1. Visit Your Doctor
Visit your doctor if you experience any of the warning signs of pre-eclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome: fatigue, upper abdominal pain, nausea with or without vomiting, severe headache, dizziness or double vision, hypertension, excessive swelling of the hands or feet, rapid pulse or seizures. Many of these symptoms occur during normal pregnancies or are related to other common perinatal disorders, like gallbladder disease and influenza. Ask your doctor questions, do your own research and trust your intuition. If necessary, get a second opinion.
2. Act Quickly
Timely recognition of HELLP syndrome and initiation of appropriate therapy are necessary to protect the health of mother and baby. Your doctor will conduct exams and employ lab work to make an accurate diagnosis. You will undergo a physical, including blood pressure and abdominal exams. Other diagnostic procedures include testing for bilirubin, red blood cell count, liver function tests, platelet count and a urine test for protein. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, your medical team may admit you into the hospital for close evaluation while tests are being performed.
3. Discuss Your Treatment Options
Treatment options depend on the severity of your symptoms, the results of your lab work, the overall health of you and your unborn child and how far along you are in the pregnancy. Options may include bed rest, blood transfusions, magnesium sulfate injections, blood pressure medications and fetal monitoring. The cause of HELLP syndrome is not known. Treatments are aimed as alleviating symptoms, preventing complications and prolonging fetal development.
4. Prepare Yourself
Complications of HELLP syndrome can arrive quickly and early delivery by induction of labor or caesarean section may be warranted. Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), a serious complication of HELLP syndrome, can result in severe bleeding, early detachment from the placenta, rupture of the liver or fluid retention in the lungs. If these complications endanger the life of the mother or the fetus, prompt delivery is necessary. If you are diagnosed with HELLP syndrome and are near term, delivery is often recommended to avoid potentially serious complications.
