High blood pressure during pregnancy: diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Against the background of hormonal changes in a woman’s body, blood pressure in the early stages of pregnancy can increase or decrease. The process has an individual nature and probable causes are determined in each individual case. Possible violations are indicated by poor health, headache and other characteristic symptoms. This condition is very dangerous for a pregnant woman and her baby; blood circulation and, accordingly, the baby’s nutrition in the womb depend on the level of blood pressure. Therefore, at the beginning of pregnancy and throughout the entire stage, you need to monitor indicators and, if alarming signs appear, contact a specialist.

The normal blood pressure in a healthy person is 120/80 mmHg. Art. For a pregnant woman, the blood pressure level is determined depending on her physiological indicators. In this case, systolic pressure readings above 140 mmHg are considered pathological. Art., and diastolic below 60 mm Hg. Art.

Normal blood pressure during pregnancy

Every pregnant girl knows that blood pressure should be measured regularly during pregnancy. So, if yours is normal, then you need to measure it weekly, but if it starts to jump, especially when it gets high, then you need to measure it daily.

Girls often say that their blood pressure is always low, but sometimes this is nothing more than a misconception because they do not know what normal blood pressure really is. Yes, we are told that a person who is healthy and feels well should have a blood pressure of 120/80, but again, each of us is individual, and if 120/80 is good for astronauts, then for a young girl who has never gave birth and weighs 50 kg, 100/60 is considered normal. Therefore, in this matter it is very important to focus on your individuality and, of course, your well-being.

So, for example, if you constantly have 100/60, and then you measure, and the scale shows 120/80, then for you this will already be high blood pressure, to which you need to take measures to lower it.

As for low blood pressure, you will feel unwell with it, you may feel dizzy, especially when trying to lie down, you may feel nauseous, and feel weak throughout your body. Sometimes it can reach a pre-harvest state. If this happens to you, then be sure to measure your blood pressure at this moment, and then you will know exactly what is low and what is normal pressure for you.

First aid at home if a pregnant woman has high blood pressure

If the expectant mother’s blood pressure has risen, then it is not recommended to rush to reduce it with the help of medications - this is an extreme measure that is necessary only in cases of urgent need.

If the condition is stable and not critical, then doctors advise taking a mild sedative (tincture of motherwort or valerian). In addition, there are methods to help reduce blood pressure at home. For example, press the back of your head with your fingers, hold for 10 seconds, release, and repeat again after 30 seconds. Or another way: with your left hand, pull the middle finger of your right hand, and vice versa (repeat several times).

Also, it helps to normalize the condition if you simply close your eyes and lie quietly, trying to breathe evenly.

Low pressure

Having become pregnant, the expectant mother's body undergoes enormous changes, and this provokes a decrease in blood pressure and can cause hypotomy. Because of it, a pregnant woman may feel lethargic, tired, she will constantly want to sleep, she may feel dizzy, her ears may ring, and she may feel short of breath when moving. All these unpleasant symptoms are felt both during the day and in the evening, but especially in the morning. It is in the morning that poor health intensifies.

Often, not yet knowing about pregnancy, girls lose consciousness. And doctors consider this symptom to be as characteristic as craving for any product or toxicosis. By the way, it should be noted that with toxicosis, the signs of hypotomy can become even stronger, which not only contributes to the woman’s unpleasant sensations, but can harm the health and development of the fetus.

If the device shows a low pressure reading when measuring, this can lead to deterioration of blood circulation in the placenta. Because of this, the baby receives little air and nutrition, and this leads to the fact that he may suffocate or lack nutrition. This development of events cannot be allowed in any way, so it is important not to forget to systematically measure blood pressure from the first month of gestation.

During the entire 9 months, your blood pressure should not fall below 100/60 or rise above 140/90. If this happens, then do not delay and go to your doctor.

Preventive measures

There are several simple recommendations for preventing hypertension. The very first and necessary condition is a sufficient amount of sleep and rest. At least 10 hours a day should be allocated for rest. Daytime naps are great for restoring strength. You should not get out of bed abruptly; you need to lie down for a while, stretch, and only then get up smoothly and slowly. Sleeping on high pillows and having a light snack in bed helps. Fruit or cookies work well for this. If you still feel dizzy, you need to lie down and raise your legs up for 5 minutes. Blood enters the brain, saturates it with oxygen.

