By Mary Ponce

Gestational hypertension refers to the hypertension that appears in the later stage of pregnancy. If you have normal blood pressure before conception or during the early stage of pregnancy there is a chance that you will develop hypertension during the later part of pregnancy. It occurs after the 28th week of pregnancy and generally ceases after the baby is born. The symptoms are not felt but the blood pressure readings reflect the severity of the condition when monitored.

The blood pressure readings in the body are given in two numbers. The top number is called the systolic blood pressure reading and it also represents the maximum pressure that is exerted when the heart contracts. The bottom blood pressure reading is called the diastolic reading and this represents the pressure that is present in the arteries when the heart is resting. The pressure readings are measured in millimeters of mercury or mmHg. For example, 110 over 70 or 110/70 means that 110 is the systolic reading and 70 is the diastolic reading. The blood pressure is high if the systolic reading is 140 or above and the diastolic pressure reading is at 90 and above.

A mild pressure generally ranges between 90 and 99 in diastolic pressure. The moderate blood pressure fluctuates between 100 and 109 whereas the severe one is the diastolic pressure above 110. If there is a slight rise in the systolic levels there is no need to be tensed as it is not as bad as a rise in the diastolic pressure. You have reason to worry if the systolic level shoots to above the 160 level. The rise of blood pressure harms the organ of the mother and this causes low birth weight or a premature delivery. The severe consequences can trigger off a condition that threatens the mother and the baby. If you have gestational hypertension and the reading is 140/90 or more and there are no traces of protein in the urine, this can culminate to preeclampsia.

If you develop a mild version of this problem from the 37th week of pregnancy there are an increased chance of your labor being an induced one and there may be a possible c-section in store for you. If you do not reach the 37th week with the above symptoms, you will be hospitalized and if all is fine with mother and baby, you will be discharged and advised bed rest. When on bed rest you will closely monitored with no stress tests, ultrasounds and daily kick counts. If you face a severe case of gestational hypertension, at week 34 or more, then you may have to be hospitalized till the delivery of the baby. In case your pregnancy gestation period is not advanced enough there are some medications that will be provided for you that will contribute to the development of the lungs of the baby and hinder any other difficulty that could arise. If the baby responds well to the treatment and you are out of danger, your delivery will be postponed to a later date until the baby is more mature.

There is not much you can do to avoid gestational hypertension in pregnancy as this cannot be stopped altogether. The only thing that you can do is control your weight and include some moderate exercises in your daily schedule.

You can go to http://www.treating-hypertension.com to learn more information about the gestational hypertension.

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