Symptoms of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy and postpartum

Pre-eclampsia is a complication of pregnancy, and appears to occur due to problems in the development of placenta vessels, leading to spasms in the blood vessels, changes in blood clotting ability and decreased blood circulation. Symptoms may occur during pregnancy, especially after the 20th week of gestation, at delivery or after delivery and include high blood pressure, greater than 140 x 90 mmHg, presence of protein in the urine, and swelling of the body due to the retention of liquids.

Some of the conditions that increase the risk of preeclampsia in pregnancy include when the woman first becomes pregnant, is over 35 years or less than 17 years old, is diabetic, obese, is pregnant with twins or has a history of kidney disease, hypertension or previous preeclampsia.

There are two types of pre-eclampsia, but the most dangerous is severe preeclampsia, which can progress to eclampsia, which can lead to death of the mother and the baby when untreated. Learn how to identify eclampsia and what its risks are.

Symptoms of mild pre-eclampsia

Symptoms of mild preeclampsia include:

• Blood pressure equal to 140 x 90 mmHg;
• Presence of protein in the urine;
• Sudden weight gain, such as 2 to 3 kg in 1 or 2 days.

In the presence of at least one of the symptoms, the pregnant woman should go to the emergency room or hospital to check blood pressure and blood and urine tests to see if she has pre-eclampsia or not.

How to treat mild pre-eclampsia

If the pregnant woman has pre-eclampsia, she should begin treatment that can be done at home on a low-salt diet, increase water intake to about 2 to 3 liters per day, rest, and the pregnant woman should lie down. the left side to increase blood circulation to the kidneys and uterus and remedies to control blood pressure if necessary.

During treatment, it is important for the pregnant woman to control blood pressure and urine tests to prevent pre-eclampsia from getting worse. Find out what the risks of high blood pressure are in pregnancy and what to do to control it.

Symptoms of severe pre-eclampsia

Symptoms of severe pre-eclampsia include, in addition to swelling and weight gain:

• Blood pressure greater than 160 x 110 mmHg;
• Strong, steady headache;
• Pain in the right side of the abdomen;
• Decreased urination and urge to urinate;
• Changes in vision, such as blurred or darkened vision;
• Burning sensation in the stomach.

If the pregnant woman has these symptoms, she should go to the hospital immediately.

How to treat severe pre-eclampsia

Treatment of severe pre-eclampsia is done at the hospital. The pregnant woman needs to be hospitalized for antihypertensive drugs in the vein and to monitor her and the baby's health, which are at risk. According to the baby's gestational age, it may be necessary to induce labor to treat pre-eclampsia.

Treatment of severe pre-eclampsia should be done as soon as possible because complications such as HELLP syndrome may occur, which can cause kidney failure, liver failure, and even death of the pregnant woman, as well as eclampsia that occurs when pre- eclampsia worsens, leading to convulsions, coma, and death. Learn more about how it arises, how to treat it and the major complications of preeclampsia.

Symptoms of pre-eclampsia after childbirth

If the woman experiences any of the typical symptoms of preeclampsia after discharge from the hospital within the first 3 months after delivery, it is important to go to the emergency room or hospital as further treatment for pre-eclampsia with medicines may be necessary antihypertensive drugs.

Symptoms that may indicate postpartum pre-eclampsia may be:

• Blood pressure greater than 140 x 90 mmHg;
• Enjoos,
• Vomiting;
• Vision changes;
• Very strong and constant headache.

Generally, pre-eclampsia tends to normalize after delivery with the disappearance of symptoms.

Types of pre-eclampsia

To diagnose and identify the type of preeclampsia, it is considered:

• Mild pre-eclampsia : occurs when blood pressure rises above 140 x 90 mmHg in the pregnant woman with 20 or more weeks of gestation and is accompanied by an increase in the amount of protein in the urine, with a value above 300 mg in 24 hours, which may be indicated by the presence of foamy urine;
• Pre-eclampsia overlapped with chronic hypertension : when the pregnant woman had previous hypertension, which is very common, and the diagnosis is confirmed if there is an increase of 30 mmHg of the maximum blood pressure or 15 mmHg of the minimum blood pressure, accompanied by an increase of urinary protein or generalized swelling;
• Severe pre-eclampsia : occurs when blood pressure reaches values ​​equal to or greater than 160 x 100 mmHg and the amount of protein in the urine exceeds 2 grams per day, accompanied by signs and symptoms such as decrease in daily urine volume, less than 500 ml in 24 hours, abdominal pain, visual changes, increased liver enzymes and reduced numbers of platelets in the blood.

In addition, although preeclampsia is more common during pregnancy, it may occur in the postpartum period, especially in women who already have some risk, since during labor, medications and serum can be made in the vein, in addition to the risk of increased pressure.

The progression of preeclampsia is often unpredictable, and can become serious and life-threatening very quickly, so it is important to regularly prenatal and seek medical attention whenever symptoms appear that indicate this disease.