What is gestational hypertension?

Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure in pregnancy. It occurs in about 3 in 50 pregnancies. This condition is different from chronic hypertension. Chronic hypertension happens when a woman has high blood pressure before she gets pregnant. It’s also different from preeclampsia and eclampsia. These are other blood pressure problems in pregnancy. Gestational hypertension often starts in the second half of pregnancy. It normally goes away after your baby is born.

What causes gestational hypertension in pregnancy?

The cause of gestational hypertension is unknown. Some conditions may increase the risk of developing the condition, including the following: Pre-existing hypertension (high blood pressure) Kidney disease.

What is the symptoms?

• Headache that doesn’t go away
• Edema (swelling)
• Sudden weight gain
• Vision changes, such as blurred or double vision
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pain in the upper right side of your belly, or pain around your stomach
• Making small amounts of urine

How is gestational hypertension diagnosed?

• Blood pressure readings
• Urine testing to check for protein, which is a sign that your kidneys aren’t working well
• Checking for swelling
• Checking your weight more often
• Liver and kidney function tests
• Blood clotting tests
• How is gestational hypertension treated?
• Blood pressure monitoring

How is gestational hypertension treated?

Fetal monitoring Your healthcare provider may do tests to check the health of your baby. These tests may include:

• Fetal movement counting. You’ll keep track of your baby’s kicks and movements. A change in the number of kicks or how often your baby kicks may mean your baby is under stress.
• Nonstress testing. This test measures your baby’s heart rate in response to its movements.
• Biophysical profile. This test combines a nonstress test with an ultrasound to watch your baby.
• Doppler flow studies. This test is a type of ultrasound that uses sound waves to measure the flow of your baby’s blood through a blood vessel.

Lab Testing Your healthcare provider may test your urine and blood at every prenatal checkup. This testing will tell if your condition is getting worse. Medicine Your healthcare provider may give you corticosteroids. These medicines can help your baby’s lungs mature. You’ll get these medicines if it looks like your baby is going to be born early. What are possible complications of gestational hypertension? High blood pressure can affect your blood vessels. It may decrease blood flow in your liver, kidneys, brain, uterus, and placenta. This condition can get worse. It can lead to preeclampsia and eclampsia. These are serious blood pressure problems. These issues can cause the following problems:

• Placental abruption, when the placenta pulls away from the uterus too early
• Poor fetal growth (intrauterine growth restriction)
• Stillbirth
• Seizures (eclampsia)
• Death of the mother and baby

Can gestational hypertension be prevented? Having this issue diagnosed and treated early may help reduce your risk for complications. That's why it’s important to go to your prenatal checkups. Doing so may keep your condition from getting worse. When should I call my healthcare provider? Call your healthcare provider right away if you have signs of high blood pressure. Symptoms can include a headache that doesn’t go away, blurred or double vision, swelling, or making less urine than normal.