The Dangers of High Blood Pressure to a Pregnant Woman.

My pregnant friend was feeling ill and was unable to sleep for a few days, so rushing her to the hospital was, of course, the next thing to do, when we got there, a series of tests were carried out to ascertain what the problem could be when it got to the point of checking her blood pressure, the doctor was so scared and asked that she gets admitted instantly.

With the fear and worry coming from the doctor's voice, I could tell it was a big deal, of course, he also admitted that having high blood pressure for a pregnant woman is a really big deal. I decided to study more about it and know how big the issue is.

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High blood pressure for a woman can start before or during the pregnancy, and different pregnancy types can happen to a pregnant woman;

• Chronic hypertension: This type of hypertension develops either before pregnancy begins or during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, it might be difficult or impossible to know when it started since it has no symptoms.

• Gestational hypertension: Women who have gestational hypertension have their blood pressure develop after 20 weeks of being pregnant, they usually do not have excessive protein in their urine, and they also do not show other signs of urine damage, in some cases however, gestational hypertension could eventually result in preeclampsia. Frequently, gestational hypertension would go away after birth but women who have it, stand a chance of developing chronic hypertension in the future.

• Preeclampsia: In the case of preeclampsia, hypertension develops after 20 weeks of being pregnant. Preeclampsia comes with other signs of damage to other body organs, including the liver, kidney, brain, or blood.
  When preeclampsia is left untreated, it could result in highly fatal complications for both mother and child.

The symptoms of preeclampsia include; Nausea or vomiting, sudden weight gain, difficulty breathing, headache that refuses to go away, change in vision, pain experienced in the upper stomach region, and swelling of the hands and feet. Not all women show symptoms of preeclampsia and that's why a constant visit to the healthcare team is highly advisable, especially during pregnancy.

There is however a higher chance of having preeclampsia if you have any of these;

• You have experienced preeclampsia during a previous pregnancy.
• First pregnancy.
• The presence of chronic high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, or both of them.
• A family history of preeclampsia.
• The presence of type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
• The presence of lupus.
• The presence of obesity.
• A history of thrombophilia.
• Women who are above the age of 40.

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• Chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia: When a pregnant woman has this condition, blood pressure is worsened. Women who have this condition could also develop protein in their urine or other forms of complications. Women who have chronic hypertension could also get preeclampsia in their second or third trimester of pregnancy.

High blood pressure during pregnancy is dangerous for the following reasons;

• Placental abruption; This condition has the placenta being separated from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery. Preeclampsia and high blood pressure greatly increase the chances of placental abruption, in the case of severe abruption, there could be heavy bleeding which will be life-threatening for both mother and child.

• Reduced flow of blood to the placenta: If the placenta fails to get sufficient blood, the fetus may receive lesser oxygen and reduced nutrients. This could lead to premature birth, or slow growth, bear in mind that babies who are born earlier than the set time can have breathing issues, and increased infection risk amongst other complications.

• Injury to other organs: When high blood pressure is not controlled, it could lead to injury to the eyes, lungs, heart, kidneys, brain, and other major organs. Some cases could even become life-threatening.

• Intrauterine growth restriction: High blood pressure can lead to a slow a reduced fetal growth.

• Future cardiovascular disease.

• Premature delivery.

Not every case of high blood pressure will lead to complications, but its presence brings about the possibility of these issues if things get complicated; stroke, temporary kidney failure, seizures, liver problems, blood clotting problems.

One scary thing about pregnancy is that, one cannot just take medications anyhow like it was taken before pregnancy, sufficient bed rest is always advised and some forms of medications are considered safe that can help reduce high blood pressure in humans.

Taking good care of yourself as a pregnant woman is very important and how can you do this by keeping up with prenatal appointments, staying active, eating healthy, staying off what is considered unhealthy for you, and taking blood pressure medications as prescribed by your physician.

Avoiding alcohol, increasing the intake of fluids, increasing the amount of sodium in a diet, and then getting up from a standing or lying position gradually are also recommended treatment options for those who have low blood pressure.

References.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4497-gestational-hypertension

https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/pregnancy.htm

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/normal-blood-pressure-pregnancy#summary

https://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/during-pregnancy#next-steps

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy/art-20046098

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Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.