{"id":1866,"date":"2023-08-24T16:08:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T16:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2023-08-24T16:08:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T16:08:28","slug":"protecting-mother-and-baby-identifying-preeclampsia-symptoms-in-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/protecting-mother-and-baby-identifying-preeclampsia-symptoms-in-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Mother and Baby: Identifying Preeclampsia Symptoms in Pregnancy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Preeclampsia can be defined as a severe condition that can occur after the 20th week of pregnancy and even after giving birth (postpartum preeclampsia). It manifests as high blood pressure and may impair the work of several organs, such as the liver and kidneys. This pregnancy complication also causes hypertension (or high blood pressure), putting stress on the heart and leading to other pregnancy complications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The experts at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">South Miami OBGYN Associates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> understand that mommies-to-be may have questions about preeclampsia and pregnancy complications. As such, if you are looking to schedule a visit with an obstetrician, or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/gynecologist-miami-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gynecologist in Miami, Florida<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, we highly encourage you to reach out to our practice, where our compassionate providers will be more than ready to address all your questions or concerns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And as such, in this article, our experts will discuss the dangers of preeclampsia in pregnancy and the most common preeclampsia symptoms, and will also talk about the methods that can effectively treat this pregnancy complication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About Preeclampsia<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As mentioned above, preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy complication and health problem worldwide for pregnant women. Some sources estimate that around ten to 15 percent of maternal deaths globally are directly caused by the condition or are associated with complications like eclampsia. In the US, it affects around five to eight percent of all pregnancies, leading to preterm birth in most cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, it&#8217;s imperative to know that most women with the condition will give birth to healthy babies. Still, preeclampsia needs to be medically addressed as it can cause severe health problems both for the mother and the baby.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-1868\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia.jpg\" alt=\"A Woman Measures Blood Pressure With an Electronic Pressure Gauge, Headache During Pregnancy\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271000%27%20height%3D%27667%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201000%20667%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271000%27%20height%3D%27667%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/About-Preeclampsia.jpg 1000w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Preeclampsia Symptoms: What To Look For?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following are indications and manifestations of preeclampsia:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Elevated blood pressure, either with or without the presence of protein in the urine. Your healthcare provider will assess these factors during your prenatal appointments.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Visual changes include blurry vision, seeing flashing lights, experiencing spots in your vision, or heightened sensitivity to light.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Persistent headaches that do not subside.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pain in the upper right area of the abdomen or in the shoulder.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sudden weight gain, ranging from 2 to 5 pounds in a week.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swelling in the legs, hands, or face.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Difficulty breathing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of these signs and symptoms can be attributed to typical pregnancy discomforts. However, if you experience even one sign or symptom, it is crucial to contact your healthcare provider immediately. It is possible to have preeclampsia without realizing it. Attending all your prenatal visits, even if you feel well, is the most effective way to detect preeclampsia.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Assessing Risk Factors\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Currently, the medical community doesn&#8217;t quite understand the exact causes of this pregnancy complication, but experts agree that certain risk factors may increase the odds of developing preeclampsia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That said, the following risk factors are associated with the condition:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having issues with preeclampsia during previous pregnancies. Typically, the risks are higher if the condition comes along with other complications.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the woman carries more than one baby (twins, triplets, etc.).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Previous problems with diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune problems, and kidney disease.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">First pregnancies are also associated with a higher preeclampsia risk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being obese with a body mass index of 30 or higher.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a family history of preeclampsia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Complications during previous pregnancies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization or IVF may also increase the risks.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Age: being older than 35.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Preeclampsia Complications\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As mentioned above, if left untreated, preeclampsia may lead to other complications and health problems, such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liver, kidney, and brain damage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blood clots<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eclampsia is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition, causing coma and seizures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stroke<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Preeclampsia may lead to certain pregnancy complications as well, such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Preterm birth: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In some cases, even with treatment, delivering the baby prematurely may be necessary to mitigate serious health risks for both the mother and the baby.