1. Chronic Hypertension
The term "chronic hypertension" refers to a patient who suffered from high blood pressure before she was pregnant. Her high blood pressure is not a result of the pregnancy and will not go away after the baby is born. Chronic high blood pressure that's well-controlled by medication before the pregnancy is usually effective during the pregnancy as well. If you're experiencing a healthy pregnancy, you'll be encouraged to continue to take your medication, get regular exercise and eat a healthy diet. Your doctor will continue to monitor your blood pressure and the protein levels in your urine to ensure your kidneys are functioning well, and you and your baby are healthy.
2. Fighting Gestational Hypertension
If a pregnant woman who didn't previously have high blood pressure suddenly develops the condition, it's known as gestational hypertension. The term actually covers a wide array of medical conditions, including pre-eclampsia and toxemia. Experts think it happens when a woman's immune system has a negative reaction to the pregnancy. Gestational hypertension will typically occur in the second or third trimester. Usually, it's treated by restricting the patient's physical activity. If you're diagnosed with gestational hypertension, your doctor will monitor you and your baby closely. You might also need complete bed rest, hospitalization and a low-salt or no-salt diet. Since gestational hypertension disappears a few weeks after the baby is born, your doctor might decide to induce labor once the baby is developmentally mature.
3. Two for the Price of One
The most dangerous form of high blood pressure a pregnant woman can experience is a combination of chronic high blood pressure and pregnancy-induced hypertension. If you develop both these conditions, you can expect a variety of treatments. You'll be asked to continue your high blood pressure medication; in some cases, it may be changed or increased. You'll be very closely monitored through blood tests, urine tests and stress tests, and you'll definitely be put on bed rest or hospitalized until the baby is born. Your doctor will work very hard to let you continue the pregnancy until the you reach full term. But in many instances, you may need to deliver your baby early to avoid eclampsia, a condition caused by gestational high blood pressure that endangers you and your baby.
