Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

Hypertension is usually indicated by a high blood pressure. Hypertension during pregnancy can lead to complications and severe cases may lead to death of the mother to be.

There are three kinds of hypertension.

Chronic hypertension

Chronic hypertension appears when the mother has high blood pressure even before she conceives or hypertension is diagnosed within the first twenty weeks.

It is the easiest of the three to handle and to take care of. In such cases she may already be on prescription drugs and her gynecologist will know about it well in time.

Consistent monitoring and regular medication will keep the hypertension under control, but it will not go away with the pregnancy.

It is easily possible to keep the condition under control and take the pregnancy to a successful full term with minimum complications.

Gestational hypertension

It usually occurs during pregnancy and in all probability should go away with it. It may prove to be trickier than chronic hypertension to treat and is a cause of concern. It worsens rapidly and can lead to complications for the mother and baby.

It may be difficult to keep it under check and its rapid worsening can lead to many complications.

Along with an increased blood pressure, the woman may experience edema or swelling, hyperproteinrea (high protein in urine), Hyper Reflexes (exaggerated tendon reflexes like knee jerks).

The swelling is considered to be a part of hypertension when noticed in areas like the face and not in the feet (which is a normal condition in a pregnancy).

In severe cases it can affect liver function and blood clotting properties, a common cause of hemorrhage in pregnant women. Hypertension results in a low platelet count, which affects the blood clotting properties.

Combined hypertension

It is the worst possible scenario where a woman suffering from chronic hypertension, develops an overlap of gestational hypertension during her pregnancy. It is not only difficult to keep under control but can lead to severe complications.