What it is: Preeclampsia (also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension or PIH) is a disorder that generally develops late in pregnancy (after week 20) and is characterized by a sudden onset of high blood pressure, edema (swelling, generally in the extremities), and protein in the urine.
How common is it? Five to ten percent of pregnant women will be diagnosed with preeclampsia — though half of those cases are of women who had high blood pressure prior to pregnancy.
Who is most at risk? Interestingly, if your mother had preeclampsia when she was pregnant with you or if your partner's mother had preeclampsia when she was pregnant with him, you're more likely to develop the condition. Women deficient in vitamins E and C as well as magnesium are also at greater risk, as are those carrying multiple fetuses, women over 40, diabetics, and women who already have chronic hypertension.
What are the symptoms? Symptoms of preeclampsia include severe swelling, sudden weight gain unrelated to eating, headaches and visual disturbances, as well as a rise in blood pressure.
Should you be concerned? Fortunately, women who are receiving regular prenatal care will have preeclampsia diagnosed early and managed successfully. But if preeclampsia goes untreated, it could progress to eclampsia, a much more serious pregnancy condition. Unmanaged preeclampsia can also cause a number of other pregnancy complications such as premature delivery or intrauterine growth restriction. What's more, if you're diagnosed with preeclampsia, you have a one in three chance of developing the condition in future pregnancies. That risk is higher if the pregnancy in which you are diagnosed with preeclampsia is your first pregnancy, and lower if you escaped preeclampsia in any previous pregnancies.
What you can do: Regular prenatal care is the best way to catch preeclampsia in its early stages. If you're diagnosed and your case is mild, treatment will include changes in diet, exercise, and possibly medication to lower your blood pressure. If the preeclampsia is more severe, bed rest and careful monitoring (possibly in the hospital) is the best way to treat it. Still, there is nothing that will cure preeclampsia except for delivery of your baby, which will likely be recommended as soon as the baby is physically mature enough and as close to 37 weeks as possible. The good news is that 97 percent of women with preeclampsia return to normal health after delivery.
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