Abnormal Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Blood pressure and pregnancy
During pregnancy, your body goes through numerous physical changes to accommodate fetal growth and development. Throughout these nine months, it’s ideal to have a normal blood pressure reading.

Your blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Every time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries, which then carry the blood to the rest of your body. The blood typically moves through the arteries at a certain rate. However, various factors can disrupt the normal rate at which blood flows through the vessels, causing an increase or decrease in pressure. Increased pressure in the arteries can result in an elevated blood pressure reading. Decreased pressure in the arteries can result in a low blood pressure reading.

Blood pressure is recorded as two types of numbers. The systolic number is the top number, which indicates the amount of pressure in the arteries when your heartbeats. The diastolic number is the bottom number, which indicates the amount of pressure in the arteries between heartbeats. Your blood pressure naturally rises with each heartbeat and falls when the heart rests in between beats. However, the rapid changes your body goes through during pregnancy can greatly influence these numbers and cause a drastic change in blood pressure.

How to detect abnormal blood pressure
Elevated blood pressure is a systolic number between 120 and 129 and a diastolic number lower than 80.
In stage 1 hypertension, the systolic number is between 130 and 139 or the diastolic number is between 80 and 89.
In stage 2 hypertension, the systolic number is 140 or higher or the diastolic number is 90 or higher.
In a hypertensive crisis, the systolic number is higher than 180 and/or the diastolic number is higher than 120.
You may not always be able to tell whether your blood pressure is too high or too low. In fact, hypertension and hypotension may not cause noticeable symptoms. If you do experience symptoms, they may include the following:
Symptoms of hypertension
High blood pressure, or hypertension, in pregnancy is usually defined as 140/90 mm Hg or higher. It may cause:

flushed skin
swelling of the hands or feet
headaches
shortness of breath
abdominal pain
nausea
vomiting
changes in vision
Symptoms of hypotension
Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is usually defined as 90/60 mm Hg or less. It may cause:

dizziness
difficulty concentrating
cold, clammy skin
blurred vision
rapid breathing
depression


Kalpataru Hospital Kharghar 

Location: Akshar CHS, Plot no 64, Ground floor, Sector 21, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 410210, India

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