Ever heard of or experienced pre-eclampsia ❓❓❓
PRE-ECLAMPSIA also known as “toxemia” is a potentially dangerous❌ complication characterized by high blood pressure (the force❣ of blood against the walls of your arteries) that occurs mostly during pregnancy .
Pre-eclampsia usually begins in about 20 weeks of pregnancy such that the individual have increased blood pressure which can stress the heart and pose a threat to both mother and baby , but if well managed, some might have healthy babies eventually.
In this part of the world , it’s rare as it occurs in less than 10% of pregnant women but we still need to pay attention to it. Occurs between the age range of 18 to 60 years.
Some of the symptoms may include ;
- High blood pressure
- Protein in the urine
- Swelling in the legs
- Water retention.
This symptoms are closely related to normal pregnancy which makes it a bit difficult ♀to distinguish.
Other symptoms to look out for aside the above mentioned includes ;
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Consistent headache
- Nausea
- Pain in the right upper abdomen
- Rapid weight gain caused by significant increase in body fluid
Some of the various ways to mange the condition includes ;
- Pre-eclampsia can often be managed with oral or intravenous (IV) medication until the baby is sufficiently matured to be delivered.
- The use of medical procedure such as labour induction.
- Medications: The use of dietary supplement to promote health.
- Surgery: It can be a cesarean section to help deliver the baby through abdomen instead of vagina delivery.
- We also recommend that seeing a specialist such as the maternal foetal medicine specialist (focuses on medical management of high risk pregnancies).
However if you feel unusually different from normal , or experience the above mentioned during pregnancy especially around that stage, kindly see a doctor.
Please note that pre-eclampsia can be treated or can go away if properly managed.