Pregnancy Test

Pregnancy Test Article

What You Should Learn About Preeclampsia During Pregnancy

What is preeclampsia? It is a syndrome that occurs in pregnant women who are hypertensive, that is, those who have high blood pressure. They get swollen legs and a considerable amount of protein spillage into their urine. They may even get convulsions, particularly in the second part of the pregnancy.

Preeclampsia is also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension or toxemia. It is more common in women who are pregnant for the first time and those pregnant by a new husband. However, a second or third pregnancy does not guarantee a preeclampsia-free term. According to a study in Aberdeen, Scotland, almost 1 in 150 women who has had a normal blood pressure during their first pregnancy can get preeclampsia during their second.

The risk is heightened for those who have previously experienced high blood pressure and women who also suffered from preeclampsia before the third trimester.

A family history of diabetes is also cause for concern; women whose sisters, mothers, aunts or grandmothers got preeclampsia should also be careful. Moreover, the possibility of getting preeclampsia increases relative to the woman's age; the older she is, the higher the risk, particularly if the woman is over 40. However, early pregnancies are just as at risk as late ones. Teenage mothers--girls younger than 18--are not exempt.

Other significant factors that may complicate a pregnancy and induce preeclampsia are ovarian cysts, lupus and arthritis. Women who do not have or have never had the aforementioned illnesses should not be so complacent. If symptoms of preeclampsia start manifesting, they should consult their doctor straightaway.

While pregnant women feel all sorts of sensations that are common for their delicate situation, there are certain occurrences that may point to preeclampsia. All these symptoms should never be ignored:

- Frequent dizziness and drowsiness.

- Getting massive headaches.

- Unbearable nausea.

- Hearing incessant buzzing or ringing.

- Throwing up blood.

- Frequent and prolonged vomiting.

- Getting impossibly swollen feet and hands.

- Seldom urinating or not at all.

- Having blood mixed in the urine.

- Irregular, rapid heartbeat.

- Having a high fever.

- Getting blurred or double vision.

- Sudden loss of vision.

It is important to be on the guard because the exact causes of preeclampsia is largely unknown. It does not have one easily identifiable cause, and there is not one test that diagnoses the problem.

When women go to the doctor, the first thing their doctor will do is to take their blood pressure. A large rise is indicative of preeclampsia. Urine tests are performed to measure the protein in the urine. A blood test may also be done. If the woman is exhibiting signs of preeclampsia, the doctor will want to conduct checkups at least once every week, if not every day.

What preeclampsia does is to hinder blood going to the placenta, which is what provides air and food to the baby. Less blood in the placenta means less air and food for the baby, thus a low weight for the newborn.

A good advice to keep in mind for pregnant women is to control their blood pressure. When one is not pregnant, the way to do this is to cut down on her salt intake. If one is however pregnant, the body will need the salt to aid in the flow of fluids. Doctors may recommend aspirin and calcium for preeclampsia prevention or tell women to lie on their left side while taking rest.

If preeclampsia does occur in one pregnancy, it does not entirely spell doom for the mother and child. Women can still deliver babies with perfect health but it is rare. So all these precautions are advisable and will prove that mothers know best if they do heed both the warnings and preventive measures.

Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

About the Author:

For up to date links and information about Pregnancy, please go to http://www.PregnancyClue.com

Pregnancy Test News

pregnancy test

A Stockholm-area hospital has been told to review its procedures after a doctor accidentally removed a fetus from a woman during a hysteroscopy. Resident in elderly living facility found dead after six weeks (11 Dec 08) Forgotten patient dies in ...

Swedish doctor reprimanded following accidental abortion - Local

She was in her third trimester of a pregnancy she claimed was the result of a sexual assault aboard Camp Lejeune. But Navy investigators were not convinced that the man she said raped her was the father of her unborn child. Lauterbach, 20, had joined ...

One year later: A look back at the Maria Lauterbach investigation - Daily News

So you took a pregnancy test and two little lines showed up - congrats! Now, you're wondering - when is my baby due? Your next stop is a due date calculator. These help you know when you're due and how far along you officially are until you go to the ...

Follow Me @ Twitter - San Francisco Examiner

London, Dec 12 (ANI): A test that can predict whether a woman is likely to give birth if her waters break early in pregnancy has been identified by Swedish researchers. According to the scientists, high levels of lactate in vaginal fluid is strongly ...

Now, a test that predicts onset of preterm labour - Thaindian.com

More Articles: Jennifer Lopez has signed on to star in the fertility-themed romantic comedy "Plan B" for CBS Films. Penned by Kate Angelo, story centers on a single woman (Lopez) who turns to artificial insemination to answer her ticking biological ...

Jennifer Lopez going with 'Plan B' - Variety

Researchers have identified a test which can predict whether a woman is likely to give birth if her waters break early in pregnancy. High levels of lactate in vaginal fluid is strongly associated with onset of labour within 48 hours, according to ...

Test 'predicts preterm baby risk' - BBC News

Belgium health company Omega Pharma has come up with a way of possibly putting some of the health issues concerning mobile phone radiation at ease. Omega Pharma is about to sell a chip which they claim will “counter potentially damaging radiation ...

E-wave chip: An end to mobile phone health scares perhaps? - Phones Review

Some jittery people out there have grounds to suspect the decaf coffee they drink is secretly laced with that demon caffeine. But, don't get jumpy about it. University of Florida researchers found in 2006 that the decaffeination process doesn't ...

Decaffeination Reduces Buzz But Doesn't Eliminate It - Tampa Bay Online

In one hallway, the twins-who-almost-never-were gaze down from rows of portraits, annual freeze-frames affirming what some — their parents, for sure — would call a miracle. That's Jake on the left, Jesse on the right. Always. Except for one year ...

10 years later, surrogate's delivery just as special - Denver Post

Coronation Street is getting a gang of new kids in the New Year. Young actors Lucien Laviscount, 15, and Sacha Parkinson, 16, are joining the soap as part of Sophie Webster's new gang, according to The Daily Star. Corrie bosses want talented 16-year ...

Pregnancy Test Links

Warning: file(http://www.gigablast.com/search?q=pregnancy+test&sc=0&dr=1&raw=5&n=10) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.0 402 (Contact Gigablast sales to buy a search feed) in /home/momtobe/public_html/rssg/serp.php on line 27

Warning: implode() [function.implode]: Invalid arguments passed in /home/momtobe/public_html/rssg/serp.php on line 27
No links at present please check back later.