I am pregnant and just diagnosed with hypertension. can there be complication with the birth?

Pregnancy & high BP: Uncontrolled hypertension during pregnancy can adversely impact the mother & the fetus, and it is the most common medical disorder encountered during pregnancy. Despite this fact, if diagnosed and managed correctly these risks can be dramatically reduced. Some medications are safer during pregnancy than others for the developing fetus. Close monitoring of the mother is important for mother & baby.

Classifications: Hypertension of pregnancy can be divided into four categories: 1. Pre-existing or chronic hypertension, 2. Preeclampasia-eclampsia, 3. Preeclampsia on top of chronic hypertension and late onset or gestational hypertension. Often hypertension that develops late in pregnancy needs to be treated for several months after delivery before improving on it's own.

Preeclampsia: Preeclampsia is defined as hypertension that develops after the 20th week of pregnancy assoiciated with protinuria (protein in the urine) with or without edema (swelling) of the extremities. It occurs in 5% of all pregnancies and 10% of first pregnancies and is more likely to occur in those with chronic hypertension. It can be safely managed under the care of an obstetrician.

Yes: Your doctor will likely monitor your pregnancy more closely to try to catch early signs of potential complications.

Yes: Unfortunately, there is a high probability of complication in pregnant ladies with untreated hypertension. Therefore it is of paramount importance to control your hypertension during and likely for a short period of time post pregnancy until the blood pressure normalizes. There are several safe drugs for this purpose and your doctors can suggest them, low salt diet is also very important.

Management helps: A woman who develops high blood pressure during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy has some different risks than one whose blood pressure becomes elevated after 20 weeks. An OB might refer either one to a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist for consultation and ultrasound studies. Those visits will help develop a plan for evaluation of the woman and fetus and for treatment and timing of delivery.