Preeclampsia is a condition that can occur during the second half of pregnancy in which the mother begins to suffer from high blood pressure as well as many other complications and symptoms which are associated only with the condition. The concept of pregnancy induced hypertension is not so much about the increase in blood pressure as it is common for a pregnant mother to have increased blood pressure levels during her term, but rather the specific symptoms that arise with the condition.

This pregnancy induced hypertension includes symptoms like the possibility of liver and kidney damage as well as the possibility of brain damage to both the mother and the gestating fetus. The condition generally develops between weeks 20 and 32 of the gestation period and a mother who has been diagnosed with chronic hypertension during her first prenatal check up has an increased chance of incurring preeclampsia later on during the pregnancy.

Pregnancy induced hypertension is associated with a number of symptoms which can include headaches, protein in the urine as well as the possibility of suffering a stroke. Most of these symptoms are made worse by the simple fact that both the mother and the fetus can suffer them. While the condition is considered to be asymptomatic, it is very dangerous and can even be fatal for the gestating fetus. Furthermore, the pregnant mother may also suffer from lower abdominal pains which may mimic those of heart burn but in fact may originate from the liver and/or kidneys.

The condition can occur in roughly 10% of all pregnancies world wide and usually the symptoms start to arise right after the 32nd week of pregnancy. Furthermore, it has been shown to be more common in women who are experiencing their first pregnancy with the number dropping exponentially through future pregnancies. There has also been sufficient evidence which shows that older pregnant mothers are more at risk of developing pregnancy induced hypertension than the younger mothers.

Unfortunately, there is only two forms of treatment for pregnancy induced hypertension. One good and one bad option! The first is the mother will have to have the fetus aborted especially in cases where the preeclmapsia has graduated into an advanced eclampsia and the time left before a safe induced pregnancy can be performed is too great. On the other hand, if the condition is still fairly mild and only a few weeks are left until the expected due date, the doctor will induce the pregnancy. These are currently the only treatments currently available for those who are suffering from pregnancy induced hypertension due to the fact that an actual cause has yet to be determined sufficiently enough to allow for a more focused treatment option. Furthermore, if the fetus is not born or aborted, the chances that not only the fetus can die, but also the mother increases daily.

High blood pressure and pregnancy can go hand in hand. It is not unusual to see a slight increase in your blood pressure whilst you are pregnant.  It is when the high blood pressure increases to levels which may also lead to some serious side effects especially for the fetus during gestation that the doctors become concerned. When it comes to being pregnant though, there are three possibilities which can lead to high blood pressure.

For starters, you could suffer from chronic hypertension in which basically you may have the high blood pressure long before even becoming pregnant. In many cases, the woman may have this high blood pressure for years and not even have known about it until she goes in for a prenatal check up and her blood pressure is taken by the clinic’s staff.

Another possibility with regards to pregnancy and high blood pressure is what’s called preeclampsia. In this form of high blood pressure, not only is the mother in serious danger, but the fetus is as well. Preeclampsia usually occurs during the second half of the pregnancy and not only can it cause high blood pressure, but is also known to cause protein in the urine as well as many other blood and fluid related issues.

The final type of hypertension associated with pregnancy is what is known as transient hypertension in which they simply suffer from high blood pressure during the second half of the pregnancy. In the case of transient hypertension, although it is similar to that of preeclampsia, the major difference is that the only issue associated with it is the high blood pressure. When it is not accompanied with the other symptoms of preeclampsia it is considered to be transient hypertension.

If you have chronic hypertension, this high blood pressure that is associated with the condition has been known to decrease the growth rate of the fetus as well as having the possibility of incurring preeclampsia during the second half of the term. The reason preeclampsia is talked about so much, is not for the fact that the high blood pressure is dangerous for the fetus during a pregnancy, but rather it is the other symptoms associated with the condition which can be extremely dangerous. In the case of preclampsia, not only you, but your unborn fetus can have troubles with the brain which can include things like headaches as well as seizures. Furthermore your vision may become blurred as well as you may develop a lower abdominal pain. This pain comes directly from the liver and is a result of the pressure of the blood.

As for treatment options, the chronic hypertension can be remedied through the prescription of specialized high blood pressure medications while at the same time, the transient hypertension poses no threat to the mother or the fetus. However, the only treatment for preeclampsia is birth. I the case of preeclampsia, your doctor will ask you to spend much of the remaining pregnancy under close observation and induce the birth as soon as safely possible for both the baby and the mother.

Hypertension is a disease which affects almost 33% of all individuals in the United States.  It can cause a whole host of problems for those that suffer from it including kidney damage, heart attack, heart failure and stroke.  There may be times, however, when we have a temporary form of high blood pressure that we need to deal with.  This is the case whenever an individual has pregnancy induced hypertension, a fairly common occurrence, especially in first-time mothers.  Just because it is common, however, does not mean that it is safe.

Along with all of the other problems that can come from hypertension, there is also a lot of danger to the baby that is growing inside of you.  For example, pregnancy induced hypertension can cause stillbirth, retardation in the baby and early births.  It is thought that up to 8% of all first-time birth mothers are affected to a certain degree by pregnancy induced hypertension.  Because high blood pressure rarely ever carries any outward symptoms, it is imperative that you take part in all of your prenatal doctor’s visits so that these kind of problems can be caught early.  Once your doctor realizes that you have this problem, he can go about treating it so that it does not cause any difficulties for you or your baby.

In normal hypertension, there are not typically any signs or symptoms that will show that you have the disease. The same is true with pregnancy induced hypertension but you should always be aware of any signs that your body is giving you during the time that you are pregnant.  If something seems to be out of the ordinary, make sure that you discuss it with your doctor in order to rule out any problems that may be occurring.  This is especially true if the problem seems severe or persistent as it could be part of a serious problem.

There are several ways the pregnancy induced hypertension can be treated.  Some of these treatments include dietary restrictions, such as what works for individuals with regular high blood pressure.  You may also be asked to exercise to a certain extent and get plenty of rest as this can help to lower your blood pressure naturally.  There may be some natural treatments that you can try such as various herbs but you should make sure that you discuss any treatment with your doctor before trying it.