Baby & Pregnancy : PRE ECLAMPSIA

Approximately one in five pregnant women with high blood pressure will develop this more serious condition of Pre Eclampsia. It is connected to kidney problems, so as well as testing blood pressure during pregnancy, doctors take urine samples. If protein is found in the urine then pre eclampsia is suspected and may require hospitalisation. Unlike most cases of gestational and essential hypertension, pre eclampsia may have outward symptoms such as:
• Vision problems. Flashing before the eyes, sensitivity to light.
• Headache.
• Abdominal pain.
• Vomiting
The condition usually occurs around the 20th week of pregnancy. Those at risk of developing pre eclampsia are largely the same as those at risk of developing gestational hypertension. Pre eclampsia can affect the mother’s liver, kidneys and brain. It can lead to low birth weight babies, premature births and still births. It could also develop into eclampsia which is characterised by seizures. Although there is some treatment for pre eclampsia, including magnesium sulphate injections, the only real cure for it is to deliver the baby. This is why careful monitoring of the condition is important.

In spite of the potential for complications, most women with hypertension and even those who develop pre eclampsia have a positive outcome to their pregnancies.