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General health

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Original poster

After pre-eclampsia

66 replies

purpleme12 · 12/02/2020 11:48

Once your blood pressure has gone down after baby's born
Do you get monitored at the doctor's for your blood pressure?
Or do the just leave you when it's gone down after birth?

OP posts:

Original poster

purpleme12 · 14/02/2020 18:54

Thank you for your post. I keep worrying because of all the scary things you read about blood pressure online. I wish I hadn't read them

OP posts:

HerRoyalNotness · 14/02/2020 19:01

I had no rides about this!
Preeclampsia is linked to various autoimmune diseases that cause high blood pressure - arthritis and lupus for example

I was diagnosed with RA after my last baby that I got preeclampsia during. I had to take myself back to the hospital 3 days after I went home as I had comedy swelling in my legs and high BP, I ended up being treated for 3 days for eclampsia I guess. It was all a bit woolly. I figured my pregnancy triggered the RA but perhaps it was the preeclampsia. I stuffer now from extreme tiredness, low iron and low B12. I wonder if it’s all connected

Igottastartthinkingbee · 14/02/2020 19:10

I was on labetalol for a couple of months after both pregnancies. In the end I had a telephone appointment with the GP to discuss my home BP readings as was being weaned off the drugs. I have since developed random episodes of retinal migraines which I am convinced is related to a spike in BP. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my blood pressure is labile and therefore hard to track.

anon2000000000 · 14/02/2020 19:42

I was monitored for a week but nothing else. My blood pressure wasn't overly high when I had pre eclampsia - I just had every other symptom.

Original poster

purpleme12 · 14/02/2020 20:12

Oh how strange
Mind you I showed none of the symptoms apart from really high blood pressure and they couldn't believe I had no headaches or anything

OP posts:

SirVixofVixHall · 14/02/2020 20:39

I get migraines that are only the aura - am worried now that it is due to BP ?

Original poster

purpleme12 · 14/02/2020 20:41

A cause of migraines can be high blood pressure. Then again it can be many other things so it's hard to know.
Although it does look like my migraines/headaches were caused by high blood pressure now

OP posts:

DimplesMcGee · 14/02/2020 20:43

I wasn’t monitored after I was discharged from hospital, about a week after I’d given birth. But by that stage my bp was 100/70 so I suppose they weren’t concerned.

MissisBee · 14/02/2020 20:48

I think you're supposed to have annual BP and urine checks, but I think this rarely happens, at least in a planned fashion. Many women will be having BP checks cos they're on the pill or something.

Nat6999 · 14/02/2020 20:51

My bp was fine on the monday & by friday I had swelled up so much I looked chinese, my face looked flat, my nose disappeared & I had slits for eyes, when I got to the hospital they measured me for those stockings, I had 8 inches difference from one leg to the other. I went in at 16.5 stone & a week after giving birth weighed less than 10.5 stone. Ds was only 6 pound 4. Labetalol didn't work for me, my GP swapped me to something else & pushed the limits of the dose until my bp started dropping. I ended up with HELLP syndrome after emcs, I had a massive haemorrhage, my liver & kidneys started to fail within hours of ds being born, I was on restricted fluids for 3 days, only allowed to drink 5ml an hour, I have never been so thirsty in my life.

Original poster

purpleme12 · 14/02/2020 20:55

@MissisBee I was definitely not on any checks. Not checked for years. I mean it's ok if you're on medicine or whatever where they check you routinely but a lot of people aren't. And then you're forgotten about.

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JacMarScar · 14/02/2020 20:59

I had eclampsia with my daughter 2 years ago, the warning signs was there. Swelling, dizziness, daughter was measuring 4 weeks ahead and there was protein in my urine but nothing was picked up on until I had a seizure in labour. I had to stay in hospital for 5 days and to have tablets for iron levels and injections for 12 days I think it was. They monitored me the day after I got home and sent me back in as my blood pressure had rocketed. After around 4 check ups over 3 weeks I had been discharged with nothing else

undead · 14/02/2020 21:23

I have blood tests every three months and yearly blood pressure etc because of my medication. So I know things are going fine. My dh hasn't had any blood tests ever or get his blood pressure measured. All this will happen next year when he has his 40 years old check up that everyone have. I think if they notice something it will be followed.

