Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

Pregnancy hypertension (high blood pressure) or Preeclampsia is a very serious pregnancy complication, which can lead to arrested fetal development, low birth weight, detachment of the placenta, HELLP syndrome etc.

However, most women with preeclampsia go on to deliver healthy babies for which the symptoms and treatment are:

Symptoms of Preeclampsia may be noted in the second trimester, at about 20 weeks[20 weeks pregnant], past the half way mark of a pregnancy. Symptoms may be severe headaches, dizziness or lightheadedness, light sensitivity or blurred vision, nausea, stomach ache, and sudden weight gain. Sometimes pregnant women just complain of feeling very unwell.

What is the Treatment for Preeclampsia? Usually when this condition of gestational high blood pressure is detected, women are asked to check into a hospital for treatment and close monitoring of their situation. Blood pressure medication and also anti seizure medication may be administered to keep the situation in check.

There is no real way of preventing this potentially serious pregnancy complication. Reducing salt intake is seen to have no perceptible difference, though resting for several hours in a day could help somewhat. It is important to have blood pressure checked at every prenatal visit and if a woman has had preeclampsia in her first pregnancy, she should know that she is at high risk of developing it in her second pregnancy as well.