Department of Health

Parent Information
Effective: 03/2015 Review: 08/2015
Doc No: I15.65-V4-R15

Available from www.health.qld.gov.au/qcg

High blood pressure in pregnancy and preeclampsia

What does hypertension mean?
This information sheet will answer commonly asked questions
about high blood pressure and preeclampsia.

IMPORTANT: The information contained in this information

sheet is general information only. It is not intended to be
treated by you as professional advice for a particular factual
situation and is no substitute for seeking professional advice
from your health care provider. In all procedures your health
care provider will explain what will happen, the risks and
benefits and will ask for your informed consent.

What does blood pressure mean?

Blood pressure (BP) is how strongly a persons blood is
pushing against the walls of their arteries. Arteries carry
blood away from your heart to other parts of your body. A
persons BP is affected by many things including:
Anxiety levels- your BP generally increases if you are
stressed and decreases if you are calm;
Position- your BP generally decreases slightly when
lying down and increases when standing;
Physical activity- your BP can both increase and
decrease while you are exercising;
Time of day- your BP is usually highest around noon
and lowest at night;
Medication- some medications can cause your BP to
increase and others can cause it to decrease

How is your BP measured?

When taking your BP an inflatable cuff is placed around the
top of your arm and pumped until it is quite firm and blocks
the blood from flowing into the arm. The air is then released
slowly until the blood flows back into the arm. BP can be
measured in one of two ways. Your care provider can
manually pump up the cuff and listen to the blood flowing
into your arm with a stethoscope. You can also use a
machine to read your BP.
BP measurements are recorded as two numbers called the
systolic (the top) and the diastolic (the bottom) readings, for
example:
110/80 to 139/89

Normal blood pressure

140/90 to 160/100

Moderate hypertension

160/110

Severe hypertension

Hypertension (or high BP) means that a persons heart is

pumping blood through their arteries with more force than
normal. Over time, the extra force needed to pump the heart
strains the heart muscles and the arteries and may cause
damage.

What causes high BP in pregnancy?

Depending on when in pregnancy the high BP is detected
and in the presence of other related signs and/ or
symptoms, a woman who has hypertension during her
pregnancy may be diagnosed with one of the following
conditions:
Gestational hypertension
Preeclampsia or related conditions:
Eclampsia (a condition where a woman with
preeclampsia also develops seizures)
HELLP syndrome (a serious complication of
pregnancy that leads to a womans red blood cells
breaking down too quickly, liver damage and excessive
bleeding)

What is gestational hypertension?

Gestational hypertension is a condition where a pregnant
womans BP is higher than normal on at least two occasions
after 20 weeks in her pregnancy. Some women who have
gestational hypertension go on to develop pre- eclampsia
(see below) or chronic/ essential hypertension. Gestational
hypertension usually goes away within 3 months of the
babys birth.

Headache or visual changes diagnosed if

the woman experiences persistent headaches
or blurred vision.
Blood problems (e.g. red blood cells
breaking down too quickly) diagnosed by
doing a blood test.
Kidney and/or liver damage diagnosed by
high levels of protein in the urine and/or
severe pains in the top right half of the
abdomen.
Babys growth and wellbeing diagnosed
by doing an ultrasound scan of the baby and
placenta. Blood flow to the placenta may
decrease causing the babys growth to
become restricted.

What additional tests can be done to

monitor signs and symptoms of
preeclampsia?
Women who have gestational hypertension are usually
offered more regular check-ups (e.g. up to twice a week
depending on how severe or unstable her BP is). If signs or
symptoms of preeclampsia develop the health care provider
will usually recommend additional tests including:
A dipstick urine test and/or a pathology urine test. The
urine sample for the test should be a carefully collected
mid-stream sample of urine (urine collected half way
through urinating).
Extra blood tests
Additional ultrasound scans monitoring the growth of
the baby, the amount of fluid around the baby and the
blood supply to the baby from the placenta
Monitoring (measuring) your babys heart rate

Who is more likely to develop

preeclampsia during pregnancy?
A woman is more likely to develop preeclampsia if she:
had preeclampsia previously or is pregnant for the first
time
has a family history of pre- eclampsia
has more than 10 years between their current and
previous birth
has pre-existing medical conditions (e.g.
chronic/essential hypertension, diabetes, kidney
disease)
is older than 40
has a body mass index (BMI) over
2
35 [BMI= weight (kg) / height (m) ]
is having more than one baby (e.g. twins)

What are the treatments for severe or

worsening pre- eclampsia?
Women with severe or worsening preeclampsia are usually
advised to have additional monitoring and treatment in
hospital. In hospital, the woman will be advised to have
antihypertensive medication to help control her BP. If her BP
is unable to be controlled with oral medication (taken by
swallowing), she will be advised to have an IV medication
(given through a needle into your veins) called magnesium
sulphate to prevent the onset of eclampsia (seizures).
Sometimes if the blood pressure is unable to be controlled
and the womans condition worsens (e.g. liver or kidney
functioning becomes affected or has an eclamptic seizure)
or her babys condition worsens (e.g. the placenta stops
functioning properly) her doctor may recommend that the
baby be born either by her labour being induced or by
caesarean section.

What might happen during my labour and

birth if I have pre- eclampsia?
If you have preeclampsia, you can expect the following to
happen during your labour and birth:
You will have a needle put into a vein in your arm or
hand in order to give you fluids and medications.
Your care will be provided by a team of care providers
including midwives and doctors.
If you are having a vaginal birth you will be advised to
have your babys heart monitored continuously
throughout your labour
If you or your baby shows signs that the preeclampsia
is worsening you may be advised to have a caesarean
section.

What might happen after my birth if I have

preeclampsia?
Although unlikely, it is possible that preeclampsia develops
for the first time after the birth. For this reason, you may
need to be monitored closely in hospital the first 24 hours
after the birth. You may need to continue having the IV
medication you had during labour for some time after your
birth. If you stay in hospital after your birth your BP, urine
and blood will be regularly tested and monitored.
Sometimes, a woman will be asked to continue to take
antihypertensive medication for up to 6 weeks after her
birth. Most of the antihypertensive medications are safe to
take while breastfeeding.

When should I contact my health care

provider?
You should contact your health care provider or local
hospital if:

You dont feel your baby move as much as usual

You start having contractions
You have pain in your abdomen
You have bleeding from your vagina
You have any of the following symptoms:
o A bad headache that last 6 hours or more
o Changes in your vision, such as blurry vision or
flashes of lights
o Pain in the upper abdomen (stomach)
o Nausea or vomiting
o You dont feel well or you feel that something isnt
right

If you have comments about the content of this parent information

sheet please email guidelines@health.qld.gov.au

Comfort, support & information

13 HEALTH (13 432584) is a phone line that provides health information, referral and services to the public.
Pregnancy, Birth & Baby Helpline 1800 882 436 (free call) offers free, confidential, professional information and
counselling for women, their partners and families relating to issues of conception, pregnancy, birthing and postnatal
care.
Lifeline 13 11 14 Lifeline offers a telephone crisis support service to anyone.
Australian Action on Pre-eclampsia Inc. (AAPEC) is a voluntary organisation set up to provide support and
information to families who have suffered from pre eclampsia. www.aapec.org.au