If you have hypotension, it is not recommended to take hot baths or stay in stuffy rooms. Be sure to eat berries, fruits and vegetables. It is believed that lemon, carrots, beef liver, butter, and caviar increase blood pressure well. A piece of pickled cucumber, strong black or green tea will help. In extreme cases, a small amount of simple table salt.

Light physical activity improves the general condition of the body, maintains muscle tone and increases blood pressure. Compression stockings as a preventive measure for varicose veins are useful for hypotension. You can have a short acupressure session. For example, points in the middle of the area above and below the lips. Massage the little finger at the base of the nail plate. The procedure helps to slightly increase blood pressure. To complete the procedure, stretch the tips of all fingers of both hands. Any medications should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor: not all medications are suitable for pregnant women.

High blood pressure during pregnancy

As a rule, blood pressure increases during the 6-7th month of pregnancy. This is due to rapid physiological changes. Namely, the pregnant woman has another circulation, which helps to increase blood by 0.5 liters by the 20th week, and by the 36th week by a liter. In this regard, serious changes occur in the functioning of the organs and the entire body of the young mother.

Firstly, the increase in blood puts a lot of stress on the heart, which now needs to beat faster in order to pass more blood through it. Now your pulse will be 70-90 beats per minute, and when you walk or worry, the beats can reach 100 or a little higher. But don’t worry, this is considered normal during pregnancy, and if you feel good, then everything is fine.

Also, do not worry if during this period your pressure increases by 5, 10 or 15 mm compared to the pressure that was in the first months. But if you see that the difference exceeds these figures, then you need to be wary. This happens if a woman experiences toxicosis in the second half of pregnancy. And this happens because almost all the fluid in the tissue leaves the heart cavities and all vessels (the blood circulation), which is when swelling appears and the pressure decreases. In this case, arterial stimulation is activated in the body.

In addition, the pregnant woman’s body begins to function in an unusual way, which also leads to increased blood pressure, which means that you need to change your lifestyle, because. previous behavior may be dangerous. A pregnant woman needs to adhere to a fairly strict regime and do certain actions to establish and maintain normal blood pressure.

What does it mean? This means that you will need to regulate the water-salt balance, and from week 20 you need to significantly limit your salt intake. This will help you avoid edema, high blood pressure and other complications, both with your health and with the development of the fetus, in particular and early childbirth.

And if salt stops entering your body in a timely manner, then you will not need any other prevention.

Once again we would like to remind you of the need to measure your blood pressure regularly, especially for girls who are sure that their blood pressure is always low. Such women do not take measurements very seriously and do not notice how the pressure increases, because... don't know what it is and don't expect that their blood pressure might ever be higher than necessary. In these cases, doctors recommend that the responsibility for measuring blood pressure lies not with the pregnant woman, but with her husband or another family member who will do this procedure for her every day.

In addition, sudden weight gain and swelling that were not there before should alert you. All this is a sign that you need urgent treatment and a salt-free diet. If no urgent measures are taken, then high blood pressure, followed by hospitalization, will not take long to occur.

Severe and sudden weight gain and swelling can be a harbinger of a heart attack, and then separation of the placenta, which is deadly for the fetus, but most importantly, this can happen unexpectedly and asymptomatically.

That is why doctors recommend strictly monitoring not only increased blood pressure, but also weight, as well as swelling.

Types of disease

Classification of arterial hypertension during pregnancy
Chronic hypertension	Primary form of the disease, secondary (symptomatic) form
Gestational pathology
Preeclampsia/eclampsia
Preeclampsia/eclampsia due to chronic hypertension

Chronic pathology, in turn, is divided into:

Hypertension of the primary type (HD);
Secondary hypertension (symptomatic).

Hypertension is characterized by elevated blood pressure without any concomitant pathology of organs and organ systems.
Symptomatic arterial hypertension often develops against the background of kidney damage. The cause can also be endocrine pathology (Itsenko-Cushing syndrome, Conn syndrome, pheochromocytoma), various disorders of the cardiovascular system. Sometimes due to long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs, oral hormonal contraceptives and some other substances.

High blood pressure during pregnancy is considered by blood pressure indicators when the heart systole (contraction) is more than 160 mmHg, and during diastole (relaxation) - more than 90 mmHg. In this case, there is a risk of a stroke in the parturient woman (usually with hemorrhage in the brain tissue) during childbirth or in the postpartum period.

What blood pressure should be before childbirth? Normal blood pressure in a pregnant woman is considered to be the upper value of 120-140 mmHg. and/or lower 80-90 mm Hg.

