6 Things You Need to Know About Pre-eclampsia

1. What is Pre-eclampsia?

Pre-eclampsia only occurs during pregnancy, typically after 20 weeks. It is a combination of hypertension (raised blood pressure) and proteinuria (the presence of protein in your urine). Sometimes other organs, such as the liver or kidneys, can become affected, and there can be problems with blood clotting.

Pre-eclampsia can potentially progress to a more dangerous condition known as eclampsia, which occurs in 1-2 percent of pregnancies. Eclampsia can cause fits or convulsions. In severe cases, eclampsia can sometimes cause the death of the mother or the baby. Therefore, it is important to manage the condition safely.

2. Signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia

Women with mild pre-eclampsia may not show any symptoms, and it is usually only discovered during routine antenatal appointments (through standard blood pressure checks and urine samples). The main signs are raised blood pressure combined with the presence of protein in the urine.

If pre-eclampsia gets more severe, more serious symptoms can develop, including:

• Severe headache that doesn’t go away with simple painkillers
• Problems with vision, such as blurring or flashing before the eyes
• Severe pain just below the ribs
• Heartburn that doesn’t go away with antacids
• Rapidly increasing swelling of the face, hands or feet
• Generally feeling very unwell

3. Who is at risk of developing pre-eclampsia?

As we do not know the exact causes of pre-eclampsia, it is hard to predict who will develop it during pregnancy and who won’t. However, you are considered at greater risk if:

• this is your first pregnancy/your first pregnancy with a new partner,
• you are aged 40 or over,
• you, your mother or sister already had pre-eclampsia during pregnancy,
• you have a BMI (body mass index) of 35 or more/you weigh 90 kg or more,
• you are having a multiple pregnancy (twins, triplets or more),
• you have a medical problem such as high blood pressure, kidney problems and/or diabetes.

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