Is it normal to have high blood pressure when pregnant

There are a few possible reasons for this. This is extra blood that the heart must pump throughout the body. The left ventricle left side of the heart that does a significant amount of pumping becomes thicker and larger. This temporary effect allows the heart to work harder to support the increased blood volume. The kidneys release increased amounts of vasopressin, a hormone that leads to increased water retention.

In most cases, high blood pressure during pregnancy will decrease after the baby is delivered. In cases where blood pressure remains elevated, your doctor may prescribe medication to get it back to normal. You can buy a blood pressure monitor from a pharmacy or online medical goods store.

Many of these devices will go on your wrist or upper arm. Visit a grocery store, pharmacy, or other store that has a machine that takes blood pressure readings.

For the most accurate readings, take your blood pressure at the same time every day. Take it while seated with your legs uncrossed. Use the same arm each time. Notify your doctor immediately if you have repeated high blood pressure readings that are four hours apart or symptoms of high blood pressure. This condition can cause serious damage to your organs, including your brain and kidneys. Preeclampsia is also known as toxemia.

Preeclampsia with seizures becomes eclampsia. If left untreated, it can be fatal. Because preeclampsia can be dangerous for both you and your baby, you should call your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. Keeping regular doctor visits and letting your doctor know about any changes can help them catch and treat preeclampsia early.

HELLP is an acronym that stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. This condition is severe and life-threatening, and can be a complication of preeclampsia. Because HELLP syndrome can severely damage organ systems vital to life, emergency medical care is aimed at reducing blood pressure for the health of the mother and the baby.

In some cases, a premature delivery is required. This can result in low birth weight. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , other complications include:.

Common risk factors for high blood pressure, such as obesity, can be minimized through diet and exercise. Dietary guidelines for pregnant women vary from person to person. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Both are known to raise blood pressure and to cause other complications during pregnancy.

Restricting salt too much is harmful for pregnant women and can impact fetal growth and development. Pregnancy causes hormone shifts as well as psychological and physical changes.

This can bring on stress, which can make high blood pressure harder to manage. Try stress reduction techniques such as yoga and meditation.

During pregnancy, high blood pressure is also known as gestational hypertension. Experts do not know the exact cause of gestational hypertension, but according to Cedars-Sinai , potential risk factors include:.

In most cases , hypertension goes away after delivery. ACOG indicate that gestational hypertension can cause complications or increase the risk of complications, such as:. Women who have high blood pressure before pregnancy should talk to their doctor or midwife. Their provider will likely closely monitor them and the fetus to make sure they are safe during the pregnancy. If high blood pressure occurs as a result of preeclampsia, common symptoms include:.

Learn more about high blood pressure during pregnancy. The AHA identify the first 24 weeks of pregnancy as a risk factor for developing low blood pressure. It can cause symptoms such as:. Some people have a naturally low blood pressure, but a sudden drop can cause symptoms to develop. Learn more about low blood pressure during pregnancy here. Any pregnant woman who has any concerns over their health or the developing fetus should talk to or see their doctor or midwife.

People who have high blood pressure or are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure might want to monitor their blood pressure at home.

If home monitoring indicates that blood pressure is too high or too low, contact a healthcare provider. Any pregnant woman who experiences signs or symptoms of preeclampsia must seek immediate medical assistance. Learn more about preeclampsia here. According to March of Dimes, a person can take the following steps:. Women who have high blood pressure during pregnancy should follow all instructions from their healthcare provider.

They should notify their doctor or midwife if they have any changes in their blood pressure or feelings. It is not always possible to prevent high blood pressure, but a person can take steps to keep their blood pressure at normal levels before and during pregnancy.

If a pregnant woman shows signs of low blood pressure, they should talk to their provider about the best course of action. You also may need to measure your blood pressure at home.

Visits to your ob-gyn may be once or twice a week. At 37 weeks of pregnancy, you and your ob-gyn may talk about delivery. Labor may be induced started with medications. If test results show that the fetus is not doing well, you may need to have the baby earlier. Women with preeclampsia can have vaginal deliveries, but if there are problems during labor, cesarean birth may be needed. If you have preeclampsia with severe features, you may be treated in the hospital.

If you are at least 34 weeks pregnant, you and your ob-gyn may talk about having your baby as soon as your condition is stable. If you are less than 34 weeks pregnant and your condition is stable, it may be possible to wait to deliver your baby. Delaying delivery for just a few days may be helpful in some cases.

Delaying also can give you time to take medications to reduce your blood pressure and help prevent seizures. There is no screening test that can predict whether a woman will develop preeclampsia during pregnancy.

For now, prevention involves identifying whether you have risk factors for preeclampsia and taking steps to address them. If you have high blood pressure and want to get pregnant, see your ob-gyn for a check-up.

Your ob-gyn will want to know if your high blood pressure is under control and if it has affected your health. You may have tests to check how your heart and kidneys are working. Your medications should be reviewed to see if you need to switch to others that are safer during pregnancy.

You also should talk about the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia. Low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of preeclampsia in some women. Your ob-gyn may recommend that you take low-dose aspirin if. Arteries: Blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

BMI is used to determine whether a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. Complications: Diseases or conditions that happen as a result of another disease or condition.

An example is pneumonia that occurs as a result of the flu. A complication also can occur as a result of a condition, such as pregnancy.

An example of a pregnancy complication is preterm labor. Corticosteroids: Drugs given for arthritis or other medical conditions. These drugs also are given to help fetal lungs mature before birth.

Diabetes Mellitus: A condition in which the levels of sugar in the blood are too high. Diastolic Blood Pressure: The force of the blood in the arteries when the heart is relaxed. It is the lower reading when blood pressure is taken.

Fetus: The stage of human development beyond 8 completed weeks after fertilization. Gestational Hypertension: High blood pressure that is diagnosed after 20 weeks of pregnancy. High Blood Pressure: Blood pressure above the normal level. Also called hypertension. Kick Count: A record kept during late pregnancy of the number of times a fetus moves over a certain period. Lupus: An autoimmune disorder that affects the connective tissues in the body.

The disorder can cause arthritis, kidney disease, heart disease, blood disorders, and complications during pregnancy. Also called systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE. Placenta: An organ that provides nutrients to and takes waste away from the fetus.

Placental Abruption: A condition in which the placenta has begun to separate from the uterus before the fetus is born. Preeclampsia: A disorder that can occur during pregnancy or after childbirth in which there is high blood pressure and other signs of organ injury. These signs include an abnormal amount of protein in the urine, a low number of platelets, abnormal kidney or liver function, pain in the upper abdomen, fluid in the lungs, or a severe headache or changes in vision.

Prenatal Care: A program of care for a pregnant woman before the birth of her baby. Stroke: A sudden interruption of blood flow to all or part of the brain, caused by blockage or bursting of a blood vessel in the brain. A stroke often results in loss of consciousness and temporary or permanent paralysis.

Systolic Blood Pressure: The force of the blood in the arteries when the heart is contracting. It is the higher reading when blood pressure is taken. Ultrasound Exams: Tests in which sound waves are used to examine inner parts of the body. During pregnancy, ultrasound can be used to check the fetus. Veins: Blood vessels that carry blood from various parts of the body back to the heart.

Copyright by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.