How To Control High BP During Pregnancy?

Posted on Wed, 12 Mar 2014

Question: I had high BP during my last pregnancy, so during my seven and half month of pregnancy the baby was died in the uterus and the doctors have inducted the baby out. After that later 6 months i am pregnant and i am 2 and half months now. please may i know whether there is any chance that i will get BP during this pregnancy. Is so please suggest me how to control the BP and have save pregnancy. I am a working women, in IT field,and i am traveling daily in the morning for 1 hour and in the evening for 1 and half hour. Is there any problem will arise due to this. And with all of these how can i get healthy and safe delivery with out any problem.

Answered by Dr. Madhuri N Bagde (29 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Do not worry, there is treatment for everything Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for the query. I understand that you had high BP during the first pregnancy and needed termination of pregnancy after this. This condition is called pre eclampsia and is very common. Unfortunately, we do not know what causes this condition. It is said that the placenta that supplies the blood to the baby is defective leading to raised BP. We are until now, not able to control the development of placenta so it is a condition that is difficult to prevent. Having said that, it is possible to do a risk assessment to determine if you have a risk of recurrence. Those women that have raised blood pressure before getting pregnant, history of kidney disease, thyroid problems, antiphospholipid anibody syndrome, other endocrine problems are at higher risk. Please discuss this with your doctor and get tested for all these to see your status and begin treatment if any problem is detected. Also, preeclampsia is more common in first pregnancies. So as this is a second pregnancy maybe you will not have it. There are many women in my clinic with similar history. So do not think that it has to occur. It may not occur. You seem to have a demanding work schedule involving a lot of travel. Stress is an important factor in increasing the blood pressure. So take things lightly. Try to be happy, read good books to keep up the mood. Avoid travel if possible as it causes stress as well as may predispose to preterm pains. Rest for a few hours during daytime if possible. Certain tests can be used to predict preeclampsia like the uterine artery doppler, and some serum biomarkers. They are expensive and not helpful as there is no effect on treatment. My suggestion for you is that you get enrolled with a good obstetrician skilled in dealing with such patients. Have regular antenatal visits to detect things early. Keep a home blood pressure record using a digital blood pressure monitor. If at any time the reading is 140/90 or more, see your doctor. Start calcium tablets as low calcium also increases risk of preeclampsia. Deliver in a hospital with facilities for neonatal care. With all these measures you will be fine. Hope this satisfies your query. Thanks for using HCM. Feel free to ask any more questions that you may have. Dr Madhuri Bagde Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E