If left untreated, preeclampsia can have devastating consequences for both you and your baby. That said, most people who receive early detection and treatment for this condition give birth to healthy infants.

What are the effects of preeclampsia?

The early warning signs of preeclampsia range from silent to subtle to severe. You might experience headaches, visual changes, nausea, upper abdominal pain or heartburn, shortness of breath, swelling, or dizziness. Since these can also be normal pregnancy symptoms, it can be hard to tell what is cause for concern. However, if these signs are accompanied by high blood pressure, it could mean you have preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia can make it difficult for the placenta to receive nutrients and pass them along to your growing baby. Sometimes, the first sign of preeclampsia is that the baby isn’t growing as expected. It can also result in placental abruption, a potentially fatal complication in which the placenta detaches from the uterus.

The most severe outcome of preeclampsia is when it isn’t treated and turns into eclampsia, which means the parent has seizures. Eclampsia is a medical emergency, as it can be life-threatening to the expecting parent and their baby.

What are the risk factors for developing preeclampsia?

Any pregnant person can develop preeclampsia, though some folks are at higher risk than others. Here are some of the risk factors for preeclampsia:

• Chronic hypertension
• Family or personal history of preeclampsia
• Obesity
• Age, either adolescent or over 40
• Diabetes

How do you test for preeclampsia?

Most providers check blood pressure and for protein in urine at every in-person appointment, no matter what your risk factors are. If you have risk factors for preeclampsia, you may also be asked to check your blood pressure at home. If your blood pressure or urine test suggests a problem, you’ll likely get additional monitoring for your blood pressure and your baby, as well as lab tests that can provide more information.

How do you treat preeclampsia?

The only way to cure preeclampsia is to give birth. When preeclampsia appears late in pregnancy, this is often the safest option. But when it appears earlier in pregnancy, you and your medical team will have to weigh the risks of continuing the pregnancy and the risks of a premature birth. In milder cases, preeclampsia can be monitored at home or in the hospital without an urgent delivery. But in severe cases, sometimes preterm birth is necessary. Treatment before birth may include bedrest, blood pressure-lowering medications, steroids to speed up fetal lung development, and magnesium sulfate infusions, which help to prevent eclampsia.

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team

Read more

• Preeclampsia: how healthcare providers detect it
• Blood pressure during pregnancy: why you should track it

Sources

• Mayo Clinic Staff. “Preeclampsia: Symptoms & Causes.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic. March 19, 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/preeclampsia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355745.
• “Preeclampsia.” March of Dimes. March of Dimes. October 2020. https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/preeclampsia.aspx.
• “Preeclampsia and Pregnancy.” American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG). ACOG. October 2020.  https://www.acog.org/womens-health/infographics/preeclampsia-and-pregnancy.
• “High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC. January 28, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy.

What is preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia is a dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Other symptoms include severe headaches, changes in vision, upper abdominal pain or heartburn, and sudden swelling – often in the face and hands. If seizures occur, it is termed “eclampsia” and is considered life-threatening for both parent and baby.

How do healthcare providers detect it?

At most prenatal visits your healthcare provider will check your blood pressure and may have you leave a urine sample to check for protein. There is not one single test for preeclampsia – it’s a combination of lab result changes, blood pressure trends and symptoms. Preeclampsia can impact multiple organ systems in your body, including your brain. Babies are also at risk, as placental function is often impacted.

If your healthcare provider detects excess protein in your urine or elevated blood pressure or you report concerning symptoms, you will likely undergo more testing and observation. Most of the time, preeclampsia happens after about 20 weeks, and because the only “cure” is giving birth, careful monitoring and care are important to keep you and your baby safe and to get you as close to a full-term birth as possible.

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team

Read more

• Preeclampsia: what you need to know
• Blood pressure during pregnancy: everything you need to know

Sources

• “Signs & Symptoms.” Preeclampsia Foundation. Preeclampsia Foundation, 7/5/2010. Web.
• “Preeclampsia.” U.S National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus, 7/28/2014. Web.
• “Preeclampsia and High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy: FAQ034.” ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 9/14/2015. Web.
• “Eclampsia.” U.S National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus, 2/2/2014. Web.

What are health problems in pregnancy?

Health problems in women during pregnancy can range from general problems like the common cold, pneumonia, or the flu, to pregnancy-specific issues like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes.

