Always Honest asked:
My blood pressure is slightly elevated. I’m concerned that if I got pregnant that it would affect the baby negatively. If there are any health professionals out there who can give me sound advice on this please respond to how high blood pressure would affect a pregnancy and should I be concerned and what are the problems that could/would occur. I hav no knowledge so any information would be helpful Thanks.
My blood pressure is slightly elevated. I’m concerned that if I got pregnant that it would affect the baby negatively. If there are any health professionals out there who can give me sound advice on this please respond to how high blood pressure would affect a pregnancy and should I be concerned and what are the problems that could/would occur. I hav no knowledge so any information would be helpful Thanks.
That all really depends on exactly how high sightly elevated blood pressure you are talking about. Is this a diagnosis you got from the doctor, or just something you believe is a problem? The first thing you need to do, regardless of your pregnancy plans, is to get the blood pressure taken care of. Your doctor is the best one to advise you on that, but for starters, they usually begin with recommending a low salt diet, getting your weight to a normal level, and exercises. If those don’t lower it, then you are talking medication, usually starting with a diuretic type medication. And if that still won’t lower it enough, you look at stuff like beta blockers. As far as the effect on a pregnancy, that all depends again on how high you are talking, and what is controlling it. If you are controlled with diet and exercise, it should still maintain the control during pregnancy. They don’t particularly like to have expectant ladies on medications, but with monitoring it can still be done safely for you and the baby. The first place to start is with your doctor though, for a full workup to determine if you actually have a problem. High blood pressure during pregancy does pose a few risks, yes. For you, the high blood pressure puts you at risk for pre-eclampsia, kidney failure, and gestational diabetes. It raises your later risk for kidney disease, diabetes and heart disease. High blood pressure puts stress on the placenta, and therefore the baby, because not enough oxygen and nutrients can be delivered. That may result in a low birth weight, premature delivery, and developmental problems. The high blood pressure also puts you at risk for a condition called placental abruption, where the placenta is separated from the uterine wall before delivery can occur. That condition causes you and the baby to bleed, sometimes it can be fatal for both of you. You are further at risk during delivery, when blood pressure naturally rises, for a stroke. Immediately following delivery, your chances for bleeding are increased as well. Although you can and would be monitored closely during the entire pregnancy, and likely would be delivered via c-section, it’s worth your time to do what you can to lower your blood pressure before you actually get pregnant. Then of course, you would still want to advise your OB about your past history of hypertension, as you would still be considered higher risk because of it. How likely the complications would be is really dependant on how bad your hypertension is, and how well controlled it is, and how it is controlled. If it is only borderline, then it should be easy enough to control with diet and exercise- not actually a bad idea for anyone really- pregnant, hypertensive or not. And the diet would be good for pregnancy as well. So start with visiting your doctor for the workup, and then go from there once you have advice tailored to your particular situation and needs. Don’t get scared by all the stuff I wrote, as I gave you the fullest picture and worst case scenarios. It doesn’t mean it will happen to you, but you asked for the truth and I felt you deserved the fullest picture I could give you. Don’t let it scare you out of motherhood, let it motivate you to get into control and be a healthy mother. Good luck, and may you be a healthy mom to one cute and healthy baby.