During pregnancy, the measurement of blood pressure is an obligatory procedure that is performed regularly, every time you visit a women's consultation and yourself at home. Do not neglect this procedure, timely detected abnormalities in blood pressure will help to protect the pregnant woman and the child from serious complications during pregnancy.
It is common knowledge that pressure is characterized by two factors. The normal pressure is 120/80. The first figure indicates the systolic pressure, the second - on the dystolic. Under high pressure during pregnancy, a value of 140 and above is assumed for systolic pressure. The increase in pressure can be observed in a woman for the first time in the period of bearing a baby or be elevated even before pregnancy. In the second case, usually diagnosed with chronic hypertension, and therefore requires special attention of doctors during pregnancy.
Of course, high blood pressure in a pregnant woman is a very bad sign, which has a negative effect on the course of pregnancy and intrauterine growth and fetal growth. At high pressure, the walls of the blood vessels are narrowed, the blood flow is impaired, depleted, the fetus does not receive oxygen and nutrients in a normal amount. In turn, all this leads to a slow growth of the child. The risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy is also in the fact that it increases the risk of placental abruption. This leads to severe bleeding, loss of blood in large volumes and can be disastrous for both women and children.
High blood pressure in a pregnant woman is dangerous yet another terrible pathology of pregnancy - pre-eclampsia. It is believed that this disease is caused by an increased synthesis in the body of a woman substance that narrows blood vessels. And besides this, also low production of another substance necessary for the expansion of blood vessels. So it turns out that the two strong effects that regulate the pressure are superimposed on each other, causing a persistent narrowing of the lumen of the blood vessels. There are other factors that increase the risk of developing pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, for example, the amount of protein in a woman's diet.
Pre-eclampsia may occur in a mild form and not even be felt, except for increased pressure in 140/90, swelling of the face and hands. In severe cases, preeclampsia is accompanied by headaches, visual impairment, insomnia, acute pain in the stomach, vomiting. Pre-eclampsia can pass into a rare, but very dangerous pathology - eclampsia. The latter is manifested by severe convulsions, coma, carries a high threat to the life of a pregnant woman and a child.
To avoid severe consequences of high blood pressure during pregnancy, you should visit your doctor regularly. After revealing high blood pressure in pregnant women, doctors usually prescribe a diet in which there should not be fatty, salty dishes, sweet. Recommended moderate exercise. However, this is all effective in mild forms of pathology. If high pressure in a pregnant woman causes anxiety and concern for doctors, then medication is prescribed. There are medicines intended to normalize the pressure during pregnancy. They practically do not pose a threat to the mother and fetus, unlike the severe form of hypertension. These drugs include - dopegit, papazol, nifedipine, metoprolol. Doses, the method of taking, the duration of the course should be selected by the doctor, based on an individual approach (severity of the pathology, tests, concomitant diseases, features of fetal development, etc.).
If the complex of measures is ineffective and the condition of the pregnant woman worsens, it is recommended to go to the hospital before delivery and be under the watchful eye of doctors. Here, the future mother will be given proper care, measuring pressure several times a day, controlling the amount of protein in the urine and much more. All this will help to avoid serious complications and give birth to a healthy baby.