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Most women do not know about preeclampsia until they are diagnosed with it!
5-8% of pregnant women will get preeclampsia (from www.Preeclampsia.org)
Preeclampsia can occur very quickly, from diagnoses to delivery can happy in as little as a few days.
It is important that all women know about preeclampsia! Knowing about preeclampsia, being aware
of the symptoms and getting help quickly can save lives and prevent eclampsia (seizure)
If you are pregnant and have any of these symptoms consult your doc ASAP. I did and it saved my life:
Preeclampsia.org list these symptoms.
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Swelling or Edema (puffiness)
Proteinuria (Protein in urine)
Sudden Weight Gain (more then 2 pounds a week)
Headache
Nausea or Vomiting
Changes in Vision
Racing pulse, mental confusion, heightened anxiety, trouble catching your breath
Stomach or Right Shoulder Pain
Lower back pain
Hyperreflexia
If you have these symptoms Make your doc listen! Request tests! (24 hour urine collection, liver function, uric
acid, platelet count)
It could save you and your babies life
Preeclampsia (once called toxemia of pregnancy) is a pregnancy-related blood circulation problem that causes high
blood pressure and affects the mother's kidneys, liver, brain, and placenta. Its cause is unknown.
Preeclampsia most commonly occurs during first pregnancies.
Signs of preeclampsia include:
Elevated blood pressure (generally 140/90 millimeters of mercury [mm Hg] or higher). Any large increase in blood
pressure should alert a woman and her doctor to possible risk.
Persistent headache.
Vision problems.
Pain in the upper right abdomen.
Lab results indicating elevated uric acid and/or protein in the urine (proteinuria).
Swelling of the hands and face that does not go away during the day. This symptom of normal pregnancy may be a
sign of preeclampsia if it is accompanied by other signs of preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia typically develops after the 20th week of pregnancy. It can develop much earlier in a multiple or molar
pregnancy than in a normal pregnancy. Preeclampsia can develop gradually or suddenly and may remain mild or
become severe. If untreated, preeclampsia may damage the mother's liver or kidneys, deprive the fetus of oxygen,
and cause eclampsia (maternal seizures).
A woman with any signs of preeclampsia is closely monitored by her doctor or nurse-midwife. Preeclampsia can be
treated in the hospital with bed rest, medication, and close monitoring of the mother and fetus. If not treated,
preeclampsia may damage the mother's liver or kidneys and can cause seizures (eclampsia). In rare cases, coma and
death of the mother and fetus can follow.
Delivery is the only true “cure” for preeclampsia. This has to be balanced with how far along the pregnancy is and
whether it is safe for the fetus to be delivered. Within the first few days following delivery, the mother's blood pressure
usually returns to normal; with severe preeclampsia, it may take at least 6 weeks for blood pressure to return to
normal.
The causes of preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy are poorly understood. In fact,
preeclampsia is sometimes called the "disease of theories," and its cause is the subject of active research.7
Most experts believe that preeclampsia starts with a poorly developed placenta that doesn't circulate blood
normally.3 However, the cause of the placenta disorder isn't yet clear. Nor is it known why the mother's body then
develops high blood pressure. So far, a number of possible factors are thought to play a part in preeclampsia,
including:8
Family history (genetics). The tendency to develop preeclampsia appears to run in families. Inherited factors
(genes) seem to make a woman more likely to develop preeclampsia. Similarly, men with a family history of
preeclampsia are more likely to father a preeclampsia-affected pregnancy than men with no such family history.6
An abnormal immune system response. Preeclampsia occurs most often in women who are pregnant for the first
time and in women who have been pregnant before but now have a first pregnancy with a different man.4, 3 Experts
think that some women may have an immune system reaction that triggers the condition. Exposure to an antigen
from the father (in the growing placenta or fetus, for example) may trigger an immune response in the woman's
body. This immune response may result in narrowing of the blood vessels throughout the body, causing higher
blood pressure and other problems.
A biochemical factor that causes the blood vessels to narrow, raising blood pressure. Preeclampsia may be the
body's reaction to the poorly functioning placenta. Or, both the poorly developed placenta and preeclampsia
symptoms may be caused by the same factor. This process is not yet well understood.
Underlying kidney disease, diabetes, or other diseases affecting blood vessels. Conditions that cause blood vessel
problems (such as kidney disease, preexisting high blood pressure, or diabetes) increase the risk of preeclampsia.3