This appointment is to check your blood pressure, and is separate from your 6-week postnatal check. This is to check whether your treatment needs to be changed or stopped.Įveryone with hypertension in pregnancy should also be offered an appointment with a GP or specialist 6 to 8 weeks after their baby is born. If you developed hypertension while you were pregnant and you're still taking medicine after the birth, you should be offered an appointment with a doctor 2 weeks after you transfer from hospital care to community midwives, or 2 weeks after the birth if you had a home birth. If you had hypertension before you got pregnant, your treatment should be checked 2 weeks after your baby is born. Your doctors may also recommend your baby be delivered using forceps or ventouse, or by caesarean section.Īfter the birth, your blood pressure will be monitored. If you have severe hypertension, your blood pressure will be monitored every 15 to 30 minutes in labour. As long as your blood pressure remains within target levels, you should be able to have a natural vaginal birth. If you have mild or moderate hypertension, your blood pressure should be monitored hourly during labour. If you're taking medicine throughout pregnancy to control your blood pressure, keep taking it during labour. Read more about pre-eclampsia and how pre-eclampsia is treated. You can feel well if you have high blood pressure, so it is important to attend your regular check-ups to have your blood pressure and urine tested.
Pre-eclampsia is more common if you had high blood pressure before becoming pregnant, if you had pre-eclampsia in a previous pregnancy, or if you have a family history of your mother or sister developing pre-eclampsia. If left untreated, pre-eclampsia can be dangerous for you and your baby. It is a problem with the placenta that usually causes your blood pressure to rise. Pre-eclampsia is a condition that affects some pregnant women, typically after 20 weeks. There isn't enough evidence to show that dietary supplements – such as magnesium, folic acid or fish oils – are effective at preventing high blood pressure. Eating a balanced diet and keeping your salt intake low can help to reduce blood pressure.įind out about exercise in pregnancy, healthy eating in pregnancy, salt in the diet and tips for cutting down on salt. Keeping active and doing some physical activity each day, such as walking or swimming, can help keep your blood pressure in the normal range.
Things you can try yourself to reduce high blood pressure But this should only be done under your doctor's supervision. This means you may be able to come off your medicine for a while. After 20 weeks of pregnancy, you may be offered a PlGF (placental growth factor) test to rule out pre-eclampsia.ĭuring the first half of pregnancy, a woman's blood pressure tends to fall. Your doctor or midwife will measure your blood pressure and check for protein in your urine. Make sure you go to all your appointments. It's important that your antenatal team monitors you closely throughout your pregnancy to make sure your high blood pressure is not affecting the growth of your baby and to check for a condition called pre-eclampsia. They can reduce the blood flow to the placenta and your baby, or affect your baby in other ways. This is because some medicines that treat high blood pressure may not be safe to take when you're pregnant. They may need to change your medicine as soon as possible. If you find out you're already pregnant, tell your doctor immediately. They may want to switch you to a different medicine before you get pregnant. If you're already taking medicine to lower your blood pressure and want to try for a baby, talk to your GP or specialist first. If you are already taking medicine for high blood pressure
mild – blood pressure between 140/90 and 149/99mmHg (millimetres of mercury) may be checked regularly but does not usually need treatment.If you develop high blood pressure for the first time in pregnancy, you will be assessed in a hospital by a healthcare professional, usually a midwife, who is trained in caring for raised blood pressure in pregnancy. If you are pregnant and have a history of high blood pressure, you should be referred to a specialist in hypertension and pregnancy to discuss the risks and benefits of treatment. Your midwife will check your blood pressure at all your antenatal (pregnancy) appointments. High blood pressure, or hypertension, does not usually make you feel unwell, but it can sometimes be serious in pregnancy.