Hypertension in Pregnancy – Why You Should be Mindful of it

Having high blood pressure during pregnancy is not necessarily a bad thing, it is actually quite normal. Although it isn’t the worst thing ever, you should make sure to monitor your blood pressure while expecting, because if it is so persistent, complications can arise.

Know The Types of Blood Pressure

High blood pressure doesn’t always occur during pregnancy; sometimes it is actually already present before pregnancy. There are four types of hypertension to look out for:

1.Gestational hypertension

This type of high blood pressure develops in women after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Gestational hypertension does not have excess protein in the urine or damage other organs. Some women with this type of hypertension can develop it into preeclampsia.

2. Chronic hypertension

Chronic hypertension is how you refer to high blood pressure issues that are present before pregnancy. This type of hypertension can be difficult to diagnose because it does not have symptoms.

3. Chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia

When you have chronic hypertension before becoming pregnant, it can become more complicated during pregnancy. It can develop increasingly bad high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and other hypertension related complications.

4. Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia occurs when high blood pressure develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy and other organs and vital systems, like the kidney, blood circulatory system, or brain are damaged.

Preeclampsia is the most problematic type of hypertension to deal with during pregnancy. It’s defining feature is having protein in the urine. High blood pressure can lead to some serious issues during pregnancy:

  • Placental abruption
  • Decreased blood flow to the placenta
  • Premature delivery

Foods To Lower Hypertension

You can adjust hypertension levels using your diet. Include these simple foods in your next meal and you will be able to lower your blood pressure with ease:

  • Dairy
  • Flaxseed
  • Chocolate
  • Beets
  • Olive Oil
  • Pistachios

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