10) Complications in pregnant women
When addressing hypertension in pregnancy, we must mention statistics. Those numbers say that hypertension is one of the most common medical problems for pregnant women: it affects up to 10% of pregnancies. And out of the disorders related to blood pressure during gestation, there is a very common combined one: preeclampsia and eclampsia.
Let us first define hypertension in pregnant women. It is when blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mm Hg before pregnancy or before 20 weeks’ gestation. So, preeclampsia is when tests in a pregnant woman show she has high blood pressure (i.e. higher than 140/90 mm Hg).
These high blood pressure reading would cause severe problems in pregnant women and put there in high risk for miscarriage. Moreover, when the problem is not properly addressed, they can turn preeclampsia into eclampsia, which features one or more convulsions in association with the high blood pressure.
