Making a Gestational Hypertension Diagnosis
Gestational
hypertension is diagnosed after taking several readings to find the
average blood pressure. To find the average
blood pressure, your blood pressure needs to be taken two or more times, and each reading should be from a different day. A woman can be diagnosed with gestational hypertension if she meets the following criteria:
Treatment for Gestational Hypertension
The treatment recommended for gestational hypertension will depend on a number of factors, including:
- At what week the gestational hypertension is diagnosed
- Severity of symptoms.
Some treatment options may include:
- Observation
- Bed rest
- Medications
- No-salt-added diet
- More frequent prenatal visits
- Early delivery (after 36 weeks).
If a doctor suspects a woman of having gestational hypertension but the blood pressure is not very high, he or she may begin by recommending bed rest for several days. In addition, as part of gestational
hypertension treatment, the doctor may recommend a no-added-salt diet. If this early gestational hypertension treatment is successful in reducing blood pressure, no further treatment may be necessary; however, the continuation of the no-added-salt diet and more frequent
prenatal care may be necessary.
For women who do not respond to early gestational hypertension treatment, or those with more severe gestational
hypertension symptoms, the doctor may recommend a stay in the hospital for a couple of days to see if symptoms improve in a more controlled environment.
For women experiencing more severe gestational hypertension, the doctor may also begin
blood pressure medication. For women who are more than
36 weeks pregnant (or those women whose symptoms cannot be controlled), the doctor may recommend delivering the baby.
Previous
Add this article to your Favorites
Email this article
Print