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Pre-eclampsia
 Hypertension
or high blood pressure is the most common medical problem
that is encountered in pregnancy. In general gestational
hypertension complicates 10-15% of all pregnancies. Mild
pre-eclampsia affects up to 10% of first time pregnancies
with severe pre-eclampsia affecting about 1 or 2 in a hundred
pregnancies.
Pre-eclampsia
is the most common of the serious complications of pregnancy.
It is caused by a defect in the placenta, which joins the
mother and baby and supplies the baby with nutrients and
oxygen from the mother's blood. While we do not know yet
exactly what is the root cause of pre-eclampsia, medical
science is expanding our knowledge every day. By definition,
pre-eclampsia cannot occur before you are 20 weeks pregnant
and the majority of cases occur in the third trimester.
In
its early stages pre-eclampsia is symptom-less and is only
detectable by regular antenatal checks on the mother's blood
pressure and urine. Pre-eclampsia is known as a multi-system
disorder which means it can affect different parts of your
body such as your liver, your kidneys, your cardiovascular
system or your clotting systems.
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