High blood pressure during pregnancy

High blood pressure during pregnancy: When to sound the alarm

Unlike low blood pressure, an increase in arterial pressure (hypertension) during pregnancy is a symptom that requires especially careful attention and thorough medical monitoring. It can be either an exacerbation of an existing problem or a sign of pregnancy‑specific complications, the most serious of which is preeclampsia.

Types of hypertension in pregnant women

Doctors distinguish several types of high blood pressure during pregnancy:

• Chronic hypertension: High blood pressure (140/90 mm Hg or higher) was diagnosed before pregnancy or before the 20th week. Women with this diagnosis need close observation throughout the entire term.
• Gestational hypertension: Blood pressure rises after the 20th week of pregnancy, but there is no protein in the urine analysis. Often this condition has no other symptoms, but it can later progress to preeclampsia.
• Preeclampsia: This serious complication arises after the 20th week and is characterized by the combination of high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine (proteinuria). It may be accompanied by severe edema, headache, visual disturbances.

Why is preeclampsia dangerous?

Preeclampsia affects blood vessels throughout the body, including the placenta, kidneys, liver, and brain. This can lead to:

• For the baby: Impaired placental blood flow, causing fetal growth restriction, hypoxia, and the need for preterm delivery.
• For the mother: Kidney and liver damage, pulmonary edema, and in the most severe cases—eclampsia, a condition accompanied by seizures that poses an immediate threat to life.

Therefore, regular blood pressure measurement and urine testing are mandatory parts of prenatal care. For concerning symptoms that must not be ignored, read the section on pregnancy complications.