High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy

While many people associate high blood pressure in pregnancy with preeclampsia, having hypertension while pregnant can have long-term health consequences.

"If uncontrolled, it can have severe downstream ramifications, both during pregnancy and after pregnancy, both to the mother and to the fetus," said Caitlin Luebcke, DNP, nurse practitioner at Franciscan Physician Network Indiana Heart Physicians.

Learn what causes high blood pressure in pregnancy and what to do for high blood pressure while pregnant.

High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy Common

Although the risk increases with age, women should remember that high blood pressure is not only a disease of older people, and women in their 20s and 30s can have hypertension. In fact, the most common a preexisting condition in pregnant women in the United States is high blood pressure.

Cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, occurs in more 11% of pregnant women in the United States, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.

Black and Asian women of childbearing age are much more likely to have uncontrolled high blood pressure compared with their white peers, increasing their risk of heart-related complications during pregnancy, according to research in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Any women with a health history of hypertension is more likely to have complications during pregnancy, although women whose blood pressure has been normal can develop high blood pressure while pregnant, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

"Hypertensive heart disease is the most common cardiovascular condition in pregnancy and, when left untreated, is the one of the leading causes of maternal death," Luebcke said. "Working with your obstetrician, as well as providers with expertise in cardiology, is extremely important."

Complications From High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Women with a history of high blood pressure are more likely to have complications during pregnancy, although women whose blood pressure has been normal may also develop hypertension while pregnant, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Many pregnant women with high blood pressure can deliver healthy babies and not experience serious complications, but according to the American Heart Association, having uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage the mother's kidneys or other organs, and high blood pressure can cause low birth weight or premature birth.

Common complications from high blood pressure in pregnancy include:

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia, which can affect the kidney, liver, lungs and brain, is a leading cause of fetal complications in the United States.

Eclampsia

Eclampsia, the second leading cause of maternal death in the United States, develops when preeclampsia progresses to seizures or coma.

Gestational Hypertension

Gestational hypertension is marked a rise in blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Chronic Hypertension

Chronic hypertension is defined as high blood pressure before or during the first 19 weeks of pregnancy and more than 12 weeks after the baby is born.

If You Have High Blood Pressure Before Pregnancy

"It is important to be aware of your pre-existing conditions, whether it is high blood pressure or any other form of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, or being pregnant while under the age of 20 or over the age of 35" Luebcke said. :You should also be aware of how your family history may place you at risk. If your parents or grandparents have high blood pressure or if your mom had high blood pressure during pregnancy, you are at risk for developing hypertension during your own pregnancy."

Women with high blood pressure who are considering becoming pregnant need to work closely with their physicians to minimize risks to themselves and their babies. Some drugs for hypertension aren't recommended for pregnant women, so you may need to ask your doctor to change your medication. Always consult your doctor before stopping any medication.

Health Complications From High Blood Pressure After Pregnancy

High blood pressure complications during pregnancy can be scary. High blood pressure in pregnancy can lead to death or organ damage, including end-stage kidney disease, when the kidneys can no longer function on their own. A study of more than 60,000 women also warns that high blood pressure while pregnant also significantly raises a woman's risk for heart disease later in life. Most women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy developed chronic high blood pressure in the years or decades after they gave birth, the study authors noted.

Overall, women who had high blood pressure complications during pregnancy had a 63% increased risk of heart disease later in life. The risk of heart disease, and the type of heart event and when it occurred, were often associated with specific high blood pressure complications during pregnancy, the investigators found.

Compared to women with normal blood pressure in pregnancy, those who had gestational hypertension had a 41% increased risk of heart disease and were more likely to have a stroke about 30 years after their first pregnancy, the findings showed.

Those who had preeclampsia had a 72% higher risk of heart disease and were more likely to have a coronary artery event, such as a heart attack, as early as 10 years after their first pregnancy, according to the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Chronic high blood pressure after pregnancy accounted for 81% of the increased heart disease risk among women who had gestational hypertension and for 48% of the increased risk among women who had preeclampsia.

Other health complications of prolonged and uncontrolled blood pressure include stroke, kidney failure and problems with vision.

"We now know that any hypertensive diagnosis during pregnancy isn't a random occurrence, even if your pregnancy went well and you had an uneventful delivery," Luebcke said. "It is a warning sign and a chance for us to intervene while patients are still young and fairly healthy, so that we can work together to make changes to keep mothers safe from cardiovascular events and with their families for decades to come."

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and being overweight or obese after pregnancy account for most of the increased risk of future heart disease and events such as heart attack or stroke, according to the researchers.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes were also notable risk factors for heart disease.

HealthDay News contributed information to this article.