Preg induced hypertension - medical opinions please :)

During my pregnancy my blood pressure started creeping up towards the last few months.
At 35 weeks I was hospitalised overnight due to my BP being about 165/105. I had bloods and urine taken and only had a very small amount of protein in my urine etc. I responded well to medication (Aldomet) and was able to go home and was told to take it easy and have my BP monitored weekly.
Bubs was born by CS 3 weeks later on my Ob's recommendation.

I am not an expert on hypertension during pregnancy. Was the 165/105 pretty high on the scale? Could it have been safe to let the pregnancy progress longer seeing as I was responding okay to meds? Since the pregnancy my BP has still been a little higher than normal about 130/85. Does this mean I am likely to get high BP again next time?

I don't know a huge amount about it, but I do know there is a higher risk if you've already hed it.

And I do know the only way to stop it is to have the baby. It can be life threatening, so maybe having bub early was the safest option.

It was high for preg and the meds only keep it stable for so long, it would also depend on what bloods were and how your reflexes were.
Placentas can also not be very healthy with BP issues.

You may get it again, but as bp is still slighly elevated (what was pre preg BP?) you may have essential hypertension and need medication long term.

Get gp to moniter bp.

good luck

Hi BJRose & Feeb, thanks for your replies.

Feeb, my BP before preg was always around 120/80. I also had a scan to check the placenta at 37 weeks. There was a small amount of calcification (which I am told is quite normal) and blood flow to and from the placenta also appeared normal.

Thanks for the advice. I will keep an eye on my BP. Hopefully it sorts itself out.

Tamara

I too had increased BP. It was 160/110 when i was put in hospital, it got up to 160/128. I was induced a few days later. DD was only 5pound14 or 2660g, My OB showed me her placenta when she was born, it had big brown/black patches where it had 'died' and wasn't functioning properly. She wasn't getting enough nutrients, and had stopped growing.
Increase BP, combined with no growth from 37 to 38 weeks gestation was enough to let my OB know there was a problem. They believe that when a baby isn't getting enough nutrients, your BP increases to force more blood through the umbilical cord, thus providing more nutrients.
(Obviously not all increases in BP indicate this situation, this is just what happened to me)
As much as i didn't want to be induced, i am very happy that i was. It may just have saved my DD. I was 38 weeks and my cervix was favourable. If it wasn't favourable i too would have been off for a c/s.
High BP can be very serious for mum and bub. It is not something to take lightly.
I hope you are able to manage yours this time round, i sure hope i can next time. ;)
I hope i am making sense, i talk much better than i type! :lol:

Hi,

That BP was high for a normal person, so definately high for a pregnant person.

I think you are at higher risk of getting PIH again if you have had it before.

They will monitor you closely next time i would say.

I had my son at 36.5 weeks due to PE. My BP had been riding 130/80-85 throughout the whole twenty week period and started to creep up at 32 weeks. At 35 weeks it hit 160/110 when I was admitted to hospital and spent 5 days there before my DS was born. The day before I had him, my BP dropped to 70/50 and then back up again that night. He was born by elective (semi-emergency) CS the next day (went in with normal BP, came out with high BP).

My BP came back to normal about 6 weeks later, but has risen mildly since (had DS 4 years ago). My GP placed me on Labetalol knowing I wanted to get pregnant. I developed depression after I had my son from the Aldomet (as soon as I came off the meds it was like the clouds had been lifted).

I'm now 25 weeks pregnant and came in with slightly elevated BP - had a dip which continues for the most part even now (actually came off meds for about 3 weeks), but due to anxiety, nearly everytime I go in to see my ob it's a little elevated 130-140/80. I chose to go to a high risk ob and he is confident that it's still only chronic hypertension and not the pregnancy.

He also let me know that the reason my blood pressure began to drop towards the end of the pregnancy with DS was the my placenta was at that point "on its way out".

From my understanding, if you go into the pregnancy with controlled BP (even on meds) then you may get through with no problems as though you didn't have high BP. This of course doesn't allow for any predisposition you may have to PIH or preeclampsia. I'm still waiting to find out. Must admit I'm conscious of it every day, I expect the worst though I shouldn't as there is no reason.

Good-luck with everything.

Hi everyone,

thanks so much for your replies so far.

Falungi, don't worry, you made perfect sense :). I am so happy for you that your induction went well. My cervix was unfavourable for induction and bub was not properly engaged so that's why my OB advised me to have a caesar.

Liv, my BP was also up and down a bit whilst I was on meds. I wish you all the best for this pregnancy. And try not to stress (I know it's easy to say). But I have read you are less likely to get PE again in your second pregnancy so fingers crossed for you. And please keep me posted on how the rest of the pregnancy goes.

I was beginning to think that perhaps my OB wanting bub delivered at 38 weeks was a little over zelus on her part and that my caesar was un-necessary but after reading your replies, perhaps it was for the best. And although my caesar was terrible (it was under a general cause the anaesthetist couldn't get the epidural in) I do have a perfect little 9 month old, and that is the most important thing. . .