the stage of pregnancy planning to eliminate all provoking factors, cure concomitant diseases, and get rid of bad habits.

How to lower the pressure?

Self-medication during pregnancy is contraindicated. Drugs that have helped someone close to you can have a negative impact on your health and the health of your baby. Therefore, all medications should be prescribed by a doctor after a comprehensive examination.
It is worth abandoning the independent choice of herbal medicines and dietary supplements. Pregnancy is a contraindication for taking most of them. They can increase or slow down the effect of your medications, provoke allergies and a number of other complications.
In order for the pressure to remain normal, it is important to control your weight, exercise (of course, within reasonable limits and after consulting a doctor), exclude foods that increase blood pressure (coffee, strong black tea, chocolate) from your diet, give up bad habits.
High blood pressure is a condition that can and should be dealt with, especially during pregnancy.

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