Risk Factors

Symptoms

Pre-eclampsia

(Toxemia of Pregnancy; Pregnancy-induced Hypertension; Preeclampsia)

Pronounced: pre-ee-clamp'-see-ah

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA

Definition

Pre-eclampsia is high blood pressure during pregnancy. You may also have too much protein in your urine. This condition can harm your organs.

Cardiovascular System and Kidneys

Causes

The cause is unknown.

Risk Factors

Pre-eclampsia is more common in women aged 40 years and older.

Other factors that may raise your chance are:

Pre-eclampsia in a prior pregnancy
Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
Diabetes
Carrying multiple babies such as twins
First pregnancy
Chronic high blood pressure
Overweight or obese

Symptoms

You may not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may have:

Rapid weight gain
Swelling of the hands and face
Headaches
Problems seeing
Nausea and vomiting
Upper belly pain
Overactive reflexes
Chest pain
Problems breathing

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. A physical exam will be done. Preeclampsia is diagnosed if you have high blood pressure.

You may also have:

Urine tests to look for high protein levels
Blood tests

Treatment

Early treatment can help prevent eclampsia, which is seizures caused by severe pre-eclampsia.

You may have:

Delivery of the Baby

The only way to cure this condition is to deliver the baby. The decision to do so depends on many things, such as:

How many weeks along you are in your pregnancy
The health of you and your baby
Severity of the pre-eclampsia
Risk of other problems

Labor may happen on its own or it may be started by your doctor. If there are life-threatening problems for either you or your baby, a cesarean section may be done. During labor, you may need medicine to control your blood pressure and prevent seizures.

Medication

Mild pre-eclampsia can often be managed with rest and medicine if the baby is close to term. Your doctor may advise medicines to:

Lower your blood pressure
Lower the risk of seizures
Help the fetus’ lungs develop if there is a chance it may be born too early

Home Treatment

If you live close to the hospital, your doctor may advise that you rest at home in a quiet setting. At home, you may need to:

Taking frequent blood pressure readings
Have help to make meals, do housework, and care for other children you may have
Check your baby's health, which may mean:
- Watching for fetal movement
- Tracking kick counts
- Follow-up visits to monitor conditions inside the uterus

Admission to the Hospital

If pre-eclampsia is moderate or your home setting is not restful, the doctor may admit you to the hospital. This may mean:

Lowering your blood pressure with medicine
Taking medicines to prevent eclampsia
Monitoring your baby's health
Making sure you get enough rest

Prevention

If you have had pre-eclampsia in the past, ask your doctor whether you should take aspirin or a calcium supplement. These may help prevent this health problem in women who are at risk.

RESOURCES:

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
http://www.acog.org

Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

The Canadian Women's Health Network
http://www.cwhn.ca

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC)
http://sogc.org

References:

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed... . Updated April 30, 2018. Accessed August 9, 2018.

Kumar A, Devi SG, Batra S, Singh C, Shukla DK. Calcium supplementation for the prevention of pre-eclampsia. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2009;104(1):32-36.

Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Updated May 2018. Accessed August 9, 2018.

Pregnancy-induced hypertension. American Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Updated April 1, 2014. Accessed August 9, 2018.

Samuels-Kalow ME, Funai EF, Buhimschi C, et al. Prepregnancy body mass index, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and long-term maternal mortality. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007;197(5):490.e1-e6.

7/6/2006 DynaMed Plus Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.dynamed... : Villar J, Abdel-Aleem H, Merialdi M, et al. World Health Organization randomized trial of calcium supplementation among low calcium intake pregnant women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006;194(3):639-649.

8/6/2010 DynaMed Plus Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.dynamed... : Bujold E, Roberge S, Lacasse Y, et al. Prevention of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction with aspirin started in early pregnancy: a meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2010;116(2 Pt 1):402-414.

6/9/2014 DynaMed Plus Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.dynamed... : Qin JZ, Pang LH, Li MJ, Fan XJ, Huang RD, Chen HY. Obstetric complications in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2013;11:56

Last reviewed May 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Beverly Siegal, MD, FACOG
Last Updated: 8/9/2018

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