Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

According to the latest researches there is a sexual risk factor and a genetic risk factor that combined increase the chances of pregnant women of being affected by preeclampsia. The new findings suggest that there could be new ways for the couples to manage the condition.

Preeclampsia

This is a common condition during pregnancy and it is even more common in the postpartum period. It is characterized by a sudden and sharp increase of the blood pressure along with swelling in the feet, face, hands, and albuminuria (excess of protein in the urine).

Consequences

If the health condition isn’t addressed by a specialist, it could turn into eclampsia, which is a life-threatening condition. This can result in coma, convulsions, or death. According to official information, this condition is the culprit of the death of 76,000 women and 500,000 babies all over the world.

The Study

Over 200 women took party in the study 118 of which had preeclampsia and the others didn’t. According to the findings of the study the women who had limited exposure to the father’s semen and who were in the first class of HLA genes, were 4.5 times more likely to develop preeclampsia than their counterparts who had limited exposure and had a lower gene matching.

What do the Specialists have to add?

The specialists claim that the sharing of HLA alleles between the mother and the baby increases the chances of preeclampsia.  However, the development of preeclampsia is closely related to the exposure to the father’s semen prior to the pregnancy as well.

Causes

The scientists have found that the underlying cause of the condition is the link between the way the mother’s genes perceive the foreign genes when they get in contact with it during intercourse and then when they get in contact with it through the baby.

Decreasing the Risks

The specialists claim that if a woman has high chances of preeclampsia, it would be a good idea for them to decrease the use of barrier contraception methods and to have vaginal intercourse even before pregnancy so that their body will develop a certain tolerance against the foreign genes.

Considerations

We also have to consider that for the women in Class 2 sharing it is better to opt for barrier contraceptive methods. Naturally there are some other lifestyle factors as well that can have a word to say, such as the BMI of the mother.