Pregnancy Induced Hypertension


		Pregnancy Induced Hypertension

Pregnancy Induced Hypertension . . . PIH . . .is a multi-organ disease of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure, protein in the urine and swelling in the face, hands, and feet that is not relieved by rest.

Symptoms

When you experience a headache, visual disturbance, and epigastric pain that are unusual for you, this may be reason for concern. In most mild to moderate cases of PIH, symptoms are silent. In severe cases women feel a severe frontal headache unrelieved by medication, such as; Tylenol. Epigastric pain unrelieved by heart burn antacid. And/or spots before their eyes not related to getting up from a lying down position. In cases of severe PIH the mother-to-be can experience a seizure.

Treatment

The only cure is delivery of the baby! This may sound drastic especially if it's too early for the baby to be born. Your doctor may discuss a plan of care for you and recommend bed rest and increasing your protein food intake.

Prevention

Keeping medical appointments is crucial during pregnancy in order to avoid illnesses and side effects related to disease. There are many theories of what causes PIH, but no one knows a defiant answer to what the cause is. But, it maybe as simply as eating a diet high in body building foods . . . protein . . . just as we found out folic acid is crucial to prevent neural tube defects in unborn babies.