High blood pressure in pregnancy is the most common complication. Even in the absence of pregnancy, high blood pressure or hypertension is an extremely common medical problem. The studies estimates that almost half of all adults in the around 49.6% have high blood pressure.
Developing high blood pressure while pregnant can fall under one of the following categories.
- Pre-existing high blood pressure – refers to women diagnosed with high blood pressure before becoming pregnant.
- Gestational hypertension - refers to women who develop high blood pressure for the first time while pregnant. This typically starts after 20 weeks of pregnancy or beyond.
- Preeclampsia – refers to women who develop high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy combined with other symptoms that include protein in the urine, low platelets, abnormal liver enzyme tests or kidney problems.
