There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Show From Mayo Clinic to your inboxSign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data.To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Blood pressure is the force of blood that pushes against the walls of your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from your heart to other parts of the body. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood to the arteries. If the pressure in your arteries becomes too high, you have high blood pressure (also called hypertension). High blood pressure can put extra stress on your organs. This can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. Some women have high blood pressure before they get pregnant. Others have high blood pressure for the first time during pregnancy. About 8 in 100 women (8 percent) have some kind of high blood pressure during pregnancy. If you have high blood pressure, talk to your health care provider. Managing your blood pressure can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. How do you know if you have high blood pressure? Your blood pressure reading is given as two numbers:
Your blood pressure reading fits into one of five categories:
At each prenatal care checkup, your provider checks your blood pressure. To do this, she wraps a cuff (band) around your upper arm. She pumps air into the cuff to measure the pressure in your arteries when the heart contracts and then relaxes. If you have a high reading, your provider can recheck it to find out for sure if you have high blood pressure. Your blood pressure can go up or down during the day. What pregnancy complications can high blood pressure cause? High blood pressure can cause problems for you and your baby during pregnancy, including: Problems for moms include:
If you have high blood pressure during pregnancy, you’re also more likely have a cesarean birth (also called c-section). This is surgery in which your baby is born through a cut that your doctor makes in your belly and uterus. Problems for babies include:
What kinds of high blood pressure can affect pregnancy? Two kinds of high blood pressure that can happen during pregnancy:
During pregnancy, your provider checks your blood pressure and urine at every prenatal care checkup. She may use ultrasound and fetal heart rate testing to check your baby’s growth and health. Your provider may ask you to check your blood pressure at home and do kick counts to see when and how often your baby moves. Here are two ways to do kick counts:
We don’t know how to prevent gestational hypertension. But if you’re overweight or obese, getting to a healthy weight before pregnancy may lower your chances of having this condition. And even though gestational hypertension usually goes away after birth, you may be more likely to develop hypertension later in life. Healthy eating, staying active and getting to a healthy weight after pregnancy can help prevent high blood pressure in the future. When should I worry about blood pressure during pregnancy?After 20 weeks of pregnancy, blood pressure that's higher than 140/90 mm Hg without any other organ damage is considered to be gestational hypertension. Blood pressure needs to be taken and documented on two or more occasions, at least four hours apart.
Does BP increase during pregnancy?Some women have high blood pressure during pregnancy. This can put the mother and her baby at risk for problems during the pregnancy. High blood pressure can also cause problems during and after delivery. The good news is that high blood pressure is preventable and treatable.
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