Pre-eclampsia is caused by a faulty placenta - the "afterbirth"
- and the only "cure" is the early and quick delivery of the
baby and the placenta which is causing the problem. Pre-eclampsia is
not caused by bad living habits or prevented by good ones. You are not
to blame if you are affected.
Who gets it?
It affects around 1 pregnancy in 10 and 1 in 5 first pregnancies.
You are most at risk if:
- You are pregnant for the first time.
- It has been over ten years since your last pregnancy.
- You are over 35.
- Your mother or sister have suffered from pre-eclampsia.
- You already have raised blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease.
- You are expecting twins, triplets or more.
- You have had it before.
When do you get it?
Most women get pre-eclampsia in the last few weeks of
pregnancy, but it can start as early as 20 weeks, or rarely, even earlier.
It can start as late as during labour or just after the baby is born.
What are the usual symptoms of pre-eclampsia?
- Raised blood pressure.
- More than 1+ protein in the urine.
- Bad headaches that don't go away.
- Blurred vision, flashing lights or spots in front of your eyes.
- Bad pain just below your ribs, particularly on the right hand
side.
- Vomiting (not the "morning sickness" of early pregnancy).
- Sudden swelling of your hands, feet or face.
- A sudden dramatic weight gain over a period of a couple of weeks.
How will I be treated?
If you have been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, the only
"cure" is delivery of the baby and the placenta. Whilst you
are still pregnant, you may be given drugs to lower your blood pressure
and you may be given steroids to help your baby's lungs develop quickly
in case she or he needs to be delivered early.
If you have pre-eclampsia, you will probably be admitted to the day-care
ward of your local hospital so that your blood pressure and urine can
be checked regularly. If the symptoms do not go away and your blood
pressure continues to rise, it is highly likely that you will have the
birth induced or you may need a caesarean section. You will be carefully
monitored throughout. After your baby is born, you should get better
quickly but it can take a while for your blood pressure to return to
normal. This will need to be checked regularly until it has decreased.
If your baby is born early, he or she may need extra care for a while
but should recover well.
If you are at all worried that you may have pre-eclampsia, make an appointment
to see your midwife or GP as soon as possible.
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