Articles
High blood pressure and pregnancy: Know the facts
Content
What are the types of high blood pressure during pregnancy?
Why is high blood pressure a problem during pregnancy?
How will I know if I develop hypertension during pregnancy?
How will I know if I develop preeclampsia?
Is it safe to take blood pressure medication during pregnancy?
What should I do to prepare for pregnancy?
What can I expect during prenatal visits?
What can I do to reduce the risk of complications?
What about labor and delivery?
Will I be able to breast-feed my baby?
How will I know if I develop hypertension during pregnancy?
Monitoring your blood pressure is an important part of prenatal care. If you have chronic hypertension, your health care provider will consider these categories for blood pressure measurements:
- Elevated blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure is a systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 129 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and a diastolic pressure below 80 mm Hg. Elevated blood pressure tends to get worse over time unless steps are taken to control blood pressure.
- Stage 1 hypertension. Stage 1 hypertension is a systolic pressure ranging from 130 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure ranging from 80 to 89 mm Hg.
- Stage 2 hypertension. More severe hypertension, stage 2 hypertension is a systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher.
After 20 weeks of pregnancy, blood pressure that exceeds 140/90 mm Hg — documented on two or more occasions, at least four hours apart, without any other organ damage — is considered to be gestational hypertension.
