Preeclampsia

I recently wrote about my experience with preeclampsia when I was pregnant with my second child.

If you are pregnant or recently gave birth, be sure to know the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia.

There is no medical reason for this condition, and it is the number one leading cause of maternal death and premature births throughout the world. It’s crazy to know something like this is not widely discussed.

You may have heard about preeclampsia briefly from your GYN upon finding out you were expecting, but it is one of those things that go right over most of our heads. No one believes something like this will happen to them.

Signs and Symptoms

From March of Dimes

Confusing Preeclampsia Symptoms

It is very easy to confuse regular pregnancy symptoms with symptoms of preeclampsia.

For instance, I had weight gain, nausea, and swelling in my hands and face but attributed this to my pregnancy. I never suspected it could have been anything other than pregnancy-related and thought nothing of it.

Sometimes I wonder if there was anything else I could have done to detect this sooner and get the help I needed to avoid it from becoming emergent, resulting in an induction at 35 weeks.

Luckily, my son and I made it through this experience. I was put on a prescription for Procardia post-partum. This helped to regulate my blood pressure which took a little over two months post-partum to finally get under control.

However, not everyone is lucky. Preeclampsia is life-threatening to both the pregnant mom AND her unborn child. There are approximately 63,000 maternal deaths worldwide each year.

Diagnosing Preeclampsia

Your GYN usually takes a urine sample at your prenatal visits and checks your blood pressure. These two things help with detecting preeclampsia.

If preeclampsia is suspected due to your blood pressure or urine sample, your GYN will proceed with further diagnostic testing, such as doing a blood test. This can check your liver and kidney functions and other factors in helping your doctor determine the appropriate course of action.

My blood test showed elevated liver enzymes. This, along with protein in the urine and high blood pressure, confirmed I had preeclampsia.

Stay Informed and Alert

The best defense you can get to fight preeclampsia is to be aware of the signs and symptoms and stay in tune with how your body is feeling during AND after pregnancy. You should also keep up with your regularly scheduled prenatal appointments.

Unfortunately, there is not enough awareness, and there is a significant lack of discussion on the potential issues one may face after having preeclampsia.

For instance, did you know…

1. 2 out of 3 women who experience preeclampsia will die from cardiovascular disease

2. having preeclampsia leads to a greater risk of heart disease, stroke, and chronic high blood pressure

Pregnancy is an incredible journey as you create a life inside of you. Unfortunately, preeclampsia is another reality that some pregnant moms also have to go through.

For moms who have experienced preeclampsia, you are not alone! There are many communities online that I have discovered for moms who have suffered from preeclampsia during or after their pregnancy. It is vital to build your support system to get through this.