Preeclampsia: Causes, Symptoms, and Management During Pregnancy
What is Preeclampsia?
What is preeclampsia? This serious pregnancy complication develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It occurs when expectant mothers experience high blood pressure alongside protein in their urine. The preeclampsia meaning encompasses a multi-system disorder. That means it affects multiple organs and body systems. It damages blood vessels throughout the body. Therefore, the blood supply to vital organs gets reduced, including the placenta.
Healthcare providers consider preeclampsia a leading cause of complications for both mothers and babies worldwide. The hypertension disorder typically emerges during the second half of pregnancy. However, in rare high risk cases, it can appear sooner.
What are the Symptoms of Preeclampsia?
These are some signs and symptoms that may indicate you have preeclampsia during pregnancy:
- Persistent headaches that do not go away are one of the early preeclampsia symptoms.
- Swelling in the hands, ankles, or face may appear. It is often more pronounced than the usual swelling seen during pregnancy.
- Some women may experience dizziness or even changes in their mental state.
- Shoulder pain can also occur and may signal complications that need medical attention.
- Sudden weight gain over just a day or two.
- Some women notice blurry vision or sensitivity to light. In certain cases, there can even be a temporary loss of vision.
- Shortness of breath may happen if excess fluid leaks into the lungs. This condition is known as pulmonary edema.
- Another warning sign is pain in the upper abdomen, along with nausea.
- If you notice you are urinating much less than usual, it could mean your kidneys are affected.
How Quickly Can Preeclampsia Develop?
Preeclampsia can develop suddenly. Sometimes it develops in just a few days or even hours. Other times, it builds up slowly over weeks. Even women with no prior issues may show symptoms of preeclampsia unexpectedly. Their blood pressure can spike without warning. That is why doctors observe it very often during pregnancy visits.
What are the Common causes of Preeclampsia?
What causes preeclampsia is not fully understood. However, researchers have identified some factors that can contribute to its development. Sometimes, the blood vessels in the placenta do not develop properly. This can reduce blood flow and cause the mother’s blood pressure to rise. In addition, preeclampsia involves inflammation throughout the body during pregnancy. These changes together can lead to the condition.
Other High Blood Pressure Disorders in Pregnancy
Some of the other hypertension disorders that can occur during pregnancy are:
- Gestational hypertension: This means high blood pressure that starts after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Unlike preeclampsia, it does not include protein in the urine.
- Chronic hypertension: This type is present before pregnancy or appears before 20 weeks of pregnancy. It may continue even after delivery.
- HELLP syndrome: This is a severe condition linked to preeclampsia. It involves the breakdown of red blood cells (haemolysis). It also causes liver problems (elevated liver chemicals). In addition, it lowers your platelet count.
- Superimposed preeclampsia: This happens when women with chronic hypertension also develop signs of preeclampsia later in pregnancy.
Preeclampsia Risk Factors
Multiple risk factors increase the likelihood that pregnant women will develop preeclampsia during their pregnancies. Some of them are listed below:
- First-time mothers face higher risks than women who have been pregnant before.
- Women carrying multiple babies have an increased risk of developing this condition.
- Those with a previous preeclampsia history are more likely to experience it again.
- Certain medical conditions create higher risk scenarios. For example, diabetes, kidney disease, and autoimmune disorders.
- Women at younger ages (such as teenagers) are more likely to develop preeclampsia. The risk increases again for those above 35.
- A family history of preeclampsia increases your chances of developing the condition.
- Being overweight before pregnancy can greatly increase your risk.
- Specific fertility treatments (like gestational surrogacy) can also increase the chances of developing preeclampsia.
What are the Complications of Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia can trigger dangerous health issues in both mother and baby.
Complications for mothers:
- In some cases, women may have seizures. This is a serious situation which needs immediate medical help.
- Extremely high blood pressure can sometimes cause a stroke.
- Preeclampsia causes damage to the liver and can make it stop working properly.
- Kidney failure is also possible.
Complications for the baby:
- Fetal growth restriction happens when the baby does not get enough nutrients to grow properly.
- Premature birth may be necessary to save both mother and baby.
- Placental abruption can occur, where the placenta separates from the uterus too early.
- The baby may not receive enough oxygen and nutrients. This can cause long-term developmental problems.
Preeclampsia Diagnosis
Health care providers use different methods to diagnose preeclampsia during pregnancy. These include:
- Doctors examine your blood pressure at every prenatal visit (pregnancy checkup). A reading above 140/90 mmHg is a concern. To confirm preeclampsia, they look for this result on two separate occasions.
- They also inspect for protein in your urine (proteinuria). This is important because proteinuria is among the strongest signs of preeclampsia.
- Blood tests examine how well your liver is working. They may also be part of a broader fertility assessment if you have had previous pregnancy challenges.
- Laboratory work measures your kidney function to detect any problems.
- Platelet count tests are performed to see if your blood’s ability to clot is being impacted.
- Advanced cases require fetal monitoring to check how well your baby is doing. So, for that, doctors conduct ultrasounds.
What is the Preeclampsia Treatment?
Preeclampsia treatment depends on how severe the condition is and how far along the pregnancy is. Common approaches are:
- Delivery: If you are at or near 37 weeks, doctors often recommend delivering the baby. This is the only definite cure for preeclampsia.
- Blood pressure medicines: These help control high blood pressure and protect organs.
- Corticosteroids: These are medicines that help a baby’s lungs grow stronger. Doctors give them to pregnant women when the baby might need to be born too early.
- Regular monitoring: Doctors check blood pressure, urine, and blood tests often. They also use ultrasounds to track the baby’s growth and health.
- Hospital care: In severe cases, admission may be necessary. This helps in keeping both mother and baby safe until delivery is possible.
Preeclampsia Prevention
While there is no guaranteed way to prevent preeclampsia, certain strategies can help reduce your risk:
- Starting a low-dose aspirin therapy before 16 weeks of pregnancy can be really helpful.
- Maintaining a healthy weight before and during pregnancy can make a big difference. This is especially required if you are considered high risk.
- Regular exercise, as approved by your doctor, keeps your cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) healthy.
- Getting enough sleep is important for your overall health and can lower your risk of preeclampsia.
- Try eating a nutritious and balanced diet.
Takeaways
The first step to treat preeclampsia is understanding the condition. It helps expectant mothers take an active role in their care. This condition can feel overwhelming. But remember, healthcare providers have the right tools and treatments to manage it well. What is needed from your end is open communication with your medical team. Attend all appointments and report any symptoms that worry you.
With proper care and timely treatment, most women with preeclampsia deliver healthy babies. They also recover fully. Trust your body’s strength and rely on your health care team’s expertise.
FAQs
Preeclampsia affects about 2–8% of pregnancies worldwide. It is more common in first-time mothers.
It usually shows up after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Sometimes it can develop earlier or even after birth.
Yes, it can be serious. It needs quick medical care to protect both mother and baby.
The only cure is delivering the baby. But doctors may manage symptoms until it is safe to deliver.
In some cases, yes. But many women may need an induced labour or a C-section for safety.
Yes, with timely treatment, most babies do well. However, early delivery may be needed if the condition worsens.
For most women, it gets better after birth. But it may take a few days or weeks to fully settle.
This is preeclampsia that starts after the baby is born. It can happen up to six weeks postpartum.
It may feel like a bad headache. You may experience stomach pain under the ribs or shoulder pain.