High blood pressure in late pregnancy

High blood pressure during late pregnancy is not such a rare occurrence. Many expectant mothers perceive swelling in the legs, poor health and changes in blood pressure readings as indispensable attributes of bearing a child and do not turn to doctors.

This tactic is initially wrong, because without treatment, high blood pressure will lead to abnormal fetal formation, convulsions and life-threatening complications. Therefore, you need to figure out why the pressure rises, whether it is dangerous, how to recognize the pathology in time and take measures for treatment.

Interesting Facts

Your baby is the size of

Watermelon

507 mm Size

3230 g Weight

Surely now you are impatient and counting the days, and maybe even thinking about how to give birth faster at 39 weeks of pregnancy. But don’t rush time; the baby normally has at least a couple more weeks to finally prepare for birth. It is too early to talk about additional medical stimulation, only if there are indications for it. Let's find out what happens to the fetus and mother at 39 weeks of gestation.

Reasons for the development of a painful condition

Why can a woman’s blood pressure increase sharply in the last months of pregnancy? Doctors identify several reasons for this:

• frequent stress (worries about the upcoming birth, changes in normal life, conflict situations, family troubles);
• hereditary factor - if one of the parents suffered from hypertension, and the expectant mother had not previously complained of high blood pressure, it is during pregnancy that the disease can manifest itself in an acute form;
• smoking and drinking alcohol;
• too much weight of the fetus;
• polyhydramnios;
• kidney and thyroid diseases, hormonal imbalance in the body;
• excess weight.

Stress is not only psychological, when a woman is upset and depressed, but also physical. What does this mean? During gestation, the body, especially in the later stages, experiences enormous stress on the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and all internal organs. The heart muscle has to work for two, because an additional circle of blood circulation has appeared through the umbilical cord.

Due to the lack of compensatory capabilities of the body, the heart cannot cope with the increased volume of blood circulating through the arteries. To prevent tissue hypoxia, the organ is forced to increase blood pressure. As a result, the condition of the pregnant woman worsens. Bad habits and a sedentary lifestyle aggravate the situation.

If a pregnant woman smokes or drinks alcohol, the already narrowed blood vessels are subject to excessive stress. Oxygen starvation begins not only in the tissues of the heart muscle, but also affects the condition of the child, which is fraught with dangerous consequences.

The same applies to excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle. If a woman walks and moves a little, does not follow a diet and is overweight, the load on the heart increases significantly. The development of hypertension in such a situation is considered a predetermined outcome of events.

Feelings of the expectant mother

The size of the uterus is impressive - about 40 cm from the cervix to the bottom, but it is no longer growing. The fetus grows, and the amount of amniotic fluid gradually decreases, so sometimes it may seem to you that the baby is moving very much.

At 39 weeks of pregnancy, false contractions periodically continue to bother the woman. They differ from true ones in less pain, irregularity and in that over time the discomfort does not increase and the pain goes away on its own.

The fetus drops lower, and you may feel pressure in the perineum, even cutting pain. If the discomfort does not subside for a long time, it is likely that the cervix is ​​dilated - you should go to the hospital. If at 39 weeks you find mucus on your underwear, it is possible that the plug that is closing the cervical canal is gradually coming off. The discharge may be thick and streaked with blood.

Training contractions, drooping of the abdomen and the passage of the mucus plug are called harbingers of labor. They are the same for primiparous and multiparous women, but they can occur at different weeks of gestation, and some do not experience these sensations until the very beginning of labor.

Symptoms

The woman feels well, leads a normal lifestyle and does not even suspect that there is a problem. If high blood pressure is not detected in time and therapeutic measures are not taken, the consequences can be dire - this is harm to the health of the woman herself and the developing fetus.

In the early stages of pregnancy, the symptoms of hypertension are practically absent, and the consequences develop much later

You can recognize the onset of hypertension by the following signs:

• squeezing pain in the head;
• feeling as if there is pressure on the eyeballs, discomfort and pain when moving the eyes in any direction;
• blurry images in the eyes, flashing “spots” or black dots;
• dizziness, ringing in the ears;
• urge to nausea and vomiting;
• redness of the skin in the neck and décolleté, which can be diffuse or appear in the form of red spots.

