Why Blood Pressure is Checked at Every Prenatal Visit.

The reason your blood pressure is part of every prenatal visit is because it is a finding (when elevated) that can pick up prenatal or underlying medical conditions that go by a number of names:


-Gestational Hypertension

-Toxemia

-Preeclampsia

-HELLP syndrome

-Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH)

-Chronic Hypertension


This list is only the most common names a pregnant patient might hear when discussing elevated BP found during pregnancy. Many of these terms are synonyms (essentially the same condition) and others pertain to variations of an elevated BP condition with many similarities, differing depending on other findings such as edema (swelling) especially in the hands and face , protein in the urine (proteinuria, which I will discuss further). There are also many other signs and symptoms which can coexist with elevated BP some of which I will address and others which I will leave to your provider to talk to you about, as all of this must be discussed with your primary provider. Click HERE to Read More..