Pregnancy after pre-eclampsia

[Wheresmybippers]

I'm ttc #2 after late onset pre-eclampsia (born at 36 weeks) and have to admit I'm a bit terrified. Week long stay ahead of dd's birth, nobody noticed I was in labour, heart rate dipping, almost emcs but had started pushing...lots of drama basically. I know she wasn't VERY early and I probably had an alright time compared to a lot of others but I'm nervous about it all happening again.

[catslife]

My understanding is that the later you had pre-eclampsia in your first pregnancy, the less likely you are to have it again in your second (provided the babies have the same dad).
If you are very worried it may be an idea to check with your GP.
You may need to have additional checks during your pregnancy though.
PS A friend who had late pre-eclampsia went on to have 3 more children with no complications.

[Notthisnotthat]

I had late onset preeclampsia with my first, I was monitored very closely when pregnant with DC2, I took aspirin from about 20 weeks, and although I did get high blood pressure during the pregnancy which needed hospital stays it didn't develop into pre-eclampsia. I got to 38 weeks this time before the medication stopped working, and I had a section due to baby being footling breach.

My consultant said that of the 1 in 10 woman who get preeclampsia only 1 in 10 of them go on to develop it again.

[Notthisnotthat]

Ps I thought the risk lessened if it was a different father, I have articles saved somewhere will have a hunt for them.

[Wheresmybippers]

Same father! That's so reassuring to hear, thank you.
notthis how long were your hospital stays?

[catslife]

The reason for the difference could be that I had early onset pre-eclampsia at 27 weeks.
In my area there was a clinic your GP could refer you to if you were concerned about risks in future pregnancies. Yes I was told about the aspirin thing as well.

[Notthisnotthat]

They were normally just overnight while they monitored my BP to see what the effect of increasing the labetalol was. I was in for 3 nights not long before the birth, I think I got out for Christmas and they had my section planned for Hogmanay, I'm less than 5 mins from the hospital though. The section was due to DD being footling breech.

[thebigmummabear]

I had preeclampsia with dc1. She was born at 35 weeks, in hospital for a week before and one week after as well. Had high blood pressure since even though I'm petite, she's now 6. Had dc2 and was surprised at how well i was looked after when pregnant. Had lots of extra checks and was consultant led the whole way though. I didn't go on to develop preeclampsia second time round but did get IUGR, which to be honest i don't know if it was related. So ended up with a c section and week in hospital anyway!

[CurlsLDN]

Hello! I had pre-e with ds. After the birth I arranged to meet the head midwife to talk through the birth, my main question was is this going to happen again?
She explained that although they don't yet 100% understand the causes of pre-eclampsia, what actually happens is that your body is rejecting/reacting to the growing placenta/baby.
Next time you create a baby with the same man your body will recognise that 'mixture' and is therefore it's not very common for women to get it twice if it is the same father.

Not at all sure that explanation is 100% scientific, but it's how she explained it to me! The point being, you are not at increased risk

[scrumptiouscrumpets]

The risk of getting preeclampsia in a subsequent pregnancy depends on how early and how severely you had it. No matter how mild and late your preeclampsia was, you will be at a higher risk of developing it a second time compared to women who did not have preeclampsia in their first pregnancy. However, the odds of having a normal pregnancy can be increased by taking low dose aspirin as soon as you miss your period, in any case during the first trimester (this improves placental implantation right from the start).
You can also ask your GP to be referred to a haematologist who will have a look at your coagulation - preeclampsia can be related to disorders of the coagulation system like factor V mutation. This should be done before you start trying to conceive because in some cases, heparin treatment can be helpful.
During your pregnancy, make sure you get enough protein and don't cut down on salt - normal sodium levels help increase your blood volume, which is essential during pregnancy.
Feel free to pm me if you have any questions!