Table: Normal blood pressure in pregnant women

Categories	Upper blood pressure mmHg.	Lower blood pressure mmHg.
Normal pressure	Less than 140	Less than 90
Moderate hypertension	140-159	90-109
Severe hypertension	More than 160	More than 110

The diagnosis of gestational hypertension can only be made during pregnancy if elevated blood pressure is detected at 20 weeks or more. After giving birth, the woman is monitored for 12 weeks. Depending on the level of blood pressure, a woman is diagnosed.
If an elevated blood pressure level is recorded in parallel with the excretion of protein in the urine (more than 300 mg per day), then this condition is called preeclampsia (PE). It is accompanied by disruption of the activity of many organ systems. As a result, laboratory parameters change dramatically. The risk of developing PE increases in the presence of concomitant pathologies: kidney disease, endocrine system disease, chronic hypertension, genetic predisposition.

Preeclampsia is divided into severe and moderate. With moderate severity, it is possible to prolong pregnancy, but in a hospital setting. In severe cases, it is urgent to resolve the issue of delivery to the mother.

If convulsive syndrome is added to the symptoms of preeclampsia, we can talk about the onset of eclampsia. The appearance of seizures is preceded by excessive excitement or drowsiness, the appearance of fibrillar twitching of the facial muscles, pain in the abdomen, arms and legs, and headaches.

Blood pressure measurement during pregnancy

If you have a mechanical tonometer, then you won’t have to do anything special. Just put the cuff on your arm a little above the elbow, relax and turn on the device. When you take your blood pressure, do not move and sit still.

You cannot measure your blood pressure immediately after eating or active movement; it is better to do it at the same time. It's good if you do this before falling asleep in the evening and after it in the morning.

Do not place the device on a soft surface or on yourself; it is better to place it on a table and sit on a stool.

If the readings on the thermometer are too high, then you should not worry right away, you need to double-check yourself, and also know in which cases the readings may exceed the norm, but this is only a temporary and not critical indicator.

So, the device can show high blood pressure if:

Drank tea or coffee drinks;
We ate chocolate;
Inhaled cigarette smoke;
Have taken medications that contain substances that increase blood pressure;
Feel nervous, for example, in line to see a doctor or for some other reason;
They walked quickly down the street or ran up the stairs;
You have some kind of internal tension.

And there are factors that artificially lower blood pressure, and these are:

The cuff is poorly inflated and the blood supply is not completely blocked;
The air left the cuff faster than necessary;
The patient's arm is thinner than needed for a standard cuff;
The pregnant woman is in a recumbent state;

Prevention of high blood pressure in pregnant women

If the expectant mother begins to experience small surges in blood pressure, her condition can be corrected using preventive measures. This will help improve your well-being and avoid increased blood pressure at a later date. What do you need to do for this? First of all, don’t overexert yourself, get enough sleep, control your weight and avoid stress. Take walks in the fresh air more often, introduce only natural foods into your diet, adhere to only a healthy lifestyle and do not miss scheduled examinations with a doctor. And, of course, don’t panic, don’t get nervous, listen to calm music, watch good cartoons and just be in a good mood.

How to reduce blood pressure

The reasons for increased pressure may be different, so in order to stop pressure surges, you need to consult with your doctor, who will prescribe medications that are suitable specifically for your case. Therefore, we will not talk about the medicine, but we will tell you what you can do to keep your blood pressure normal.

And the first thing you need to do is adjust your sleep and review your daily routine. Pregnant women should get a good night's sleep (at least 8 hours of sleep) and still sleep 1-2 hours during the day.

The second thing you need to do is adjust your diet. It is best to switch to a diet menu that contains a large amount of protein and vitamins, while limiting salt, fat and carbohydrates.

If you are on the doctor’s risk table, then you will not be able to do without medications, but those women who are not included in the risk group can simply adhere to the prescribed diet, make work easier and reduce physical activity.

Should I take pills for high and low blood pressure?

It is strictly forbidden to prescribe certain medications for yourself, even if your neighbor or friend took some of them while pregnant, they may be contraindicated for you. Please note that most tablets are dangerous for a child, so you can take this or that drug only after consulting a doctor.

Usually, women with high blood pressure are prescribed medications with magnesium, but they are effective only if the girl suffers from hypertension, because during pregnancy it is magnesium that is often lacking.

If you took some pills for high or low blood pressure before pregnancy, then during pregnancy these drugs may no longer be suitable and they will need to be changed, but again they can only be changed after consulting with your doctor.

