Pregnancy is an amazing experience because you are creating a new human being. Your body is going through physical changes every week, from your belly size to the speed at which your heart beats. For these reasons, you need to find a good obstetrician-gynecologist. Read on to find out why you should be concerned about gestational hypertension and why you need to take advantage of prenatal care.
What Is Gestational Hypertension?
Gestational hypertension is the new development of hypertension during pregnancy. It usually occurs in pregnant women after 20 weeks of gestation. At this stage, there is no presence of protein in your urine, which means preeclampsia has not developed. A person is diagnosed with hypertension when he or she has a blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg. Pregnant women usually do not experience any noticeable symptoms unless their blood pressure is high.
Why Get Preconception Care?
If you want to have a healthy birth, then you need to have a healthy pregnancy. For this reason, you want to get early and regular prenatal care. This care can start before pregnancy with a preconception visit to your obstetrician-gynecologist.
At every prenatal visit, your doctor will check your urine and blood pressure levels. Your blood pressure is always monitored closely during pregnancy. A urine test is done to check for excessive protein in your urine. Excessive protein is a sign of kidney damage, which is caused by preeclampsia. Regular doctor visits can help you to catch gestational hypertension before it becomes severe.
How Does Gestational Hypertension Affect Your Baby?
Hypertension prevents your placenta from getting enough blood. If your placenta does not get enough blood, then your baby receives less food and oxygen. This means your baby could be born at a low weight. If you develop a severe case of hypertension, then it leads to preeclampsia. Preeclampsia can damage your liver and kidneys. It can also cause fluid on your lungs, seizures and blood clotting problems. When left untreated, it can result in infant and maternal death, but that is worst case scenario. It is possible to deliver a healthy baby when hypertension is detected in the early stages.
Pregnancy is the right time to start taking care of yourself emotionally and physically. Taking care of yourself means going to regular doctor visits, eating healthy, and taking prenatal vitamins. At the end of nine months, you want a healthy mother and baby. For more information about prenatal care, talk to doctors like Bhupathy Vellore R MD-Women's Medical Group.
