Preeclampsia: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Pregnancy is normally a happy time in a woman's life. Many women have thought about and dreamed of what being pregnant is like, never fully realizing health risks that can be involved. There are two major health risks that a woman can face towards the end of her pregnancy. Those risks are preeclampsia and toxemia.

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a condition women get during pregnancy that is associated with high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Toxemia is also another term used to describe preeclampsia. Statistics show that about 7% of women will experience this condition. It usually occurs with a woman's first pregnancy, but can affect pregnancy at any time. It's also associated with multiple births and women who are over the age of 35 are at risk of developing this condition. Women who have high blood pressure, diabetes, or kidney failure may also be at risk for developing preeclampsia.

No one knows the cause of preeclampsia. There are reports that it could run in families. Also, it has been associated with a fetuses placenta. There could be too much placenta or too little. Last the placement of the placenta in the woman's uterine wall could be a possible reason. There is no kind of precaution that a woman can take to prevent preeclampsia. It is something that can just occur.

Symptoms

A woman who is developing preeclampsia my experience several symptoms. The first tell tale sign of preeclampsia is the beginning of high blood pressure. If the blood pressure raises often and stays high, even with lack of rest, then most times this is the early sign of preeclampsia. When I was pregnant with my son I experienced this. My blood pressure went up and stayed up for about three weeks. It never would go down even while resting. This will be closely monitor and action taken if blood pressure raises too high.

Another sign of preeclampsia is protein in the urine. The kidneys can't filter blood normally. A test would be performed in the doctors office to check for protein in the urine. For most who have ever had this done, it's very uncomfortable. To obtain a clean sample the doctor goes in with a catheter type instruments and taps the bladder for a sample. It's somewhat painful and something I never want to go through again. The sample is then tested for protein build up.

Blurred vision, headaches, or seeing spots is serious and women who have these symptoms should seek medical attention. Lastly swelling of the hands, feet and face are signs of preeclampsia and should be reported to your doctor.

Treatment

There is no treatment for this condition other than delivery of the baby. Depending on how serious the preeclampsia is and how close the woman is to her due date, will determine if early delivery is possible. If preeclampsia is not severe, and the baby is too early to be delivered, the doctor will admit the expecting mother into the hospital. She will be on complete bed rest and the baby monitored for distress at all times. If the preeclampsia is severe and the baby is in distress and is close to term, the baby will then be delivered by cesarean section. Once the baby is delivered, symptoms of preeclampsia go away.

This can be a scary time for a first time, expecting mother. Knowing the risks and what to look for can be a way to prevent even more serious health problems to the mother and her unborn baby. If a mom to be is suffering from any of these symptoms, tell her doctor and seek medical help.