The woman’s well-being sharply deteriorates, and headaches bring maximum discomfort, since taking medications during pregnancy is not allowed, and it is difficult to relieve them with other means. Also, many expectant mothers complain of pain in the chest on the right and in the abdominal area.

Bruises may appear on the body, swelling of the limbs may occur, which subsides overnight, but increases again during the day. If such symptoms are detected, the problem cannot be left without a solution. If the pressure rises to 140 and beyond, this condition is dangerous not only for the woman, but also for the child. You need to urgently contact a specialist to take emergency antihypertensive measures.

Fetal development

At week 39, the child’s weight is 3.2 kg, height is 50.7 cm. The exact figures depend on heredity, the sex of the fetus and the number of pregnancies: the second and subsequent children are much larger than the first, and boys are usually larger than girls.

Despite the fact that the baby receives all the nutrients and oxygen through the placenta, his digestive system is already developed, and the original feces - meconium - has formed in the intestines, which is expelled in the first few days of the baby's life. Don't be intimidated by its appearance; normally it is almost black and oily.

The child is highly dependent on the psycho-emotional state of the mother: he experiences all the same feelings as you. Hormones of stress or pleasure enter his blood, and his movements will be more active during your experiences. Therefore, we wish you peace of mind and more positive emotions.

Treatment of headaches in the 3rd trimester

In the last trimester of pregnancy, you should spend more time preventing headaches. Adequate nutrition, taking into account the increasing need for vitamins and microelements, physical activity and positive emotions are the most important components. For headaches that do not go away after rest, you can take certain groups of medications. They will not harm the child, but the correct dosages must be observed:

• valerian extract, glycine - light sedatives that help cope with stress and nervous tension;
• non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen) - relieve inflammation and pain, but are not suitable for long-term use during pregnancy;
• painkillers (Analgin) - can be taken at home during attacks of acute headache;
• other drugs are prescribed only by a doctor.

The Clinical Brain Institute offers a program for diagnosing and treating headaches during pregnancy in the third trimester. The regimen is developed individually, taking into account test results and other characteristics of the body. At the center it is possible to undergo consultation with specialized specialists and undergo treatment on an outpatient or inpatient basis.

Tests and ultrasound

By the 39th week of pregnancy, all necessary studies have already been completed. Your routine visit to the gynecologist includes the usual measurement of blood pressure, abdominal circumference and weight. Don't forget to take a urine test in advance.

Ultrasound is prescribed only for additional diagnostics if the gynecologist suspects or has previously identified:

• breech presentation of the fetus;
• low location or inappropriate degree of aging of the placenta;
• oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios;
• complex entanglement of the umbilical cord.

The results largely influence the choice of delivery method. If necessary, resort to emergency caesarean section.

Changes in blood pressure during pregnancy and normal levels

Blood pressure is an indicator that characterizes the strength of the influence of blood flow on the walls of blood vessels (in this case, arteries). Blood pressure levels may fluctuate throughout the day. It depends on the volume of circulating blood, the condition of the heart muscle, the elasticity of blood vessels, blood viscosity, as well as the amount of hormones and other biologically active substances produced by the endocrine glands.

And blood pressure numbers are also affected by the level of physical activity, lifestyle, stressful situations, atmospheric pressure, etc. During the period of bearing a baby, indicators may also change. For example, in the first 12 weeks, under the influence of a large amount of progesterone (the hormone of the corpus luteum of the ovaries, adrenal glands and placenta), the pressure decreases by 5–15 mm Hg. Art. Progesterone relaxes the walls of blood vessels, which is necessary for satisfactory blood supply to the pelvic organs and the preservation of pregnancy itself.

The subsequent period is characterized by an increase in circulating blood volume, increased heart rate, increased body weight of the woman and active synthesis of placental hormones. All these points provoke a return of blood pressure to the previous level or its slight increase. What should the pressure be for the indicators to be considered normal:

• systolic (upper) – 100–130 mm Hg. Art.;
• diastolic (lower) – 65–85 mm Hg. Art.

Important! The indicators may fluctuate slightly and still be considered normal, which depends on the physiological characteristics of the mother’s body.

