More than 10 percent of all pregnant women develop high blood pressure. Blood pressure monitoring is critical throughout preg­nancy because hypertension can harm both the woman and her fetus. If high blood pressure develops during pregnancy in a woman who previously had normal blood pressure, the condition is called preeclampsia (or toxemia of pregnancy). However, women who are mildly to moderately hypertensive (but whose blood pressure is controlled with medication) before becoming pregnant usually face no additional risks unless they also have kidney disease. Pregnant women who take blood pressure medi­cation may need to change the type or dose of medication.

Systolic blood pressure does not change much during preg­nancy. Normally, diastolic blood pressure goes down 5 to 10 mm Hg during pregnancy, reaching its lowest point in the middle tri­mester of the pregnancy. Blood pressure then gradually returns to about the prepregnancy level just before delivery. The reason for this drop in blood pressure is that the hormone progesterone causes blood vessels to dilate (widen) at this point in the preg­nancy.

 

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