What is Pre-eclampsia?

Pre-eclampsia is a serious condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy or after you have your baby. It can affect your organs and needs medical attention.

Tell Your Healthcare Provider Right Away if you Have Any of These Pre-eclampsia Symptoms:

• Headaches that do not go away
• Changes in vision (seeing spots, blurry vision, or double vision)
• Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea) or vomiting
• Severe stomach pain
• High blood pressure
• Increase swelling in your hands, legs, feet or face
• Gaining more than 5 pounds in one week
• Trouble breathing or shortness of breath

What Causes It?

Healthcare providers don’t know the exact cause of pre-eclampsia. However, certain things can make it more likely to happen. Your risk is higher if you:

• Had pre-eclampsia in a past pregnancy.
• Are pregnant with more than one baby (twins, triplets, etc.).
• Are older than 35.
• Have obesity.
• Have chronic high blood pressure.
• Have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
• Have kidney disease that started before pregnancy.

What Can Be Done?

If you have a higher chance of developing pre-eclampsia, your healthcare provider may suggest taking low dose aspirin starting around 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is something providers sometimes use to help lower the risk of pre-eclampsia. Always follow your provider’s guidance before starting any medicine.

What Happens if Pre-eclampsia is Not Treated?

Without treatment, pre-eclampsia can become very dangerous. It can lead to:

• Eclampsia, which involves seizures.
• Stroke.
• Damage to organs such as the kidneys, liver, or brain.
• Death