Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

There are very many side effects of pregnancy that have been known to afflict expectant mothers. One of the lesser known side effects but which continues to affect many pregnant women is a condition known as preeclampsia.

In case you are not familiar with the term, then chances are high that you have never been the unfortunate victim of this condition. At this point therefore, you may be wondering what preeclampsia is as well as some of its causes during pregnancy.

In addition, you may also be wondering about the medication or treatment options that are available for the control of this problem.  If you are such a person, then this article should prove invaluable in shedding light on all the relevant information related to preeclampsia during pregnancy.

What is preeclampsia?

Even though the condition affects a considerable proportion of pregnant women throughout the world, many such women still do not understand what the condition is all about.

By definition, preeclampsia during pregnancy is medical condition whereby pregnant women end up developing protein in the urine as well as high blood pressure after the expiry of their 20^th week of pregnancy.

It occurs in the later parts of the pregnancy second trimester or the earlier parts of the third and last trimester of the pregnancy.

What are the causes of preeclampsia during pregnancy?

Before examining the possible causes of preeclampsia during pregnancy, it is important to first of all point out the fact that the exact cause of preeclampsia is yet to be clearly established. All of the causes that are listed below are simply possible causes of the condition that have been linked to the occurrence of preeclampsia and should not be taken to be definite.

In addition, the list of possible causes is not exhaustive and there may be a number of additional causes that have not been included in this list. This said, the possible causes of preeclampsia include:

• Diet – The kind of diet that is consumed by the expectant mothers plays a great role in the occurrence of the condition. You should therefore consult with your physician before you settle on the diet that you wish to adopt during the pregnancy period.
• Genetics – It is believed that preeclampsia is a medical condition that is linked to the genes. Therefore, the kind of genes that you have will dictate whether or not you suffer from the condition to a considerable extent.
• Problems of the blood vessels.
• Autoimmune disorders.

What are the symptoms of preeclampsia?

Generally, the women who experience the condition are not reported to feel sick. Some of the reported symptoms of preeclampsia during pregnancy include:

• Edema – Swelling of the face and hands
• Sudden gain in weight over a very short period, usually between 1 and 2 days
• Persistent headaches
• Belly pains on the right side below the ribs
• Decreased volume of urine
• Irritability
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Changes in vision such as short term blindness

Treatment of preeclampsia

There is no known medication that treats preeclampsia. The only known viable solution to the problem of preeclampsia during pregnancy is simply the delivery of the baby. Once the baby has been delivered, the symptoms of the condition should fade off on their own.