Hospitalization

Indications for hospitalization of a pregnant woman:

Excessively high blood pressure numbers: above 160/110 mmHg;
The appearance of abdominal pain, headaches (harbingers of PE);
Development of PE;
Newly detected increase in blood pressure;
Increased blood pressure in women with kidney pathology, diabetes mellitus and previously present chronic hypertension;
Significant excretion of protein in the urine;
If there is a suspicion of hypoxia in the child;
Fetal growth restriction;
Malnutrition of the child through the placenta (vascular pathology).

High blood pressure during pregnancy is not a reason to panic. Advice and a treatment regimen from a doctor will reduce the development of pathology to a minimum. In order not to harm the baby, it is necessary to follow basic rules of prevention.

THERE ARE CONTRAINDICATIONS CONSULTATION WITH A DOCTOR IS REQUIRED
Author of the article Svetlana Anatolyevna Ivanova, general practitioner

Reviews

We invite you to read reviews from pregnant women and mothers about how they coped with hypertension.

During pregnancy, I often suffered from either low or high blood pressure. I spent most of my pregnancy in the hospital. For low blood pressure I slept with the help of hibiscus tea, for high blood pressure I drank Dopegit.

Valentina, 33 years old

I often had hypertension before pregnancy, and during pregnancy I had it almost every day. She saved herself with the help of yoga exercises, proper nutrition and moderate physical activity.

High blood pressure during pregnancy is a common ailment that can be treated. Do not tolerate pain, do not self-medicate, but immediately consult a doctor.

What are the consequences of jumps in the indicator in position?

To prevent pressure surges, you need to carefully monitor your sensations.

Hot flashes or chills, frequent headaches, dizziness, tingling of the fingertips and many other conditions indicate changes in blood pressure and the need for urgent action.

Careful weight control will help avoid pressure surges. Constant overeating and accumulation of extra pounds can result in a sharp increase in blood pressure. As you know, another factor that provokes pressure surges is stressful situations.

Avoiding these will help bring your blood pressure under control. If preliminary measures do not help, and the pressure still periodically rises sharply, you can take additional measures in the form of the following actions.

These are the rules of Eastern medicine, and many residents of our latitudes do not believe in them. But it's still worth a try.

The main thing is to concentrate and carry out the influence correctly:

find the occipital fossa (the place where the head connects to the spine) and press on it with the pad of your thumb, counting to 10. Then stop the pressure. Repeat the manipulation 2 times;
press hard and, as it were, extend the middle finger of your left hand. Then the same must be done with the middle finger of the right hand.

Folk recipes

The safest and most effective are the following folk recipes:

hypotensive juice. 1 glass of birch sap, drunk daily, will help reduce blood pressure and stabilize it. You can also drink a quarter glass of fresh beet juice 30 minutes before meals (before drinking, you need to keep the juice for 2 hours in an open container);
pumpkin-honey mixture. Boil 200 g of pumpkin, cut into small pieces, until they become soft. Dry, cool the pumpkin and add honey.

Spiral arteries are located in the uterus; they nourish the placenta. They need tortuosity so that during menstruation and postpartum hemorrhage, the myometrial fibers can shrink and reliably compress the torn vessels. During pregnancy, the body must first of all ensure normal blood supply to the fetus.

In some women, the degeneration of the spiral arteries does not occur completely or is completely absent. Attacks of arterial hypertension are especially dangerous for the life and health of their future children.

The influence of high blood pressure on individual components of the mother-fetus system

Suffering organ	Its functions	Mechanism of damage	Possible consequences
Placenta	Providing the fetus with oxygen and nutrients from the mother's body	Reduced blood flow from the spiral arteries of the uterus due to their spasm with increased blood pressure	Fetal distress (heart rate in the womb less than 110 or more than 170 per minute), which can lead to developmental pathologies and even intrauterine death
Blood vessels	Blood supply to all tissues of the body, transport of nutrients and waste products	Spasm of the vascular wall due to disruptions in regulation (hormonal and nervous mechanisms)	Stagnation of toxic metabolic products in the periphery, lack of oxygen and nutrients, which leads to ischemia and inability to function adequately
Blood	The main transport medium of the body	Thickening, increased activity of enzymes of the blood coagulation system	Development of disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome - blockage of blood vessels by spontaneously formed blood clots
Kidneys	Cleansing the body of toxins, controlling the volume of circulating blood	Vasospasm in the functional parts of the kidney interferes with the normal course of urination processes	Protein from the circulatory system enters the urine. The blood thickens and swelling appears. Acute renal failure may develop

If you have high blood pressure and find protein in your urine, it is called preeclampsia. Hypertension due to pathology of the spiral arteries is dangerous in itself (the fetus will not receive enough nutrition and oxygen, its development will begin to slow down, and fetal distress is possible during childbirth). And when kidney dysfunction occurs, there is a threat of eclampsia - a convulsive seizure (chaotic contractions of all the muscles in a woman’s body will not bring good to the fetus). In this case, doctors have to fight for the life of the child and even the mother.

