Toxemia, more commonly referred to as pre-eclampsia or pregnancy-induced-hypertension, is a condition that involves a pregnant woman's blood pressure rising, often with no warning or cause. Toxemia can be harmful to the developing fetus because it can keep the placenta from getting adequate blood supply, sometimes resulting in low birth weight. Pre-eclampsia can sometimes be managed with dietary and lifestyle changes, but sometimes requires stronger intervention like prescription medication or even premature delivery of the baby.
Pre-eclampsia Symptoms
One of the most complicated and dangerous things about pregnancy-induced hypertension is that many women do not experience any symptoms. Because of that, your health care provider will check your blood pressure at every pre-natal checkup. In women who do experience symptoms, the most commonly-reported ones include: edema or swelling of the extremities -- especially hands and feet, increased weight gain -- either over 2 lbs in a week or a sudden gain within one or two days, persistent headache, decreased urination, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision and abdominal pain. Since many of the symptoms are also generally consistent with pregnancy, it can be difficult to assess your situation. If you experience a severe headache, abdominal pain or blurred vision, you should contact your health care provider immediately.
Preventing Pre-eclampsia
The best way you can personally prevent pre-eclampsia is by ensuring you receive proper prenatal care. Your healthcare provider will screen you for any warning signs of pregnancy-induced hypertension, including elevated blood pressure and protein in your urine, each time you go in for a prenatal visit. The American Pregnancy Association provides a few general guidelines you can follow to help reduce your chance of developing pre-eclampsia, including reduce your salt intake, avoid fried or fatty foods, be sure you are drinking plenty of water each day, get plenty of rest and exercise, elevate your feet for a period each day and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
The Brewer Diet
One approach to avoiding pre-eclampsia that some pregnant women opt to take is to follow what is called the Blue Ribbon Baby diet. Developed by Dr. Tom Brewer in 1999, this diet emphasizes eating a variety of fresh, healthy foods and avoiding processed foods during pregnancy. A checklist is provided to ensure that those following this diet consume adequate calcium, dark green vegetables, protein, vitamin A, whole grains and healthy oils. While this eating plan does appear to be nutritiously sound, check with your health care provider before beginning any new eating regimen, especially during your pregnancy.
Other Diet-related Considerations
While research has not yet definitively proved whether a pregnant woman's diet affects her chances of developing toxemia, there have been studies that produced notable results. A study published in the September 2007 issue of the "Annals of Epidemiology" found that a woman's intake of a specific kind of fatty acid found in some fish oils was beneficial in preventing pre-eclampsia. Discuss whether eating more fish could be helpful to you with your physician, as some fish are high in mercury and should be avoided during pregnancy.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Pre-eclampsia
- American Pregnancy Association: Pregnancy-induced Hypertension (PIH): Pre-eclampsia or Toxemia
- "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"; Altered Dietary Salt for Preventing Pre-eclampsia, and its Complications; L. Duley, et. al.; October 2005
- Blue Ribbon Baby; If You Are Pregnant; Dr. Tom Brewer
- "Annals of Epidemiology"; Diet During Pregnancy and Risk of Preeclampsia or Gestational Hypertension; Emily Oken, MD, MPH, et. al.; September 2007
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Oxidative Stress, Diet, and the Etiology of Preeclampsia; T.O. Scholl, et. al.; June 2005
