Pregnancy and High Blood Pressure, Headache and Other Warning Signs

You may be wondering why every pregnant women that comes to the doctor's office are routinely checked for high blood pressures. Monitoring the vital signs like blood pressure and temperatures are very important to get the baseline record and to immediately assess for pregnancy complications like chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.

Isn't it that when we have an increase in our blood pressure we tend to migraines and headaches attacks? In pregnancy, there are cases where women report an increase in the episodes of headaches especially in the first trimester. Medical studies show that it is causes by hormonal changes along with the sudden increase in the circulation blood volume in a pregnant woman's body. On the other hand, there are several factors that can trigger headaches during pregnancy and these include dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, anxiety and tension, insufficient sleep and decrease in the blood sugar.

The occurrence of migraine in pregnant women differs. There are women who report that they have fewer migraine headaches during the course of their pregnancy. On the other hand, it is not unlikely to see pregnant women going to the doctor's clinic because of regular occurrence of their migraines and headaches. If you are expecting, it is important to talk to your respective obstetrician about headaches medications. Remember that you are carrying your child. Consider any drugs harmful to your child. Seek consultation before taking any kind of medications and drugs for simple headaches and migraines.

A while ago, we mentioned about preeclampsia. So what is preeclampsia? In pregnancy, there are three types of hypertension. Let us discuss each one.

First is the Chronic Hypertension. This one is occurs before 20 weeks of pregnancy. On the other hand it can last for more than 12 weeks after giving birth. There are pregnant women who are not aware that they have chronic hypertension before they conceived. The exact cause of this disorder is still not known. Many experts believe that it has something to do with hormones.

The second type of hypertension that occurs during pregnancy is called Gestational Hypertension.. This one develops after 20 weeks of gestation. The only difference between gestational hypertension and preeclampsia is that women who are affected by gestation hypertension don't have positive protein in their urine. Normally, after delivery, the blood pressure will return back to normal.

The last type of hypertension in pregnancy is called as Preeclampsia. More often than not, the first two types of hypertension that we mentioned earlier can lead to preeclampsia. This type of hypertension is very serious. If left untreated, it can cause serious complication for both the mother and the unborn baby.

For soon to be mothers out there, do not take for granted your doctor's visit. Your health and your baby's wellness is in your hands.