To identify a risk group and prevent the development of eclampsia, the norm of blood pressure in pregnant women was determined. This is why blood pressure control is so important, especially in the third trimester.

Causes

Experts include the following as the main causes of hypertension during pregnancy:

regular stress - the inability to solve problems or frequent nervous tension leads to pressure surges;
genetic predisposition - if one of your relatives suffered from hypertension, then there is a high probability that you will also have this pathology;
obesity, overweight - pay attention to your weight, if necessary, follow a diet during pregnancy;
lack of compensatory forces of the expectant mother’s body - the heart cannot cope with the increasing volume of circulating blood;
diabetes mellitus - pathology itself does not cause hypertension during pregnancy, but diabetes can act as an unfavorable factor;
smoking;
insufficient physical activity;
kidney pathologies;
problems with the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pituitary gland.

Headache is one of the signs of high blood pressure

Symptoms

The easiest way to find out your exact pressure is to use a tonometer. It is most convenient to use an electronic device, but some experts argue that a regular tonometer is much more effective and costs less.

You can determine hypertension by how you feel. The main features are:

headache;
dizziness;
vomit;
tinnitus;
nausea;
“flies” before the eyes”;
pain in temples;
red spots on the face, chest;
general weakness.

In some cases, hypertension does not have any symptoms, and you can only find out about it when you measure your blood pressure.

Treatment

Many expectant mothers are concerned with the question of how to reduce blood pressure during pregnancy at home without harm to themselves and the baby. Self-medication is prohibited, as an incorrectly selected drug can lead to miscarriage or serious complications. If you are concerned about hypertension, see your doctor immediately!

After the examination, the specialist will prescribe the appropriate treatment. It must be strictly adhered to, avoiding changes in the dosage of the drug and duration of administration.

In some cases, hospitalization may be required, during which specialists will draw up an individual birth plan taking into account hypertension. Most often they are performed using epidural anesthesia.

Often, in the last weeks of pregnancy, re-hospitalization may be suggested to correct blood pressure before childbirth.

You can take medications for hypertension only after your doctor’s permission

Drug therapy

What to do to lower high blood pressure? It is enough to take medications that are approved by specialists. The group of such drugs includes:

β-blockers - do not have a teratogenic effect. Can be used only from the 2nd trimester. While taking medications, a decrease in the fetal heart rate may be observed, for this reason they should be taken only in the recommended dosage along with monitoring the intrauterine condition of the fetus. Medicines: Atenolol, Nebivolol, Labetalol.
Dopegit (Methyldopa) - can be used from early stages of pregnancy, but is most effective only up to 28 weeks.
Calcium channel blockers - acceptable use from the 2nd trimester. Suitable for emergency treatment with high blood pressure. Forms with slow release of the drug are produced, which allows you to reduce the number of doses to 1 time per day. Drugs: Nifedipine, Normodipine, Verapamil.

You can use medications during pregnancy only after your doctor’s permission.

Nutrition

Following the principles of proper nutrition and the following tips will help reduce blood pressure during pregnancy:

Reduce the amount of salt you consume.
Eat foods that contain large amounts of potassium and magnesium. This will help reduce vascular tone and also remove excess fluid from the body.
Consume only vegetable fats. Reduce the amount of animal fat to 40 g per day.
Reduce or completely eliminate simple carbohydrates from your diet: sweets, sugar, refined foods.
Eat portions and small portions.
Forget about coffee, chocolate and strong tea. They are undesirable during pregnancy and also increase blood pressure.

Folk remedies

In some cases, it is permissible to use traditional medicine to lower blood pressure, but only after permission from a doctor. Below are recipes for preparing healing remedies.

Infusion with hawthorn

Ingredients:

rose hips - 20 g;
hawthorn - 20 g;
red viburnum - 20 g;
linden flowers - 20 g;
blueberry shoots - 20 g;
water - 500 ml;
calendula - 20 g;
motherwort herb - 20 g;
heather shoots - 20 g.