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Placental abruption<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> occurs when the placenta detaches from the uterine wall before birth, either partially or completely. It can lead to insufficient oxygen and nutrients reaching the baby. Vaginal bleeding is a common symptom of placental abruption after the 20th week of pregnancy. If any vaginal bleeding occurs during pregnancy, it is crucial to inform your healthcare provider immediately.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: This condition refers to inadequate fetal growth in the womb. It can occur when the mother&#8217;s high blood pressure constricts the blood vessels in the uterus and placenta. The placenta develops in the uterus and supplies the baby with nourishment and oxygen through the umbilical cord. Insufficient oxygen and nutrients reaching the baby in the womb can result in IUGR.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Low birth weight:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Babies born to mothers with preeclampsia are at a higher risk of being born with low birth weight.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lastly, preeclampsia may increase the risk of PPH or postpartum hemorrhage, which is heavy bleeding after delivery. Also, preeclampsia may increase the risks of diabetes, heart, and kideny disease later in life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Diagnosing and Treating Preeclampsia<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To diagnose the condition, providers will usually measure the patient&#8217;s blood pressure and test their urine for protein during prenatal visits. They may recommend other lab tests as well and may use the following tests and screening methods:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultrasound<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nonstress test (to check the baby&#8217;s heart rate)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Doppler analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biophysical profile\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Treatment will depend on the severity of the condition and how far along the patient is in her pregnancy. On that note, even mild cases of preeclampsia will need treatment to ensure it won&#8217;t lead to complications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the most part, women with mild cases are delivered by week 37 of their pregnancy, with their provider checking their urine and blood pressure regularly. If they are at least 37 weeks pregnant with a stable condition, they may be recommended to have the baby early as it will often be safer than staying pregnant both for the baby and the mother. Medicine will be given to break the patient&#8217;s water and induce labor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Severe cases will be closely monitored in the hospital, and experts may use antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) to speed up the baby&#8217;s lung development. Patients may also be given blood pressure medicine and compounds to prevent seizures. In severe and progressively worsening conditions, experts may recommend giving early birth (before week 34) as soon as the condition stabilizes by recommending a c-section or inducing labor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In more severe cases with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.preeclampsia.org\/hellp-syndrome#:~:text=HELLP%20(Hemolysis%2C%20Elevated%20Liver%20enzymes,pregnancy%2C%20or%20soon%20after%20childbirth.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">HELLP syndrome<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, patients will always need to give birth early.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-1869\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia.jpg\" alt=\"Pregnant Woman Undergoing Ultrasound Test at Gynecologist Office\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271000%27%20height%3D%27667%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201000%20667%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271000%27%20height%3D%27667%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2023\/08\/Diagnosing-and-Treating-Preeclampsia.jpg 1000w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Postpartum Preeclampsia<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What causes postpartum preeclampsia? This is a rare condition that happens as a result of preeclampsia after giving birth. Typically, it develops after two days of having a baby, but it can occur up to six weeks after delivery. Postpartum preeclampsia will also need treatment and will often have the same symptoms. Experts don&#8217;t exactly know what causes postpartum preeclampsia, but the possible risk factors may be:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having had a C-section<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being obese<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having preeclampsia or gestational hypertension during pregnancy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Contact Us To Learn More<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The topic of preeclampsia is broad and detailed. We encourage you to schedule an appointment with our providers to learn more about the symptoms, diagnosis, complications, and treatment. As said above, our compassionate experts are more than ready to educate you on the topic and provide support if needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preeclampsia can be defined as a severe condition that can occur after the 20th week of pregnancy and even after giving birth (postpartum preeclampsia). It manifests as high blood pressure and may impair the work of several organs, such as the liver and kidneys. This pregnancy complication also causes hypertension (or high blood pressure), putting  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[378],"tags":[381,379,380,382],"class_list":["post-1866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-preeclampsia-symptoms-in-pregnancy","tag-preeclampsia-in-pregnancy","tag-preeclampsia-symptoms","tag-pregnancy-complications","tag-what-causes-postpartum-preeclampsia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/south-miami-obgyn-associates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}