Signs to Be Aware of in pregnancy
Most pregnancies go the full nine months without any major health worries.
But a condition called pre-eclampsia can affect up to 10 percent of first-time pregnancies in a mild way, and up to 2% of pregnancies in a more serious way.
Sometimes also called pregnancy-induced hypertension or toxaemia, pre-eclampsia usually happens in the third trimester and there are certain signs to be aware of in pregnancy.
These include one or more of the following:
Sudden weight gain (unrelated to over-eating)
Severe swelling of the hands and face
Swelling of the ankles that doesn’t improve after resting
Unexplained headaches
A rise in blood pressure
Pain in the stomach or oesophagus
All over itching
Vision disturbances
Vomiting and feeling unwell
Abnormal kidney function with a small urine output
Protein in the urine (which would be picked up in routine tests)
Women who attend their pre-natal clinic regularly will be monitored for any symptoms and early signs will be detected. But if you experience ANY of the above symptoms during pregnancy seek medical help as soon as possible.
The exact cause of pre-eclampsia is not known, but it is thought to be linked to problems with the placenta. Other theories suggest there are genetic links to the condition or blood vessel defects. Yet another suggestion is that it is linked to gum disease as pregnant women with unhealthy gums are twice as likely to get the condition. There is another theory that the woman’s immune response kicks in and her body is having an “allergic” reaction to the foreign body… her baby.
Pre-eclampsia is a major cause of premature birth because it can slow the baby’s growth.
Could you get pre-eclampsia?
Higher risk women are first-time mothers, women carrying more than one baby and women who have had the condition before.
If there is a history of it in your family, or you are overweight, aged over 40, or suffer from diabetes, kidney disease or high blood pressure, you are also more at risk and should be informed of all the pre-eclampsia signs to be aware of in pregnancy.
What are the dangers?
If mild pre-eclampsia is diagnosed it can be dealt with through bed rest and careful monitoring of mum and baby (in some cases the baby may be induced early).
More serious cases that go undetected for too long could result in some rare, but serious, complications.
These include the seizure condition eclampsia that can be life-threatening for both mother and baby, also HELLP syndrome – a liver and blood clotting disorder. Kidney, liver failure and strokes are also possibilities.
The main symptom of eclampsia is seizures close to or during delivery or postpartum in the first 48 hours.
Eclampsia is life-threatening, but it is rare and with modern medical treatment and careful follow-up the majority of women return to full health after delivery. In eclampsia cases the baby will almost always be delivered, even prematurely.
Author Bio: Debra Aspinall is an experienced journalist and the editor and leading writer for the Emma’s Diary website, one of the UKs foremost pregnancy and baby websites. She writes on pregnancy tests, early pregnancy test, sign of pregnancy, first symptoms of pregnancy and etc. If you are searching for free baby stuff, please visit us at Emmasdiary.co.uk.
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