What the blood pressure check is really for
The most valuable two minutes of every visit.
Preeclampsia usually causes no symptoms until it is advanced. That is the entire reason your blood pressure is measured every visit, and it is the strongest justification for the visit schedule.
Two practical points. A cuff that is too small reads falsely high, and this is a common problem for women with larger arms. And a single high reading is not a diagnosis; it should be repeated and followed up rather than dismissed or panicked over.
Symptoms that mean be seen todaySevere headache that does not respond to paracetamol, visual changes such as flashing lights or blurring, new pain under the ribs on the right side, or sudden swelling of your face and hands. These can appear between visits and after birth.
Where this comes from:
159. Rolnik DL, Wright D, Poon LC, O'Gorman N, Syngelaki A, de Paco Matallana C, et al. Aspirin versus placebo in pregnancies at high risk for preterm preeclampsia. N Engl J Med. 2017;377(7):613-622.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.