How to prepare : Grind all ingredients, mix. Take 2 tbsp. the resulting mixture, then pour boiling water. Simmer for a quarter of an hour in a water bath, then leave at room temperature. Strain.

How to use : Drink 100 g of infusion after meals 3-4 times a day, add honey to it if desired. The duration of treatment is 45 days.

Honey-cranberry mixture

Ingredients:

cranberry juice - 100 ml;
honey - 100 g.

How to cook : Combine products, mix.

How to use : Take the product 1 tsp. three times a day. The duration of treatment is 2 weeks.

Infusion with valerian root

Ingredients:

crushed valerian root - 30 g;
dried grass - 30 g;
viburnum flowers - 30 g;
water - 500 ml;
heather shoots - 30 g.

How to cook : Mix the ingredients, then take 2 tbsp. pour the resulting mixture into a thermos and pour boiling water over it. Leave for 2 hours, strain.

How to use : Take ¼ cup of warm infusion four times a day. Course - 30-45 days.

Honey-pumpkin broth

Ingredients:

pumpkin - 200 g;
water - 500 ml.

How to cook : Cut the pumpkin into small pieces, then boil over low heat. Cool.

How to use : Add a little honey to the decoction. Drink 50 ml twice a day.

Ignoring treatment of hypertension leads to serious consequences

Consequences

Why is high blood pressure dangerous during pregnancy? If left untreated, hypertension can lead to a number of negative complications. Let's take a closer look at the danger that hypertension poses by trimester.

1st trimester

High blood pressure in the first trimester is not uncommon. This condition needs to be treated as quickly as possible, since ignoring therapy increases the risk of fetal hypoxia, decreased blood circulation and insufficient supply of nutrients to the child.

In early pregnancy, vascular damage contributes to placental damage. This is dangerous because it can lead to spontaneous miscarriage.

Prevention of blood pressure surges

To prevent possible pressure surges, it is necessary to register with the antenatal clinic as early as possible. It is recommended to measure your own blood pressure every day and record the data in a journal. In the future, information must be provided to the attending physician for review.

Important! Visits to the antenatal clinic should be carried out as scheduled. For serious health problems, immediate hospitalization is indicated.

Prevention measures:

It is necessary to normalize the daily schedule. In order for the body to rest more, a woman needs to go to bed before 23:00. Minimum sleep should be 8 hours.
The expectant mother is advised to control her emotional state. It is important to avoid worries and stressful situations.
It is also necessary to reduce not only physical, but also intellectual stress.
Particular importance is given to nutrition. Food should be rich in protein. During pregnancy, the consumption of fatty and smoked foods is limited. Fried foods should be avoided. There is also an emphasis on eating plant-based foods. Nutrition should be balanced. As a supplement, courses of vitamin complexes are prescribed.
It is important for a woman to completely abandon all bad habits that she had before pregnancy, which include smoking and drinking alcohol.

What is preeclampsia and why is it dangerous?

Hypotension most often occurs in the early stages of pregnancy. If a woman had normal parameters before conception, a difference of 10-15% will seriously affect her health.

Changes in indicators occur under the influence of progesterone. As the content of this hormone increases, relaxation of the muscle tissue of the uterus and the walls of blood vessels is observed. This causes them to expand, causing the pressure to decrease.

In pregnant women, blood pressure in the lower limit should be no less than 90/60 mmHg. If it is below the specified value, then a threatening condition arises for the health of the mother and the life of the child.

The causes of hypotension are:

frequent stress;
hormonal imbalance in the body during pregnancy;
lack of hemoglobin in the blood (anemia);
poor quality nutrition;
toxicosis;
frequent insomnia;
lack of proper rest;
development of vegetative-vascular dystonia;
dehydration;
lack of weight;
low physical activity.

Symptoms of hypotension:

weakness in the body;
frequent dizziness;
cardiopalmus;
constant drowsiness;
dyspnea;
depressed state;
pain localized in the back of the head, as well as in the temples;
nausea with severe vomiting;
tinnitus;
darkening of the eyes.

Hypotension can occur at any stage of pregnancy. The first trimester is a common stage when low blood pressure worries the expectant mother. This is due to toxicosis and excessive production of progesterone by the female body. In the first trimester, a woman often experiences dehydration, which is one of the provoking factors for low blood pressure.

In the second and third trimesters, hypotension more often occurs in pregnant women who are underweight. The cause is also existing cardiac pathologies.

