For most women, pregnancy is a thing of joy, a dream come true. From the day the pregnancy test comes back as positive, they start to look forward to welcoming their infant, picking out names, guessing gender and so on and so forth. However for some women pregnancy comes with certain side effects/complications that make the experience not so pleasurable and can even cause harm to both mother and baby. One of such side effects is Pre-eclampsia.
Pre eclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that is usually characterized by high blood pressure in pregnant women who have not previously had blood pressure until after 20 weeks of pregnancy. One of the reasons why it is particularly dangerous is that many of the signs are silent and the symptoms mimic normal symptoms of pregnancy. High blood pressure may not be apparent as no one really feels their blood pressure going up and it is a sign that needs to be measured, but may cause symptoms such as headaches or blurred vision. Blood pressure that is 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or greater — documented on two occasions, at least four hours apart — is abnormal.
Other signs and symptoms of preeclampsia may include
- Excess protein in the urine (proteinuria) or additional signs of kidney problems
- Severe headaches
- Changes in vision, including temporary loss of vision, blurred vision or light sensitivity
- Upper abdominal pain, usually under the ribs on the right side
- Nausea or vomiting
- Decreased urine output
- Decreased levels of platelets the blood (thrombocytopenia)
- Impaired liver function
- Shortness of breath, caused by fluid in the lungs
The exact cause of preeclampsia is not known however it is mostly thought to be related to abnormal formation of the placenta which is the organ that nourishes the fetus throughout pregnancy
Causes of this abnormal development may include:
- Insufficient blood flow to the uterus
- Damage to the blood vessels
- A problem with the immune system
- Certain genes
Certain groups of people have a higher risk of preeclampsia than others. Preeclampsia is most often seen in first-time pregnancies, in pregnant teens, and in women over 40. others include:
- A history of high blood pressure prior to pregnancy
- A history of preeclampsia
- Having a mother or sister who had preeclampsia
- A history of obesity
- Carrying more than one baby
- History of diabetes, kidney disease, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis
New paternity. Each pregnancy with a new partner increases the risk of preeclampsia over a second or third pregnancy with the same partner.
Interval between pregnancies. Having babies less than two years or more than 10 years apart leads to a higher risk of preeclampsia.
Proper antenatal care can help diagnose preeclampsia early enough to prevent it from causing severe harm to both mother and baby. Ideally a pregnant woman should book antenatal care by 12 weeks of pregnancy and have at an average of 10 visits throughout the duration of the pregnancy. At each visit the blood pressure must be checked and also a urine sample taken to test for proteins in the urine. Do not be afraid to question your healthcare provider if any of these tests is omitted.
Several complications can occur if preeclampsia is not detected early enough and treatment commenced. Lack of adequate blood flow to the placenta may mean that the baby will receive less oxygen and nutrients, leading to slow growth, low birth weight or preterm birth. Unfortunately the only definitive cure for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby but if it is too early in the pregnancy for the baby to be delivered close monitoring of the mother is usually commenced. There may be need for hospital admission even though the mother may feel like nothing is wrong.
For some women preeclampsia may also show up just after delivery of the baby therefore it is important to continue to be watchful in the immediate post delivery period.
