Pregnancy can come up with a whole amount of side effects – from pregnancy to pregnancy. It can also be accompanied by some complications, with some more serious than others. A potentially deadly complication is preeclampsia.
Preeclampsi is a condition that usually develops in Third trimester of pregnancy and is characterized by High blood pressuresays says Stephanie HackMD, an OB gyn and the founder of Lady Parts Doctor. “It can affect several organs and is a precursor to Eklampsi, a condition with high blood pressure and seizures.” The condition can also happen after childbirth, known as postpartum preeclampsia, and cause similar symptoms.
The condition has been thrown into the news in recent years as Celebrities like Kim Kardashian has opened about the experience. And 2023, The Olympic Master Tori Bowie passed away From complications related to childbirth and preeclampsia. Most recently, Meghan Markle opened about her experience of preeclampsi after birth on the debut section of her podcast, “Confessions from a female founder.”
“It’s so rare and so scary,” Meghan said during the conversation with Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe, who also experienced the condition. “And you are still trying to juggle all these things, and the world doesn’t know what happens silently. And in the silence you still try to show up for people – mostly for your children – but these things are huge medical horror.”
Overall, preeclampsia affects approximately one of 25 pregnancies, Per Johns Hopkins Medicine – and while postpartum preeclampsia is more rare (approximately 6 percent Of preeclampsia case, Postpartum happens), it is still extremely important to know your risk. Here is everything you need to know about preeclampsia (during and after childbirth), including signs and symptoms, how fast it can develop and how it is treated.
Experts displayed in this article:
Alison CowanMD, an OB gyn and the head of medical issues at Mirvie.
Stephanie HackMD, is an OB gyn and the founder of Lady Parts Doctor.
What is preeclampsi?
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication that has symptoms that can vary from mild to severe. “With preeclampsia you may have high blood pressure, high levels of protein in urine indicating kidney damage (proteinuria) or other signs of organ damage,” Mayo Clinic reports.
Symptoms of preeclampsia “can also be completely silent, which is why it is so important to know your risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy and to have regular care and blood pressure controls,” says Alison CowanMD, an OB gyn and the head of medical issues at MirieA company that develops predictive testing for life -threatening pregnancy complications. The condition usually occurs after 20 weeks during pregnancy and becomes more common as pregnancy progresses, she adds.
Postpartum preeclampsia is similar because it can be difficult to detect, but it shares many of the same symptoms as preeclampsi, Per Mayo Clinic. The primary difference between the two conditions is the time. Postpartum preeclampsia is usually developed within 48 hours after childbirth. But in some cases, it may occur up to six weeks after childbirth or later, known as late postpartum preeclampsi.
What causes preeclampsia?
Unfortunately, the causes of preeclampsia and postpartum preeclampsi do not, which is one of the reasons why it is so challenging to predict and prevent, says Dr. Cowan. “(Preeclampsia) probably has to do with deviations in the placenta implant which ultimately results in the development of high blood pressure over time,” she explains.
To further break down this, the placenta is the organ that approaches the fetus throughout pregnancy, and in the early stages new blood vessels develop and develop oxygen and nutrients to the placenta, per mayo clinic. In women with preeclampsi, research Suggests that these blood vessels do not develop or function properly, causing irregular regulation of blood pressure of the pregnant person.
There are also some risk factors for both conditions, including high blood pressure during pregnancy, weight, with multiples, chronic high blood pressure and diabetes.
Also worth noting: Black pregnant people have a disproportionate burden of pregnancy riskIncluding preeclampsi, in the United States, says Dr. Cowan. “Black individuals have about a triple increased risk of dying during pregnancy overall and is five times more likely to die by preeclampsi and eclampsi than white women, she explains. In addition, black women are five times more likely to die of Postpartum cardiomyopathy (A related condition that is much more common in individuals with preeclampsia) than white women, she adds.
Symptoms of preeclampsia
Signs of preeclampsia and preeclampsia after birth are very similar. The first warning sign for both is high blood pressure, with a reading of 140/90 or higher, says Dr. Cowan. Additional symptoms may include the following:
- Persistent headache not improved with tylenol
- Changes in vision or see places
- Pain in the upper abdomen (especially the right upper abdomen, which may be a sign of liver inflammation that can go along with preeclampsia)
- Nausea And vomiting
- Excess of protein in the urine
As I said, many cases of preeclampsia and preeclampsi after birth are silent and asymptomatic, says Dr. Cowan. “That is why it is so important to have regular blood pressure controls, which we recommend more often for individuals with higher risk and at the end of pregnancy for everyone, when preeclampsia is more common.”
Preeclampsia treatment
It is often said that “cure” for preeclampsi delivers the child, which is largely true, says Dr. Cowan. “When preeclampsia develops earlier during pregnancy, we try to do everything we can to handle it, sometimes with medicines and close monitoring to extend the pregnancy a little longer,” she explains. But at any time preeclampsi develops at 37 weeks or thereafter, the recommendation is to continue with delivery (usually an induction of labor or C-section), she adds.
If extreme properties of preeclampsia such as laboratory deviations or severely elevated blood pressure develop, preeclampsia is often treated with magnesium sulfate, explains Dr. Cowan. “This is given through IV and has been shown to reduce the risk of Eklampsi, which is seizure in the setting of preeclampsia.”
Magnesium sulfate is also used to treat preeclampsia after birth and help reduce the risk of seizures, Per Mayo Clinic. Your doctor can also cause medical blood pressure.
If preeclampsia (during or after childbirth) with serious functions becomes unknown, eclampsia, a life -threatening condition that is characterized by seizures can develop, says Dr. Cowan.
How to prevent preeclampsi
The first step to the prevention of preeclampsia is to know your risk, says Dr. Cowan. Women with some major risk factors such as chronic high blood pressure, Type 1 or Type 2 -DiabetesOr a history of former preeclampsi is known for having a high risk, she explains. The challenge today is that many individuals without obvious risk factors continue to develop preeclampsia, so it makes prevention is more difficult, she adds.
Right now, there is currently no reliable way to predict preeclampsia before symptoms occur, but there are several strategies to prevent preeclampsia (both during and after childbirth) from occurring or at least admit when it happens, says Dr. Cowan.
Research from the Mayo Clinic Found that the best clinical evidence of prevention is to use low -dose aspirin. The exact mechanism for how baby aspirin spells of preeclampsi is not known, but Studies Suggest that aspirin helps patients with the risk of having more normal investment development. Baby Aspirin is also recommended for preeclampsia after birth. That being said, it is important to talk to your doctor before you regularly start medication, vitamins or supplements.
In addition American Pregnancy Association Recommend that you use little or no added salt in your meals, drink six to eight glasses of water a day, exercise regularly, avoid alcohol and caffeine and get enough rest.
Another useful resource is This Mirvie checklist for patients And guidelines for suppliers, which are a good tool for assessing your risk of preeclampsia, says Dr. Cowan. “This care plan combines all evidence -based interventions that women can act on when they know their risk, which includes strategies as simple as regular blood pressure monitoring, takes a baby aspirin every day and gets targeted lab work at your doctor’s office.”
When it comes to both preeclampsia and postpartum preeclampsi, it is also useful to be proactive during the doctor’s appointment. Take a conversation with your supplier about both conditions, potential risk factors and signs to watch out for. It is also good to keep track of all new or unusual symptoms during or after childbirth so you remember to flag it. You know your body best and if something feels about it is never a bad idea to pick it up.
Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based freelance writer and degree from Emory University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in PS, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan and elsewhere.
