Hypertension in Pregnancy
Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. High blood pressure in pregnancy can be due to: pre-existing high blood pressure that you had before your pregnancy; a new medical condition arising coincidentally when you became pregnant; or, by far the most common situation, the development of pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia – disorders that occur only in pregnancy.
How do you know if you have high blood pressure before pregnancy?
A simple blood pressure check by your doctor is all that is needed. If you have used the pill for contraception, you will almost certainly have had your blood pressure checked. If not, it is usually easy to identify high blood pressure at the first antenatal visit, provided that you attend early in pregnancy. If you have pre-existing hypertension, this is usually picked up by a diastolic blood pressure of equal to or greater than 90 mmHg in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The most common type of pre-existing high blood pressure is known as essential hypertension. However, sometimes high blood pressure can be caused by other medical conditions such as kidney problems. Pre-existing high blood pressure makes you more likely to suffer from pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension during pregnancy.
