Preeclampsia
What is Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is a disorder that is characterized by the new onset of hypertension diagnosed after 20 weeks of pregnancy occurring only in pregnant and postpartum women. Many women with preeclampsia have no symptoms of the disease. For this reason, prenatal visits to check for high blood pressure are scheduled frequently in the latter half of pregnancy.
Who is at risk of Preeclampsia?
Women with one or more of the following characteristics are at increased risk for developing preeclampsia:
- First pregnancy
- Multiple gestation (e.g., twins or triplets)
- Obesity
- Gestational diabetes
- A previous history of preeclampsia
- A family history of preeclampsia in a sister or mother
- Chronic hypertension, kidney disease, lupus, or diabetes prior to pregnancy
- Age under 20 years and possibly age over 35 to 40 years
Management / Treatment of Preeclampsia
There is no known cure for the disease while pregnant, therefor it is crucial to find proper management. The disease can only be cured once the mother gives birth.
Medication can lower blood pressure and thus reduce the risk of stroke in the mother, but these treatments do not improve the underlying abnormalities in the placenta and thus do not prevent progression of the disease.
The management of pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia depends on the gestational age and whether severe features of the disease are present. The method of delivery (vaginal or cesarean birth) depends upon a number of factors, such as the position of the fetus, the dilation and effacement (thinning) of the cervix, and the fetus’s condition. In most situations, vaginal delivery is possible.
If labor does not progress, or if complications develop that require the fetus to be delivered quickly, a cesarean birth may be indicated.
At AZHD, we are there for you at every step of the way from start to finish. The management of Preeclampsia varies depending on different features and factors.
Services Provided to Manage Preeclampsia:
- Maternal Monitoring
- Fetal Monitoring Including Non-Stress Tests (Cardiotocograph) and Ultrasound Scan Examination
- Steroids to Help Speed Up Fetal Lung Development
- Intravenous (IV) Magnesium During Labor
- IV High Blood Pressure Medications
- Monitoring Blood Pressure After Delivery
- Long-Term Treatment and A Follow Up if Required
Fetal effects of Preeclampsia:
Preeclampsia can impair the ability of the placenta to provide adequate nutrition and oxygen to the fetus, which can have the following effects:
- Abnormal testing of fetal well-being (such as a nonreactive nonstress test or low biophysical profile score).
- Slowed growth of the fetus, usually noted by an ultrasound examination.
- Decreased amount of amniotic fluid around the fetus, usually noted by an ultrasound examination.
- Decreased blood flow through the umbilical cord, noted on Doppler tests (performed during ultrasound examination).
Can Preeclampsia be prevented?
There are no tests that reliably predict who will get preeclampsia, and there is no way to completely prevent it. Your doctor may recommend that women who have risk factors that place them at moderate or high risk for developing preeclampsia take low-dose aspirin to reduce this risk.
Will Preeclampsia happen again in future pregnancies?
Women who develop preeclampsia are at an increased risk of developing it in a subsequent pregnancy. Women with preeclampsia without severe features near term have only a 5 percent increased chance of developing it again. However, women who developed severe features of preeclampsia and were delivered before 30 weeks of gestation have a high risk (up to 70 percent) of preeclampsia in future pregnancies.