Pregnant women with hypertension are divided into two groups--those who had high blood pressure before they became pregnant (chronic hypertension) and those who developed high blood pressure because they became pregnant (gestational hypertension.) The treatment of hypertension during pregnancy is different than the treatment of high blood pressure outside of pregnancy. The main goal during treatment of pregnant women is to prevent serious complications that can endanger the mother and child, such as preeclampsia, heart problems during labor and delivery, slow fetal growth, premature delivery, placental abruption and stillbirth. Doctors generally offer the following treatments.
Instructions
1. See your doctor regularly and discuss all your options. Being aware of what can happen helps you decide what treatment options are best.
2. Consider bed rest for gestational hypertension. Though results are mixed, in cases where there are problems with blood flow through the placenta, restricting your activity offers additional benefits. Enlist the help of friends and relatives to help with tasks you are no longer able to do.
3. Take low dose aspirin of 60 mg daily. Some doctors believe patients with chronic hypertension benefit from this.
4. Take short term blood pressure medication if your blood pressure is very high (150 over 100 or more). Drugs most often prescribed are Labetalol (a beta blocker), sustained release nifedipine (a calcium channel blocker), immediate release nicardipine (a channel blocker), or Hydralazine. If one of these won't control your blood pressure, Diazoxide is sometimes used to immediately lower blood pressure.
5. Choose long term prescription drugs for treatment that has to continue for weeks or months. Most commonly used for pregnant women with hypertension, Labetalol is considered to be safer for use during pregnancy. Other drugs that can be used for long term use are Methyldopa or Nifedipine (a long-acting calcium channel blocker).
6. Allow suggested tests. An ultrasound should be done at 16 to 20 weeks so the baby's growth rate can be evaluated. Most doctors do a "non-stress test," and amniotic fluid index, or a biophysical profile every week near the end of the pregnancy. If the baby seems to be at risk, your doctor will want to monitor more closely and may deliver early; otherwise, most women with uncomplicated gestational hypertension have normal delivery at full term.
Tags: blood pressure, channel blocker, gestational hypertension, high blood, high blood pressure, women with