Women with high blood pressure are more likely to have complications during the childbirth. It could risk the life of both the mother and the to-be-born child. A keen eye for subtle differences in the body and a few changes in lifestyle may go a long way in keeping you healthy.
Normal blood pressure range is when the systolic pressure shows between 90 to 120 and diastolic pressure between 60 to 80. Blood pressure readings are expressed in millimetres of mercury. If blood pressure is in the normal range, then no medical intervention is required.
The blood pressure changes during pregnancy. For a woman, the normal blood pressure when pregnant should be between 110/70 and 120/80. If the pressure readings go up to 121/80, then you are likely to have a high blood pressure, and if it is below 90/50, then you may have low blood pressure.
It is essential that you get your blood pressure examined during pregnancy. Blood pressure levels may indicate potential problems which can occur during pregnancy. Most women may not develop high pressure during this time. However, some women might develop high pressure or hypertension. A mild increase is most often observed. Sometimes the high blood pressure may become severe, causing harm to both the mother and baby. 8% women experience high blood pressure during pregnancy instead of low blood pressure, which is quite natural.
Blood pressure is measured by capturing the systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) number.
The systolic number (top number) is the amount of pressure in your arteries when the heart muscles contract. This is called systolic pressure. The diastolic number (bottom number) refers to your blood pressure when your heart muscle is between beats. A normal reading will show a top number between 90 to 120 and a bottom number between 60 to 80.
Your doctor will use a small monitor to measure your blood pressure during your regular checkup. You will be required to remove any tight clothing from the arm and to wrap a cuff above the elbow; he will start pumping air into it. This makes the cuff tighten. Then the air in the cuff is released. This cuff is attached to the monitor which calculates the blood pressure and shows the reading. The reading will look like a fraction, for example, 110 (systolic number)/70 (diastolic number).
Monitoring of the blood pressure during pregnancy is important to eliminate any risks and complications that may the affect the mother and the baby. Women with mildly high blood pressure may have a normal pregnancy. The blood pressure falls slightly during early pregnancy and then returns to pre-pregnancy in the 3rd trimester.
However, the higher the blood pressure, the greater the problems during pregnancy. There is a risk of other medical conditions like diabetes or kidney related diseases if the pregnant woman has severe high blood pressure.
It is normal for the blood pressure to change during pregnancy. This is part of the cardiovascular changes during pregnancy. Pregnancy causes the volume of blood to increase slowly by about 40-50% which in turn increases the heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output.
During pregnancy, the BP is monitored every time you visit your doctor for a checkup. However, it is also important that BP is checked at home, which will help monitor any changes in blood pressure that may go unnoticed otherwise. Risk preeclampsia may develop during pregnancy. Therefore, doctors advise to track BP is tracked at home as well.
Blood pressure may be present during or before pregnancy and comes at different stages. The following are the types of high blood pressure during pregnancy:
Hypotension, also known as low blood pressure, is when you have a reading of 90/60 or lower. This is a dangerous condition because it stops the supply of oxygenated blood to your body and heart.
Few causes of hypotension are:
Some women may have high blood pressure or preeclampsia during pregnancy. It comes with some risks such as:
Signs of preeclampsia include:
High blood pressure can be controlled by following a few simple steps. Following are a few treatments, home remedies and ways to prevent it.
Keeping the blood pressure within the normal range is crucial for preventing complications. This can be easily accomplished by the combination of a healthy lifestyle and medications. A single blood pressure reading does not indicate health issues. However, readings taken over time are most accurate.