World Hypertension Day: Here's How Hypertension During Pregnancy Can Affect You

Pregnancy is indeed one of the most special and critical times in a woman's life. This is when she moves from being a woman to being a mother of a child. During this period, a mother's health is very crucial. It is her on whom the health and well-being of the baby depend. And this is one of the reasons why a woman is even more vulnerable to certain health issues during pregnancy. Here we are going to discuss the adverse effects of hypertension during pregnancy on the mother and the baby's health.

If a mother gets affected by hypertension or high blood pressure during this period, it can have a deep impact on the baby's health as well. Gynecologist Dr. Ragini Agrawal says, "There are mainly two things here, one is a condition where the mother is already a blood pressure patient. This is present mainly in the elderly women who conceive a baby. In this case, the blood pressure can be superimposed on the pregnancy. Secondly, women can also develop high blood pressure due to the pregnancy. In this condition, the blood flow in the baby is scarce which affects the baby's growth. This blood pressure can lead to a wide variety of adverse effects on the mother's health."

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"When a mother develops hypertension due to pregnancy, and it goes out of control, it is very dangerous for the mother's health. She is at risk of getting fits due to it and her vision is also at risk. So these are the main adverse effects on the mother and the baby of high blood pressure," she explained.

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How does hypertension affect the baby?

Dr. Agrawal says, "Now this, even if we try to control it, the disease between the mother and the baby cannot be corrected. We can't reduce the blood pressure to an extent where the baby's growth gets hampered. So this has to be closely monitored in a way so that neither the mother is harmed nor the baby. We try to bring a balanced level of maturity where the baby gets adequate blood supply and the mother is not affected as well due to increasing pressure. If everything goes fine, it can be dragged up to 34 weeks of pregnancy. Then accordingly we can decide when the pregnancy can be ended."

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"Sometimes, the blood becomes thick. Due to this the blood pressure can increase. This is also a major cause of increased blood pressure during pregnancy. Due to this, the blood starts accumulating in various parts of your body. These blood clots can go into the lungs and causes pulmonary disease which again is fatal for health. It can even kill the mother," says Dr. Agrawal.

How is hypertension diagnosed in pregnant women?

Dr. Agrawal explains how high blood pressure is diagnosed in women. She says, "For all this, we check the blood flow from the beginning and check if there is a risk of blood pressure later pregnancy. Keeping these factors in mind, we start the treatment. If the blood pressure is showing high during the first 12 weeks, it means that the patient was suffering from the condition right from the beginning. Pregnancy-induced blood pressure shows after 18 weeks of the pregnancy. On the basis of various markers like kidney disease or any other disease, the overall health of the mother is monitored and then a decision is taken."

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Is high blood pressure risky?

"So basically, hypertension during pregnancy is a dangerous situation. Such patients need very close and proper care from an expert. If the blood pressure has gone way too high, the mother needs close and regular monitoring so that her pregnancy can be taken up to 32 weeks and the baby can come into this world safely, without any health problems."

Happy World Hypertension Day!

(Dr. Ragini Agrawal is the head a Senior Gynecologist at W Pratiksha Hospital)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this pregnancy.