If you are pregnant, high blood pressure can cause problems for you and your unborn baby. You may have had high blood pressure before you got pregnant. Or you may get it once you are pregnant – a condition called gestational hypertension. Whichever you have, it can cause low birth weight or premature delivery of the baby. Serious cases may develop preeclampsia, a sudden increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy. It can be life-threatening for both you and the unborn baby.
Treatments for high blood pressure in pregnancy may include close monitoring of the baby, lifestyle changes and certain medicines. For preeclampsia, early delivery of the baby may be necessary.
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High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hbp_preg.htm
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Preeclampsia and Eclampsia(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Preeclampsia_and_Eclampsia.cfm
- High Blood Pressure and Pregnancy: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/pregnancy/PR00125/METHOD=print
- High Blood Pressure during Pregnancy(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp034.cfm?printerFriendly=yes
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy a Heart Risk(04/09/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82769.html
- Migraine Ups Risk of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy(02/12/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_80259.html
- Urine Screen for Sugar and/or Protein(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/wellness/first_urinescreen.html
- Surviving Bed Rest(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/bed_rest.html
- Chronic Hypertension in Pregnancy(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/115/7/e188
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High Blood Pressure during Pregnancy(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_1054.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9254_9649.asp
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Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure: Pregnancy(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/issues/preg/preg.htm
- Pregnancy and Liver Function(American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases) - http://publish.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/LiverFastFactsPregnancyandLiverFunction.aspx
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hypertension,+Pregnancy-Induced%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Pre-Eclampsia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Pre-Eclampsia%22
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Disorders of Pregnancy (Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Preeclampsia, and Eclampsia)(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/research/pregbirth/disorders.cfm
- Preeclampsia May Signify Later Insulin Sensitivity, Vessel Dysfunction(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=446
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19332964&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: The HELLP syndrome: clinical issues and management. A Review. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19245695&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Magnesium sulfate for the treatment of eclampsia: a brief review. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19211496&tool=MedlinePlus
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hypertension,pregnancy-induced[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/member-lookup/disclaimer.cfm
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - http://www.acog.org/
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- High Risk Pregnancy - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/highriskpregnancy.html
- Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
- Pregnancy and Reproduction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pregnancyandreproduction.html
The primary NIH organization for research on High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/highbloodpressureinpregnancy.html