Danger level: High

What is it?

Preeclampsia happens when pregnant women have high blood pressure coupled with a high level of protein in the urine.

Who gets it?

Preeclampsia occurs in as many as 10% of pregnancies, usually in the last half of pregnancy (after 20 weeks of pregnancy).

Some risk factors can increase your risk of having preeclampsia during pregnancy -

1. History of preeclampsia – If you or someone in your close family (sister or mother) has had it your risk is higher.
2. First pregnancy – Miscarriages don’t count.
3. Age – Your chances of getting preeclampsia are higher if you’re younger than 20 or over 35-40.
4. Obesity
5. Multiple pregnancy – If you are carrying twins, triplets, etc., your chances are higher.
6. Diabetes during pregnancy
7. If you had certain diseases before pregnancy – Such as High blood pressure, kidney disease, lupus, or diabetes

The good news is, if you didn’t have preeclampsia in your first pregnancy, chances are lower that you’ll develop it in the next one.

What causes it?

Doctors used to think that preeclampsia is caused by a toxin in the pregnant woman’s bloodstream (this is why it was once called toxemia). This theory is no longer supported.

Until now, no one knows for sure what causes it.

How does it feel?

Preeclampsia can be mild or severe.

When it is mild, the woman has mildly high blood pressure and a small amount of excess protein in the urine. Sometimes women also experience edema in the mild condition – this is swelling of the face or hands.

Having high blood pressure and protein in your urine during pregnancy means you have preeclampsia. Photo by Pensiero.

Since most women with mild preeclampsia will only have a rise in blood pressure and protein in the urine, routine visits to the doctor are advised for every pregnant woman, so that the condition won’t be missed.

Mild preeclampsia can worsen and become severe preeclampsia. Possible signs include:

1. Blood pressure higher than 160/110. (If these numbers confuse you, you can read our article about high blood pressure). In this range, you have an increased risk of stroke.
2. Persistent severe headache – It usually doesn’t go away even after taking pain killers.
3. Problems with the kidney in blood tests or decreased urination
4. Fluids in the lungs – This may cause shortness of breath.
5. A low number of platelets in the blood – Since platelets help with blood clotting, this situation can lead to easy bruising or bleeding.
6. Problems with the liver in blood tests. These liver problems may also manifest as nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.
7. Destruction of red blood cells in the body
8. Separation of the placenta from the uterus – This is a life threatening situation both for the mother and baby.

This situation is no less dangerous for the baby. It can lead to problems in its growth, since the placenta may not receive enough blood.  The baby may also be born prematurely (exposing the baby to possible learning disabilities, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and hearing and vision problems).

How is it discovered?

During pregnancy, each woman is advised to visit the doctor for routine tests. These tests include a blood pressure check and a urine test, among others. If after 20 weeks of pregnancy a high blood pressure and protein in the urine are discovered, it means you have preeclampsia.

How is it treated?

The only cure for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby.

This can’t be done at each phase of pregnancy, naturally, since the baby might not be fully developed. It can be done safely if you’re around 37 weeks pregnant.

If delivery is needed and you’re at or before 34 weeks of pregnancy, you may be given steroids. They speed up the baby’s lungs’ development.

If it’s too early for delivery or delivery is not wanted for other reasons, you and your baby may be monitored closely until delivery is possible.

What happens after treatment?

If the preeclampsia is mild throughout pregnancy, not much harm is done to the mother or baby.

If, on the other hand, the preeclampsia is severe, treatment (delivery) is important. Otherwise, the woman’s kidney and liver may be harmed and bleeding may occur, as mentioned above. The baby may be born prematurely, or with a low weight.

Currently there is no known way to prevent preeclampsia. The only thing you can do is detect it early by visiting your doctor for routine checkups during pregnancy.

This video sums it all up:

What next?

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