Pre-eclampsia (hypochondriac alert)

[SoBloodyTired]

I'm 29 weeks, I've piled on the weight in the last couple of weeks (admittedly helped by eating far too much crap) and I'm swelling up like a balloon by the evening, which didn't happen in my last pregnancy. My BP is absolutely fine (better than when I'm not pregnant!) but I have a small amount of ketones in my urine.

MW says as long as I feel fine in myself it's nothing to worry about.

So, nothing to worry about, right?

Were you pregnant during a hot summer last time? Did you have a child to look after last time? Both equal swelled up like a balloon to me

I presume they are checking you - believe me if they were worried they would check you more. Just keep an eye out for bad headaches,seeing stars etc

It's protein you need to watch for in the urine for pre eclampsia, rather than ketones. So if your BP is fine too, just sounds like a bit of summer swelling

If your BP is fine you probably have nothing to worry about - with pre-eclampsia you would typically be permanently swollen and your blood pressure would be sky high.

(Is this a first pregnancy? Pre-eclampsia is usually a disease of first pregnancy, and it rarely happens in second pregnancies, unless there's a change in father, apparently.)

I had what was later diagnosed as 'atypical pre-eclampsia' - I had small traces of protein, but no more, in my urine, and my BP was fine throughout. So very occasionally, these classic markers of pre-eclampsia are not there. However, what tipped me off that something was wrong was that I started to feel terrible at 36 weeks - not as in just tired and swollen up; I was vomiting, wanted only to lie on the sofa and sleep and really felt generally ill. So your midwife is probably accurate in saying that if you feel fine you shouldn't worry. I don't want to worry you either, just to say that swelling up and weight gain sound pretty normal, but if you feel really unwell, then I would get checked out. Hope the last few weeks go OK!

Thanks both.

"Bit of summer swelling"?

I have no ankles left

Sorry, reading back, I don't want to sound dismissive of being tired and swollen up - but just making the point that I was very conscious that I felt different and significantly worse than earlier in my pregnancy. So my strong feeling is that if you had pre-eclampsia, you would be more certain that something was wrong.

Thanks everyone, and not dismissive at all EightiesChick

[passes out and rolls off chair]

check out the detailed symptoms of pre-eclampsia here: www.preeclampsia.org/symptoms.asp

Occasionally PE can present atypically with BP rising after other symptoms begin, however re swelling, facial swelling is the one to really look out for, and swelling that does not disappear after lying down/overnight. Like others have said the summer heat will most probably result in significant, but normal, swelling.
Saying that, it is always worth keeping an eye on how you feel though and even if you just "have a feeling" that you're not as well as you should be do get checked out- BP etc. can change rapidly- better to be labelled a hyperchondriac than potentially miss the onset of PE (says she who's had it 3 times- first time resulting in DS being born at 30 weeks due to HELLP syndrome which was misdiagnosed for 5 days).

Hope all stays well though and you have a long & healthy pregnancy!

Hi everyone. Im 31 weeks with twins and had an ante-natal app y.day. They checked my urine and found a trace of protein so I am now waiting for results to come back as to whether its anythng to worry about. My BP was fine but when I got hme I read up on symptoms and it said swelling (which I dont have) and also headaches, which ive had for the past two nights although they only last 5 mins. Should I be worried? Thanks

Mamma4 If you feel otherwise OK I think it's unlikely you have pre-eclampsia. As I posted above, I didn't have the classic symptoms but I did feel really, really ill. If you do I would get checked out, but as is i wouldn't panic. Wait and see what the results of your urine test are.

Ketones means that you haven't been eating enough, I think. I had ketones when I was in labour for 2 days and didn't feel like eating and they looked sternly at me and kept trying to feed me biscuits

Hmm, yes Bertie, MW did ask if I was eating properly. I thought it was evidently a stupid question as my BMI is well over 30 and I cannot go more than 90 minutes without having to feed myself something entirely unsuitable.

Surely I don't have to eat more?

I guess if you are eating I wouldn't worry about it. Just had a quick google and the other common cause of ketones in urine is diabetes. But I'm sure if they had concerns they would have said something.

Thanks EightiesChick, I shall not worry untill I get results and i feel fine otherwise.

The thing is, I know nowt about pre-eclampsia but I know a bit about diabetes, and you'll virtually never get ketones in urine without also seeing glucose. So I'm ok for that. So far!

if you don't have protein in your urine or high blood pressure you don't have PE. I also have massive swelling (I am 27+2), and was worried enough to go to the midwife to get my blood pressure and urine double checked and both are fine. I think its par for the course to get massively swollen up. If urine and BP are clear its nothing to worry about, although its mightily unpleasant.

I was preg during the last hot Summer in 2006. I had protein in my urine, got all swollen and my BP was sky high at my 36 week check and I was hospitalised. I had pre-eclampsia, but they managed to keep the BP under control with medication until the baby was born.

As the others say, it is protein and not ketones that is important when it comes to pre-eclampsia.

With this pregnancy I had ketones when I was suffering with extreme morning sickness. Couldn't keep anything down - not even water.

If you think you're eating well, then midwife maybe had a slip of the tongue and meant protein ? Can you test ketones with a dipstick ? When they tested mine they put it in a machine at the GP surgery and gota printout.

My son was born at 36+5 on 1st July by emcs due to pre-eclampsia.

I honestly had no fucking idea. My BP had been a very healthy 110/60 throughout my entire pregnancy. I'd just nipped in to my midwife for my fortnightly check (about to become weekly) when she said my BP was 140/95 and I had proteins in my urine.

I felt FINE! I had fat ankles, but fgs with this heat and 8 months pregnant I figured that was totally normal. I had no headaches, no dizziness, nothing. I felt tired, but I've felt tired & rough my entire pregnancy. Looking at photos taken in the last week or so of my pregnancy I was awfully swollen around the face, but I honestly had no clue.

My mw phoned the hospital to say I'd be coming in to have it "checked" - I didn't think that sounded positive, so went to the hospital via home and packing a bag. Poof went my homebirth! That evening in hospital it went as high as 185/125 - I'm not sure that the stress of the hospital and the intense heat didn't add to that though...