Fantail · 15/02/2020 04:23

I had pre-eclampsia with my daughter 9 years ago.

My blood pressure stabilised quickly, and is still good.

But I developed T1 diabetes 3 1/2 years ago and I also have some minor kidney damage, this was picked up at the same time as my diabetes diagnosis. They think this was caused by the pre-eclampsia, and my specialist said he thought it was a really good thing I hadn’t had any further children.

All I was say is to be proactive with your health. Keep a healthy weight, exercise and get your blood pressure checked.

millymoo1202 · 15/02/2020 15:17

My daughter is almost 20 and I had it with her, spent almost 2 weeks in hospital until they finally got it under control. Was on meds for I think 3 months and had to see consultant at main hospital. I now have high BP but it was fine during second pregnancy which I was monitored from 34 weeks

BunsyGirl · 16/02/2020 23:54

I had pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome almost ten years ago with DS1. I had no follow up care whatsoever. My DH has to demand that they check my blood pressure on the post-natal ward. I have never felt 100% since the episode and I worry about the long term damage it has done to my body.

Duelatdawn · 17/02/2020 00:14

I had pre-eclampsia over 30 years ago. My BP was very high from my first antenatal appointment onwards. I had an emcs at 36 weeks and DD was in PICU with respiratory distress after delivery for 10 days.

My bp wasn’t checked again after I left hospital (not sure if that was normal for the mid 80s or the hospital were crap. ).

I took my BP years later with a relatives home BP monitor and it was very high and they said I needed to see my GP. GP took it 3 times then made me wait till the end of surgery and took it again. At that point he sent me to A&E . I wasnt admitted but was given an urgent cardiology appointment.

A whole load of heart and kidney scans and tests later they diagnosed essential hypertension and I’ve been on a cocktail of drugs since then. For the last 15 years the 4 drugs I’ve taken for it have kept it at an acceptable level. Before then though it was very difficult to get under control.

What I don’t know is if my high BP is the result of pre-eclampsia or if I had high BP before pregnancy and didn’t know as I’d never had my BP checked.

Definitely you should have it monitored as it hasn’t settled properly and is up at present. Have you had 24 hour monitoring done? Have you had any kidney/heart scans that have led to the diagnosis of no cause known? It’s really important for your future health that it’s regularly and thoroughly checked and if necessary you can start medication to get it under control.

stardust40 · 17/02/2020 00:27

Had it with dd2. They gave me meds to bring bp down before they started the csection (horrible feeling ... head spun and I threw up!) however not never went back up again! Was discharged 3 days later no follow ups etc

Original poster

purpleme12 · 17/02/2020 00:44

Yes I've had the 24 hour monitoring

They're investigating the cause at the minute. But it just made me think

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GEEpEe · 17/02/2020 13:07

Where I work, the midwives would be seeing that person for at least a week after they go home so they would take over BP checks. They'd then hand over to us and make sure we kept on checking if they weren't stable on meds or not on meds.

There's been local tragedies in that respect so they monitor them in the community or make sure someone else is.

Roomba · 17/02/2020 13:13

I was discharged still taking labetalol and had to kee getting checked at my GP until my BP went back to normal. My midwife checked it at home for a couple of weeks first. In my case it took more than four months to get back to a normal BP! I worried as I felt very tired and groggy still, but realised this was due to the labetalol when I'd stopped it and felt much more lively.

Roomba · 17/02/2020 13:16

I forgot to mention that my BP was perfect during my second pregnancy and I've never had BP issues since my pre eclampsia induced hypertension first time round (yet! It's been 14 years so fingers crossed).

Ciwirocks · 17/02/2020 13:17

I agree that no one in primary care seems to be aware of long term effects. I had severe pre eclampsia and now have borderline kidney disease and high blood pressure. When I asked if it could be related to the pre eclampsia the GP just shrugged and said possibly

GEEpEe · 17/02/2020 13:28

Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) is associated with hypertension in later life but not pre-eclampsia. Pre eclampsia diagnosis requires more than just high BP to diagnose. The problem is that making an explicit distinction isn't deemed as important by every clinician and midwife.

SirVixofVixHall · 17/02/2020 14:21

GEEpEe. What is the distinction between them ? How would I know which I had ?

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