Written by Ratidzo Njagu, Ratidzo Makombe and Faith Masoka
Pregnancy is a life-changing experience and one can never be truly prepared for the ups and downs that come with it. This article seeks to enlighten women on a common health challenge during pregnancy and how to best manage it.
Gestational hypertension can cause pregnancy complications which can result in premature delivery, intrauterine growth retardation (a condition where a baby doesn’t grow normal weight during pregnancy), pre-eclampsia, and abruption placentae (Shweta Anand 2011). It is deemed that lack of education about gestational hypertension amongst pregnant women is the main cause of complications as most of them can be prevented or managed with early-onset detection. Hence, we hope to enlighten you on this.
Sign and Symptoms
Gestational Hypertension sometimes develops without any symptoms slowly, or it may have a sudden onset. Monitoring your blood pressure is an important part of prenatal care, moreover, one of the first signs of gestational hypertension is commonly a rise in blood pressure and swelling of hands and feet. Blood pressure that exceeds 140/90 millimetres mercury (mm Hg) or greater — documented on two occasions, at least four hours apart — is abnormal.
Other signs and symptoms of gestational hypertension may include:
Severe headaches
Changes in vision, including temporary loss of vision, blurred vision, or light sensitivity
Upper abdominal pain, usually under your ribs on the right side
Nausea or vomiting
Sudden weight gain and swelling (edema) — particularly in your face and hands — may occur and should be attended to by a health care practitioner to rule out hypertension.
Women who have chances of being at risk of gestational hypertension.
Teenagers or women over 40
Those who have had In-vitro Fertilization
Those with a history of diabetes, kidney diseases, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis.
Gestational hypertension causes serious complications in pregnancy like stroke, seizure, heart failure, and bleeding after birth. Gestational hypertension can only be managed until the baby has matured enough for one to give birth.
Pregnant women with gestational hypertension often need the following.
Bed rest
Anti-hypertensive medication to lower blood pressure and reduce the likelihood of complications caused by high blood pressure as well as other medical interventions.
To avoid complications be sure to attend all Dr's appointments to minimize your risk of complications and to ensure your best health and that of the baby.
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