How to increase blood pressure

Non-drug ways to increase blood pressure in pregnant women include:

Maintaining a rest and sleep schedule. At the first manifestations of dizziness and darkening of the eyes, a short sleep is recommended.
Taking a contrast shower.
Drinking sweet tea when signs of low blood pressure develop while simultaneously applying a heating pad to the back of the head.
Daily massage sessions and light exercises.
Frequent walks outside.
Frequent drinking.
Mandatory consumption of food enriched with protein.
Avoiding sudden awakenings in the morning.
Including raw celery root and strawberries in your diet. Plants help increase blood pressure.

Among the folk remedies for increasing blood pressure in pregnant women, tinctures based on ginseng are recommended. To treat hypotension, take a decoction of lemongrass. It is recommended to brew St. John's wort in a thermos. This infusion must be taken before eating.

How to suspect severely low blood pressure:

frequent dizziness;
nausea or severe bouts of vomiting;
throbbing pain in the temples or back of the head;
dyspnea;
ringing or pounding in the ears;
increased heart rate;
apathy;
fatigue;
drowsiness.

There are several reasons for a pathological drop in blood pressure:

Stress;
Underweight;
Toxicosis;
Dehydration;
The body's response to changes in hormonal levels;
Sedentary lifestyle;
Hidden cardiovascular diseases;
History of infections.

The main warning signs of primary hypertension:

red spots on the face and neck;
dizziness;
nausea and vomiting;
noise in ears;
numbness of fingers;
“flies” before the eyes;
acute headache.

Main risk factors:

unhealthy diet (salty and fatty foods);
overweight;
endocrinological diseases (diabetes, hypothyroidism);
potassium deficiency;
stress;
alcohol and smoking (before and during pregnancy);
age over 35 years;
low activity;
renal failure;
cardiopsychoneurosis;
taking anti-edema medications.

Acupressure helps increase blood pressure. You just need to massage certain points on the body:

little finger or index finger in the area of the nail root;
the area between the lip and nose;
depressions under the lower lip;
fingertips.

In addition to medications, following these rules will help reduce blood pressure:

Avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
Strictly limit your consumption of salty, sour, sweet and fried foods.
Keep a clear daily routine.
Minimize stressful situations.
Enrich your diet with protein, vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients.
Perform light exercises daily with elements of yoga for pregnant women.

If the recommendations are followed, but the condition still worsens, the pregnant woman is sent to the hospital to prevent gestosis and other complications of pregnancy.

In addition to feeling unwell, abnormal blood pressure can greatly harm the unborn baby. If you have problems with blood pressure, you need to approach solving such an unpleasant dilemma very seriously and responsibly. The most common pathologies caused by blood pressure disorders:

gestosis;
phytoplacental insufficiency;
fetal growth restriction;
neurological pathologies in a child;
fetal hypoxia;
risk of miscarriage and premature delivery;
placental abruption and bleeding.

Many expectant mothers take low blood pressure for granted, as if this is the norm for blood pressure in pregnant women. If the readings on the tonometer are reduced, but the woman herself feels well, the tests are normal, the situation really does not require adjustment. But if the numbers fall below the acceptable 90/60, this is already a threatening condition.

How is a significant decrease in blood pressure expressed:

Frequent dizziness occurs;
Shortness of breath appears;
Nausea and vomiting, quite severe;
Pain in the occipital region or in the temporal region (akin to pulsation);
Knocking or ringing in the ears;
Drowsiness;
Fatigue and depression;
Increased heart rate.

There may be several reasons why blood pressure drops. This is severe stress - a provocateur of many other problems, and insomnia, and a sedentary lifestyle.

Unfortunately, some cardiovascular problems can manifest themselves as hypotension.

Dehydration is another cause of hypotension, as is toxicosis. Often hypotonic indicators accompany women with insufficient body weight.

It is very important to understand: if the expectant mother has low blood pressure in the first trimester, this does not at all exclude the possibility that it may be elevated in the second half of pregnancy.

Blood pressure in pregnant women, which is normal, is always monitored by a doctor, since its altered levels can lead to a dangerous pathology of the gestational period. We are talking about preeclampsia, which is a form that precedes the deadly eclampsia.

Preeclampsia is an abnormal condition that occurs more often after the twentieth week of gestation, and is distinguished by a sharp change in urine test characteristics, severe swelling of the legs and arms, and a rise in blood pressure. This disease is diagnosed according to various sources in 4-20% of cases, and it is diagnosed on the basis of persistent hypertension, as well as the presence of protein in the urine sample.

