High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy (Cont.)

Diagnosing High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Diagnosing high blood pressure during pregnancy requires taking several readings to determine the average blood pressure. To do this, your blood pressure needs to be taken two or more times, and each reading must be from a different day.
 
If the average of the two blood pressure numbers is greater than 140/90, then a pregnant woman has high blood pressure -- just as with women who are not pregnant. A woman is also considered to have high blood pressure during pregnancy if her systolic blood pressure increases more than 30 mmHg or her diastolic blood pressure increases more than 15 mmHg.
 
A single reading that is more than 140/90 doesn't necessarily mean that you have high blood pressure, but your doctor will probably want to monitor it over a period of time to see if it stays there. You can also have high blood pressure if the average of only one of the numbers (systolic or diastolic) is too high.
 

Treating High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

The treatment recommended for high blood pressure during pregnancy will depend on a number of factors, such as:
 
  • Type of high blood pressure
  • The woman's age
  • At what week in pregnancy the high blood pressure is diagnosed
  • Other medical conditions.
     
Possible treatment options may include:
 
  • Bed rest
  • Observation
  • No-salt-added diet
  • Medications
  • More frequent prenatal visits
  • Early delivery (after 36 weeks).
     
(High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Continued: Page 3)

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD