I got it earlier and earlier.... which was a bit strange too.

Those stats were given to me by the high risk p/e specialist at Monash. Michelle, you're right, it is generally the sperm! The sperm and the egg form the baby and the placenta, and p/e actually occurs when your body rejects/attacks the placenta. The baby isn't getting enough nutrients from the placenta, and thus requires more blood flow through the cord. This in turn pushes up your BP, which in turn affects your kidneys, liver and other organs.

Your BP can be "spiky", which is up and down, or "constant" which is constantly up. Obviously the second one is far more dangerous and causes more problems. With Alex, I had spiky BP, and was always okay or slightly high when I visited the doc. However, I still had p/e from early on, because the doctors could tell from Alex's IUGR and the hopeless placenta on delivery.

There are some things you can do to try and avoid p/e. These include watching your diet (ie eliminating salty and high sugar foods), and resting as much as possible. Taking beta-blockers such as labetelol and blood thinners such as aspirin/heparin (of course on the advice of your specialist/medical treater) from mid second trimester can also affect the final outcome.

I was medicated with Ned from 16-34weeks, and ended up having him at 41+1... amazing considering the medical issues.

Let's just say I won't be having another one in a hurry...