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Preeclampsia
Managing Preeclampsia
By Cecelia A. Cancellaro
Until the beginning of her third trimester, Jennifer Brymer of Springfield, Mo. would have classified her pregnancy as pretty normal. This 26-year-old first-time mom was feeling strong and healthy as she busied herself preparing her home for her soon-to-be-born daughter. Then came a sudden weight gain that sent her to the maternity store for bigger clothes, as well as a case of extremely swollen feet, which prompted a call to her obstetrician.
"The nurse asked me all kinds of questions: Was my vision blurred? Did my head ache? Were my hands and face swollen? Was there a sharp pain under my ribs? I answered no, my feet are just huge," Brymer says. She was told to stay off her feet as much as possible until her scheduled appointment with the obstetrician the following week. She was informed, however, to call back immediately if she started experiencing problems with her vision or swelling in other parts of her body, particularly her hands.
When she visited her obstetrician the next week the scale confirmed the weight gain.
"I couldn't believe my eyes," she says. "I had gained almost 25 pounds since my last visit three weeks ago." Additionally, her blood pressure was higher than usual and a trace amount of protein was found in her urine. After evaluating the symptoms, her doctor informed her that she was suffering from preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure).
Preeclampsia (also referred to as toxemia) affects 6 to 8 percent of pregnant women in the U.S., according to the latest statistics released by the National Institutes of Health.
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