Emma always wanted to have a baby when she reached her legal age. She is a normal lady, with no major physical health issues and other abnormalities that might affect her daily life. Emma was able to give birth to two healthy children, she is already a mother of two, to which both pregnancies were normal and no adverse medical condition arose. Emma is now on her third pregnancy. On her 15th week of gestation, Emma’s BMI was at 28, with a blood pressure of 134/86 mmHg (plgf.com). Emma went through the normal stages of her gestation. When she reached her 27th week, Emma was referred to another clinic due to onset hypertension. Her blood pressure during her 27th week reached 158/102 mmHg. On the other hand, apart from the hypertension due to her pregnancy, there was no other health issues reported. Thus, there were no signs of pre-eclampsia, particularly; there was no sign of negative dipstick or proteinuria (plgf.com).
Upon reaching the clinic Emma’s blood pressure went down to 145/90 mmHg. Her 32nd week of gestation remained good until her 33rd week. Emma’s blood pressure went up to 156/110 mmHg and she was given a nifedipine to treat her hypertension. Based on the report, Emma was also suffering from headache, but her visuals were totally normal. Two days after she was administered with nifedipine, her blood pressure went down to 140/84 mmHg. However, on her 34th week, Emma was induced, but fetal distress happened, which caused her delivery to be under a caesarian section.
Emma suffered from eclampsia. This is a condition, to which convulsions occur among pregnant women who suffer from unusual high blood pressure. This condition is known to be threat for both mother and the baby inside the womb.
Implications of Hypertension during Gestation
High blood pressure is the exerted amount of force by the human blood against the arteries’ walls. It is considered that such blood pressure is already high once it reaches 140 mmHg systolic (National Institutes of Health, n.d.) and 90 mmHg diastolic. In general, hypertension, accounts for the development of various diseases, such as CHD or Coronary Heart Disease, heart failure, and stroke. Hypertension may happen to anyone at risk. Thus, women are normally at risk of acquiring hypertension especially during pregnancy.
There are various implications that hypertension may provide in gestation. Although most of the gestating women give birth to healthy babies, hypertension can still be a threat to both the pregnant woman and the fetus inside the womb. Based on the case study, Emma, at her 34th week of pregnancy, was induced due to high blood pressure that reached 140/84 mmHg. This scale of blood pressure is not a good sign within the gestation period, as it is likely to cause fetal distress.
Women already have a pre-existing hypertension are at risk of acquiring potential complications during their pregnancy compared to those who have normal blood pressures (National Institutes of Health, n.d.). On the other hand, some women develop hypertension or high blood pressure once they get pregnant, which is called gestational hypertension.
Furthermore, hypertension during pregnancy may develop Preeclampsia (National Institutes of Health, n.d.). This condition normally happens from 20 weeks of gestation onwards. The complexity of this condition also affects the mother’s kidney. In the process, a high blood pressure or hypertension, not only increases the pressure itself, but it also increases the protein inside the body due to kidney problem. Additionally, this condition affects the placenta, to which can also affect the woman’s brain and liver.
There are instances that Preeclampsia leads to Eclampsia, which is more fatal to both the mother and her baby. One known symptom of Eclampsia is the seizure of the patient. This health problem is a complex condition that affects the patients’ overall wellness. In fact, a medication during pregnancy is a risky action, which adversely implicates the pregnant woman’s physical condition. A normal person can be administered with anti-hypertension drugs in order to address the high blood pressure problem. However, for pregnant women, medication is always a risk taking option as it may also affect the fetus. On the other hand, it still must be treated; otherwise, a simple Preeclampsia may lead to difficult stage that requires labor induction, similar to the case study presented.
The implications of this health problem during pregnancy are a wide range issue. It could be the reason for the pregnant woman’s stress during pregnancy, as the condition provides health risks to her and her baby. This might also increase her worries about the outcomes of her baby’s health once born. That is because; Preeclampsia may directly affect the fetal health beyond the 20 weeks gestation. Moreover, possible concerns of the mother may arise, such as deficiency during the baby’s growth, risks in terms of breathing problems during labor, concern for potential placental abruption, and most especially, the possible effects of the medications mother was taking during the pregnancy. Therefore, to prevent these possible implications, proper management of hypertension must be employed during pregnancy, such as regular check-up, proper diet, reduction of sodium intake, and proper monitoring of weight gain.
References
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). High blood pressure and pregnancy: Know the facts - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy/art-20046098
National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy - NHLBI, NIH. Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/resources/heart/hbp-pregnancy
Placental Growth Factor PLGF.com. (2013). Clinical Application of Alere Triage PLGF; Women with Gestational Hypertension Case Study 4. Retrieved from Alere website: http://www.plgf.com/content/dam/web/plgf/docs/WHO2609_FINAL.pdf