Risk category – who should be wary of preeclampsia:

Those women who had this diagnosis in a previous pregnancy;
Obese expectant mothers;
Patients with autoimmune diseases;
Patients with diabetes mellitus;
Women who have primary hypertension before conception;
Patients with multiple pregnancies;
Young pregnant women and older expectant mothers;
Women with heart and vascular diseases.

Preeclampsia cannot be ignored; it always appears.

The pressure rises to 150/90 and higher, protein is detected in the urine, often the pathology is accompanied by headaches, visual defects, abdominal pain, nausea and swelling.

I often drink coffee to raise a woman’s blood pressure. However, during pregnancy this approach is extremely incorrect. The fact is that during this period you need to receive a sufficient amount of fluid, and coffee enhances its removal from the body. Therefore, the best fight in your case will be a balanced diet, drinking enough plain water, and getting enough sleep. In addition, water aerobics, yoga for pregnant women, contrast showers, self-massage and massage help normalize blood pressure.

If severe hypotension occurs, your doctor may prescribe additional medications that are safe for the fetus.

In any case, if you feel unwell, you should immediately consult a doctor, who will decide what strategy should be used to normalize your condition.

call an ambulance (especially if the readings have risen for the first time);
take medications (if therapy was prescribed by an obstetrician-gynecologist);
lie on your left side (due to the characteristics of the venous outflow in this position, blood will flow freely to the uterus, and the fetus will experience the least possible discomfort);
try to calm down: breathe slowly deeply, distract yourself from the problem;
measure blood pressure every 15-20 minutes and record the results.

It is necessary to contact an obstetrician-gynecologist or local physician. They will be able to assess the risk and make a prognosis for pregnancy. The following diagnostic measures are likely to be required:

blood pressure monitoring;
general urine test (you will be interested in the presence of protein, this is a screening examination);
daily proteinuria (how much protein is released in 24 hours, this test is more accurate);
general blood test (anemia, leukocytosis);
electrocardiography (assessment of heart rhythm);
ultrasound examination: activity of the uteroplacental blood flow (degree of spasm of the spiral arteries);
fetal condition (pulsation of the heart chambers, degree of physical development, motor activity);
characteristics of the uterus.

Symptoms, first manifestations and development of the clinical picture

The clinical picture of the development of hypertension is determined by the degree of increase in blood pressure, changes in the state of the neuroendocrine system, organ functions, indicators of blood flow and circulation.

Initially, increases in blood pressure are transient, and the first manifestations may not cause concern, since a slight deviation from normal values initially does not have much effect on the patient’s general condition. However, the asymptomatic course is replaced by a condition in which the signs of hypertension become pronounced.

The first manifestations that the patient usually complains about are:

attacks of pressing headaches, which are often localized in the back of the head (not always), and during emotional stress intensify, which is caused by a sharp spasm of blood vessels and a surge in pressure;
nausea (which is often explained by the state of pregnancy itself, especially in the first months);
irritability, tearfulness, restless sleep at night and drowsiness during the day;
tinnitus and dizziness;
abnormal fatigue.

Nausea is a common symptom of hypertension, which is often mistaken for typical nausea during pregnancy and ignored.

As the disease develops, the increase in pressure becomes regular, long-lasting, and its degree corresponds to the severity of the pathology. Early manifestations intensify, in addition to them, the following are observed:

increased heart rate sustained for a long time;
the appearance of “flies” and “cobwebs” before the eyes, blurred vision;
swelling on the face, ankles, hands;
increased anxiety, unexplained anxiety;
severe sweating;
numbness of fingers, legs, pins and needles sensation;
freezing in a warm room or chills (a typical sign is a harbinger of a sharp increase in blood pressure);
pain in the heart area of various types - stabbing, squeezing;
sometimes thirst, nocturia - increased urine output at night.

The neurovegetative form of crisis manifests itself:

sudden onset with acute excitement;
manifestation of fears, panic;
bouts of vomiting;
severe sweating and coldness of the fingers and limbs;
severe pallor of the skin with signs of erythema (red spots) on the face and chest;
bleeding from the nose.

Edema during pregnancy can be a sign of a hypertensive crisis in an edematous form

The edematous form of crisis is dangerous due to its gradual development:

severe drowsiness, apathy, decreased activity;
violation of orientation in space;
increase in edema, puffiness of the face;
nausea, headaches, dizziness;
persistently high blood pressure.

If there are any warning signs, the first thing to do is call an ambulance. Emergency care for such conditions in a pregnant woman is provided only by specialists.