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.

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