Is it safe to have another baby after postpartum preeclampsia?
|
Pre-eclampsia affects around 2-8 in every 100 pregnant women. If you ever watched the episode of Downton Abbey where Lady Sybil develops the symptoms of pre-eclampsia which becomes eclampsia when she suffers a seizure and dies, you will understand that this condition is important to be aware of! Show
Thankfully the care for women has substantially improved since the 1920s, and this article gives a brilliant explanation about how accurate the doctors were in the episode, and an interesting summary of how the management of pre-eclampsia has improved.  Nonetheless, once you have experienced pre-eclampsia you probably want to know how likely you are to suffer again, and what you can do to reduce that risk. This post will help you answer those questions! A brief explanation of pre-eclampsiaThe usual symptoms are that you experience a headache, flashing lights in your vision, swelling of your hands, feet and face or vomiting and pain at the top of your abdomen. Your medical team may detect raised blood pressure and protein in your urine. At each antenatal visit you will be checked for these signs. Pre-eclampsia usually occurs towards the end of pregnancy and is mild. The high blood pressure can be treated with medication. Pre-eclampsia itself is not cured until the baby is delivered (usually at 37-38 weeks). In rarer cases (around five per 1,000 pregnant women) it leads to more severe disease. This may start earlier and affect the growth of the baby in the womb or the health of the mother. In these cases the baby may need to be delivered (induced) earlier. Complications of pre-eclampsiaEarly diagnosis followed by appropriate management, including delivery, may prevent some of the serious sequelae of the disease, such as eclamptic seizures and multiorgan failure. Will I get pre-eclampsia in a future pregnancy?Overall, one in six women who have had pre-eclampsia will get it again in a future pregnancy. Of women who had severe pre-eclampsia, or eclampsia: While repeat occurrence is often less severe, no one can predict for sure. If you’ve had preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy, you and your healthcare provider should carefully monitor you and your baby during your current pregnancy for any signs or symptoms. You should be given information about the chance, in your individual situation, of getting pre-eclampsia in a future pregnancy and about any additional care that you may need. It is advisable to contact your midwife as early as possible once you know you are pregnant again. Risk factorsThe risk of preeclampsia recurring increases if you have these risk factors;
Other risk factors for pre-eclampsia:
Your doctor may also decide to start you on low-dose aspirin before getting pregnant or during the first trimester of your pregnancy. Taking aspirin does not guarantee that you will not develop preeclampsia. It is simply one more thing that women can do with relative safety to reduce their overall risk. What is the long-term impact of preeclampsia?Women who have had preeclampsia have three to four times the risk of high blood pressure and double the risk for heart disease and stroke. They also have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Although this may seem scary, there are many ways to reduce this risk through leading a healthy lifestyl! For some women pregnancy can serve as an early warning sign for future heart disease. This kind of “heads up” gives you an opportunity to make changes now for a healthier future! Some studies suggest, babies born from preeclamptic pregnancies have a higher risk of developing hypertension, coronary artery disease, and other chronic illnesses in adult life. These risks are especially true among babies who were delivered at term. Reducing the riskThe most important way to reduce the risk of recurrence is to reduce or remove any risk factors. Therefore if you are overweight, reducing your BMI, quitting smoking and regular exercise are all beneficial. What is low dose aspirin?Aspirin is a blood-thinning medication. It is known as an NSAID (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). Aspirin is often used to treat pain, fever or inflammation. It is usually prescribed to be taken from 12 weeks pregnancy (and at least started before 16 weeks) of 150mg per day until the end of pregnancy. Taking a low dose of aspirin may help to reduce the risk of:
Stats taken from Cochrane Review 2019. RelatedTags:
Post navigationDoes postpartum preeclampsia affect the baby?Postpartum preeclampsia is a serious condition related to high blood pressure. It can happen to any woman who just had a baby. It has most of the same features of preeclampsia or other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, without affecting the baby.
Is preeclampsia worse in second pregnancy?Results The risk of pre-eclampsia was 4.1% in the first pregnancy and 1.7% in later pregnancies overall. However, the risk was 14.7% in the second pregnancy for women who had had pre-eclampsia in their first pregnancy and 31.9% for women who had had pre-eclampsia in the previous two pregnancies.
Can postpartum preeclampsia cause problems later in life?Preeclampsia puts women at increased risk for heart disease as well as stroke and high blood pressure later in life. Large population studies have demonstrated that two of three preeclampsia survivors will die of heart disease.
How long postpartum is preeclampsia a risk?Sign and symptoms of preeclampsia most often go away within 6 weeks after delivery. However, the high blood pressure sometimes gets worse the first few days after delivery. You are still at risk for preeclampsia for up to 6 weeks after delivery. This postpartum preeclampsia carries a higher risk of death.
|