An increase in blood pressure is called hypertension, a decrease is called hypotension. If the numbers are kept above the norm frequently and for a long time, we are talking about arterial hypertension, and below the norm – arterial hypotension. These conditions are fraught with the development of dangerous complications and therefore require correction.

What to discuss with your doctor

• If you have entered into a contract for childbirth, undergo a consultation and examination with the selected doctor at the maternity hospital, and provide your exchange card for review.
• If you need the presence of a partner in the maternity hospital, hurry up to write the appropriate application and get tested. Usually the list for the accompanying person is small - fluorography, tests for HIV, AIDS and hepatitis. Sometimes they require a test for antibodies to measles or vaccination data.
• If you are prone to varicose veins or already have problematic veins, consult your gynecologist about the need for compression stockings during childbirth. Special stockings will prevent the development of thrombophlebitis, varicose veins and reduce postpartum swelling. They are especially necessary for women preparing for a caesarean section.

Possible complications

The following conditions are considered dangerous and require emergency delivery.

Uterine tone at 39 weeks of pregnancy

You can feel it by the nagging pain in the lower abdomen. Normally, this condition is associated with training or true contractions. But if the pain is unbearable, has no frequency and is accompanied by bloody discharge, fever or rapid heartbeat, urgent medical intervention will be required. With increased tone, the baby suffers from hypoxia. To save him, doctors induce labor or perform a caesarean section.

Preeclampsia in pregnant women

Its signs are severe swelling, which is especially noticeable at week 39, when normally it should disappear. A woman may feel nauseous, dizzy and weak. A urine test will show a high protein concentration. Another important symptom is high blood pressure.

The insidiousness of gestosis is that it is often asymptomatic, so visit your gynecologist regularly, even in the last weeks of pregnancy, so as not to miss the development of complications and be able to seek medical help in a timely manner.

Diagnostic methods

Headache during pregnancy in the 3rd trimester requires examination if it occurs frequently. At the Clinical Institute of the Brain, it is possible to conduct a full diagnosis, consult with a neurologist, therapist, ophthalmologist and other specialists. In addition, additional examinations may be required:

• general and biochemical blood tests will indicate the presence of inflammatory processes, changes in the cellular composition of the blood, disruption of the kidneys, heart, liver and other organs;
• specific blood tests to determine gas composition and hormone concentrations;
• Ultrasound is the main technique that allows you to assess the condition of internal organs and blood vessels;
• MRI is a more accurate diagnostic method and can be used to examine the brain, but if possible it is postponed to the postpartum period.

Timely diagnosis is the key to correct diagnosis and prescription of a competent treatment regimen. It is important to consult a doctor if you have any ailments that are accompanied by a headache.

Lifestyle

We understand how you want something special and tasty, especially since at 39 weeks your digestive problems have most likely disappeared. However, we recommend that you do not indulge in unhealthy junk food: there is no need for additional stress on the liver now.

Intimate relationships are possible only if there is no prohibition from the gynecologist, and the pregnancy proceeds calmly. Be careful during sex. You probably feel especially sleepy right now. This is normal, this is how the body prepares for childbirth. Try to put everything aside and get more rest.

We do not advise you to lift heavy things. Bags of groceries, and even more so the rearrangement of furniture for arranging a nursery, should be entrusted to your relatives. Overexertion can lead to uterine bleeding and provoke rapid labor.

How to keep indicators normal?

Preventive measures are as follows:

• constant monitoring of blood pressure levels;
• normalization of physical activity;
• complete day and night rest;
• walks;
• limiting psycho-emotional stress;
• complete fortified diet;
• complete cessation of bad habits;
• regular visits to an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Monitoring your own health is the only way to provide your baby with comfortable conditions for growth and development.

Checklist for 39 weeks of pregnancy

• Check all documents and bags for the maternity hospital. Carry your exchange card and passport with you everywhere, and let the signed packages be in a visible place.
• Don't forget about walks in the fresh air. This is both the prevention of hypoxia in the fetus and good preparation of the muscles for childbirth.
• If your stomach becomes hard and pulls your lower back during training contractions, try swinging on a fitball, breathing, lengthening your exhalation, or as if you were blowing out a candle.
• Install the contraction counter app on your phone. It will help you distinguish false from true and go to the maternity hospital on time.
• Try to stay calm and worry less. You can handle everything!