High Blood Pressure during pregnancy should never be taken lightly. Care should be taken that the blood pressure during pregnancy remains normal. But the question arises that what exactly is blood pressure. The blood in our body exerts certain amount of force against the arteries. The amount of force that the blood exerts is known as the blood pressure. The amount of force varies from person to person. The force is measured with the help of a monitor. If the reading is more than 140 mm Hg systolic on the upper number and 90 mm Hg diastolic on the lower number then it is considered that the person is suffering from high blood pressure. If a person suffers from high blood pressure then he/she runs a greater chance of developing heart problems and kidney failure. It is also known as hypertension and is the root cause of many diseases.

High blood pressure does leave its effect on pregnancy. Sometimes it can prove dangerous to both the mother and the baby. But women suffering from high blood pressure do give birth to healthy babies but one should be careful enough if suffering from high blood pressure. Women having high blood pressure are more prone to suffer from certain complications during pregnancy. Sometimes high blood pressure is accompanied with pregnancy but still one should be careful enough. High blood pressure is one of the main reasons of premature birth.

If the pressure is very high the chances of the mother developing ‘preeclampsia’ is higher. Preeclampsia is “toxemia of pregnancy” and if such is the case then the lives of both the mother and the baby is in danger. It is related to high blood pressure and the amount of protein that is present in the mother’s urine. Urine gets accumulated due to some malfunctioning of the kidney. It can be fatal for both and some complications might develop during labour. In no way can preeclampsia be prevented. Both the mother and the baby are closely monitored. However the disease is cured once the baby is delivered.

Not everybody suffering from high blood pressure is prone to develop ‘preeclampsia’. Women who become pregnant too early or too late in life are more prone to this disease. Women suffering from arthritis, chronic hypertension, diabetes and are obese are likely to suffer from ‘preeclampsia’.

Close monitoring of the blood pressure and the urine protein helps in detecting ‘preeclampsia’. The other symptoms associated with it are blurred vision, pain in the abdominal region and constant headaches. Regular visit to the doctor and keeping track of ones health helps in keeping a check on preeclampsia.