Does anyone know what is normal blood pressure when pregnant?

[IlanaK]

I am on my third pregnancy. GP took my blood pressure today and commented that although it was not high, it was higher than previously. She asked me to get it checked at hospital tomorow as i am there for anti-d injection. It was 136 over 69. Previously it was 112 over 70. These numbers mean nothing to me - help!

I think 120/80 is about average... If the top number goes over 140 for the top and 90 for the bottom are considered high.

Normal BP when not pregnant is 120/80 to 140/90.

It should be lower when during pregnancy; I remember I had one reading of 90/50 when expecting one of my dc!

How many weeks are you?

For PG I think it's not just what's normal, but whether it goes up a lot from your BP at the start of PG. Mind you the bottom numbers are more important than the top number, and your bottom number is actually a touch lower now than previously, so hopefully there is nothing too worry about.

I'm no expert either, but the second figure is more important than the first, and I'm told the normal range for that is between 60 and 90.

So 136/69 is definitely not high. It's good that you are getting checked at hospital though - your GP is looking after you.

I am 28 weeks now. Thanks everyone. The GP did say it was not high - just higher than before. I have never had high blood pressure either during a pregnancy or not.

Average is about 120 over 70. The pressure is measured in mm of mercury (when the machines had a column of mercury in a glass tube).

The top number is the systolic pressure - this is the pressure when the heart muscle contracts to push the blood round. The lower number is the diastolic pressure - the pressure in the circulatory system when the heart muscle is relaxed.

The systolic pressure of 136 is a little higher than average, but this could be due to anxiety, exercise, stress. So it makes sense to recheck it on another occasion.

I really wouldn't worry. Try not to rush tomorrow and see if having a litle rest before having it taken makes any difference.

HTH (not sure if checking it at the same time as having an injection is a brilliant idea actually - are you quite relaxed about needles?)

When I was having BP issues when pregnant I was told the thing they worried about was when the bottom number went over 90 as only the top one responds to stress/exercise etc.

I know a bit about BP! (during and post pregnancy)

Your reading is high for a pregnant woman - but it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad, it just needs to be monitored But you may well be asked to have your BP taken every couple of days for a week or even 2. I had to do this with dd but as it didn't get any higher after 2 weeks I was discharged.

Your BP is actually ok, but what the GP is probable being cautious about is that your systolic (top number) is nearly 30 mmHg higher than it was last time.

A consistently raised BP from your baseline can show a need for more frequent monitoring. So it's not the actual reading, just the fact that it's higher than your booking in BP (for example).

Don't worry from one reading though. Stress will make it higher

Laughing at the idea of having a rest before it is taken tomorow. No problem there - I usually have to wait about an hour before being seen at the hospital!

I can't have it check every couple of days as I am going away on holiday for a week on Saturday. Hopefully it will be fine tommorow.