Gestational hypertension is common and needs to be controlled during pregnancy because failure to do so could cause serious problems for both the woman and the baby on the way. High blood pressure in a pregnant woman who has more than 20 weeks can be understood as a hypertensive disorder or disorder in pregnancy.
Normally this can be controlled without risk but not doing it is problematic. Hypertension in pregnancy occurs when values higher than 140/90 are obtained (asysolic or maximum blood pressure / diabolic or minimum blood pressure) and it is necessary to check the blood pressure regularly to know whether or not medication is needed in case of have hypertension during pregnancy.
There are some red flags that can alert you that you have hypertension:
- Sudden weight gain
- Edema or swelling in the extremities
- Snoring
- Renal problems
- Oliguria or decreased urine output.
When a woman has hypertension during pregnancy, she can have pre-eclampsia, a rather dangerous condition that must be treated immediately. Blood pressure can also lead to HELLP Syndrome or eclampsia ... both dangerous conditions.
There are some risk factors
- First pregnancy older than 35 years
- Having had hypertension in a previous pregnancy
- Excessive weight gain (more than two kilos a month) during pregnancy
- Previous diseases, obesity and / or diabetes
- Multiple pregnancy
How to manage tension during pregnancy
If you have hypertension during pregnancy, your doctor will have to medicate you if necessary, but you should also take into account the following tips:
- Reduces stress
- Seek constant calm
- Eat less salt in your diet and with less fat
- Take a walk for at least 30 minutes a day
- Practice relaxation exercises
- Get regular gentle exercise
- Avoid foods that can raise cholesterol
- Don't drink coffee or caffeinated drinks
- Do not smoke or allow anyone to do it near you
- Take a lot of water
- Go to your doctor for your check-ups
- Have a good quality blood pressure monitor at home so you can measure your blood pressure in resting situations.