Most pregnancies are completely unremarkable. And yet they are carefully monitored through regular check-ups. That's a good thing! Because while the belly is rounding, pregnancy-related illnesses can also occur. For example, pregnancy-related high blood pressure, also known as gestational hypertension.
You already know the routine from your prenatal care with your midwife or at your gynaecologist's practice: sleeves up, cuff around, pump up, check blood pressure. This is important in order to recognise irregularities or risks for you or your baby as early as possible and to be able to take countermeasures in good time if necessary. During pregnancy, your body is working at full speed to keep you and your baby supplied with enough blood. To ensure your oxygen and nutrient supply, the blood volume in your body increases. In the last trimester of pregnancy, up to 40 per cent more blood circulates in your blood vessels. This means your heart has a lot to do: it now has to pump around 10 beats more per minute to pump the larger volume of blood through your arteries.
Regardless of pregnancy, our blood vessels are constantly under pressure when our heart pumps blood through them - five to seven litres every minute. You can imagine it like a full garden hose. This pressure is then the "famous" blood pressure.
In the vast majority of pregnant women, blood pressure during pregnancy is completely normal. This means that it is around 120/80 mmHg. In the first two trimesters of pregnancy, it can also be slightly lower because the pregnancy hormone progesterone dilates the blood vessels.
Some women already have high blood pressure before pregnancy. This hypertension is often detected during routine examinations at the doctor's outside of pregnancy. However, this high blood pressure becomes apparent at the latest during the first antenatal check-up. This is because at the beginning of the pregnancy, the midwife or doctor expects a low blood pressure rather than an elevated value. One then speaks of a pregnancy-independent High blood pressure. This affects around 1 to 5 per cent of pregnant women.
High blood pressure during pregnancy is always treated.
Regardless of whether it is due to pregnancy or whether other causes are responsible for the increase in blood pressure.
However, some women develop high blood pressure during pregnancy, even though it was previously normal. Depending on how much too high the values are, complications can develop, for example a Pre-eclampsia. In addition, if blood pressure is too high, the blood vessels are constricted, which in turn can impair blood flow to important organs. This would also affect the placenta. If the baby is therefore no longer adequately supplied with blood, it is often born with a (too) low birth weight.
Now you are right to ask: What does "too high" even mean? This refers to blood pressure values from 140 (systolic value) to 90 (diastolic value) mmHg or higher. A distinction is made between mild to moderate high blood pressure (hypertension) with systolic values of 140 to 159 mmHg and severe hypertension of more than 160 mmHg.
The term due to pregnancy in turn means that the high blood pressure occurs for the first time during pregnancy. In this case, it is also referred to as gestational hypertension. The causes of this are quite complex and have not yet been researched in detail. What is known, however, is that pregnancy-related high blood pressure affects 5 to 10 per cent of expectant mothers. If these are only slightly elevated values, the affected woman would probably not even notice them. This is because the typical high blood pressure symptoms such as severe headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears or visual disturbances are only noticeable if the values are significantly too high. However, there is also good news about pregnancy-induced high blood pressure: it regularly regulates itself again around six weeks after the birth.
Even though the vast majority of pregnant women with high or elevated blood pressure give birth to a healthy baby, regular monitoring of the values and treatment is important. To support this, medication is prescribed that is compatible with the pregnancy. From a pregnancy-related high blood pressure of 150/100, drug-based blood pressure therapy is recommended. If it rises higher, a short stay in hospital is usually necessary to find the right medication. This is recommended if the systolic value is above 160 mmHG or the diastolic value is above 110 mmHG. If there are additional symptoms, such as proteinuria, i.e. protein excretion in the urine, clinical treatment is carried out when the blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mmHG.
In the case of only mild high blood pressure, simple behavioural measures are often sufficient for the expectant mother. These include the famous triad that is good for every pregnant woman: reduce stress, eat healthily and get enough exercise.
In any case, you are in good hands with your midwife or doctor. If you still have questions or feel unsure, you can also consult my online counselling utilise.
As high blood pressure in the mother during pregnancy also affects the care of the baby, induction of labour is often advised. This is why it is important to start preparing for the birth in good time. The Online birth preparation course by midwife Katharina is particularly valuable for this. This is because it gives you the opportunity to gain all the knowledge you need for the upcoming birth at an early stage. Because the course is available to you until the birth, you can easily repeat the topics again later.
One Response
Thank you very much for your contribution. I am currently pregnant and have been suffering from headaches and ringing in my ears for a few days. I have never heard of gestational hypertension before. I am going to make an appointment with my gynaecologist. Maybe I have high blood pressure that I need to have treated.