Baby-specific issues can include chromosomal disorders, neural tube conditions, and excess or insufficient weight. However, because you and your baby are so closely connected during pregnancy, they may be affected as well by any health problems that you face, and vice versa.

How can general health problems affect your pregnancy?

When you’re pregnant, your body has to turn your immune system down a few notches, so the the cells that defend your body from harm don’t identify your baby as an intruder and go after them.

Unfortunately, this increases the likelihood that you contract some sort of illness that can negatively affect both your health and your baby’s. That’s why women are encouraged to stay away from certain foods that may contain harmful bacteria like salmonella and listeria, and avoid sick people.

Babies are more likely to run into complications when their moms are sick, so pregnant women should take great care to avoid sources of illness and stay healthy. Women who do run into general health problems during pregnancy should contact their healthcare provider as soon as they believe something may be amiss.

Pregnancy-specific mom problems

Besides general health problems, there are other, more pregnancy-specific conditions that could arise during pregnancy that affect both you and Baby. These include, but are not limited to:

• Preeclampsia: Characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine after the 20th week, preeclampsia is a highly dangerous pregnancy condition that could cause lethal strokes and seizures if left unmonitored
• Gestational diabetes: This condition is similar to non-pregnancy diabetes (Types I and II) in that it inhibits your cells’ ability to process sugar, and could be very dangerous for both you and your baby. Unlike regular diabetes, it usually fixes itself in the weeks or months after you give birth.
• Intense pregnancy symptoms: Sometimes, your pregnancy symptoms can be so intense and aggravating that they end up as health problems themselves. Women with hyperemesis gravidarum will end up experiencing nausea and vomiting throughout their pregnancies, which can result in dehydration, and be dangerous for you both. Similarly, hypotension (low blood pressure) could put the two of you in the way of physical harm if it makes you feel too faint or dizzy. Migraines, severe abdominal discomfort, vaginal bleeding and anything else could also be problematic, or reflect an issue, if intense enough.

Fetal health problems

Babies will be affected by any health problems their moms encounter, but there are other pregnancy conditions that start on a baby’s end, and can prove dangerous for both parties:

• Chromosomal disorders: Human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes, of which half are donated by the egg, and half by the sperm. Sometimes though, an error is made, and a fertilized egg will wind up with an extra, or missing, chromosome in a certain location. Depending on the location of the extra or missing chromosome, babies will encounter developmental disorders. Many chromosomal disorders cannot result in viable babies, though others, like Trisomy-21, the most common chromosomal disorder (three copies of Chromosome 21, rather than two, also known as Down Syndrome) can yield super happy, but developmentally disabled babies. The First Trimester Combined Screen can identify signs of chromosomal disorders, but a more definitive, diagnostic test like a Chorionic Villus Sampling or Amniocentesis is needed to confirm a disorder.
• Neural tube defects: Spina Bifida is the most common neural tube defect, and occurs when the neural tube (the part of the blastocyst that becomes baby’s brain, spinal cord, and central nervous system) does not properly close during development, and can result in stunted development.
• High or low birth weight: Though it often has to do with a woman’s behaviors, a baby that is too heavy or too light (usually born prematurely) is at an elevated risk of encountering a complication. Babies that are too big may force women into a C-section, as a vaginal delivery could be dangerous. Babies who are too light may need extra care in the hospital after delivery, as they often have difficulty regulating their body temperature, and breathing effectively.

It’s very important to stay attuned to your health during pregnancy to watch out for any red flags, as you don’t want to mess around with your health, and you especially don’t want to mess around with your baby’s.

Read more

• Cold and flu symptoms when pregnant
• Preeclampsia: what you need to know

Sources

• Gil Mor, Ingrid Cardenas. “The Immune System in Pregnancy: A Unique Complexity.” Am J Reprod Immunol. 63(6): 425-433. Web. 6/10/2015.
• P Kristiansson, JX Wang. “Reproductive hormones and blood pressure during pregnancy.” Human Reproduction. Vol.16, No.1 oo. 13-17. Web. 2001.
• “Preeclampsia and High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy: FAQ034.” ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 9/14/2015. Web.
• “Gestational Diabetes: FAQ177.” ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 9/13/2015. Web.
• “Morning sickness.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 6/03/2016. Web.
• “Genetic Disorders: FAQ094.” ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 4/14/2015. Web.
• “Spina bifida Prevention.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 6/03/2016. Web.