Different Strategies
Being under your doctor's care is the mainstay of treatment if you have chronic hypertension and are considering pregnancy or if you are pregnant.
Tracking Your Pressure
Your doctor may ask you to take your own blood pressure in between office visits and to keep careful track of the readings. If your doctor wants you to do this, you may ask for instruction on the correct technique. You should also have your equipment checked periodically for accuracy or you take your own pressure or at a Kiosk.
You can use lifeclinic.com to enter and chart your results after you take your blood pressure. If weight control is important for you to achieve before pregnancy, you can chart your weight, too, on lifeclinic.com. Keeping a log of your health status will help you chart your progress and communicate more accurately with your physician.
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes are factors under your control that can greatly influence your pregnancy if you make changes months before becoming pregnant.
For example, your doctor may recommend exercise and weight loss before you become pregnant to lower your blood pressure. These are things you should do before becoming pregnant. Dieting and exercising are generally not recommended for women with hypertension who are pregnant.
By seeing your doctor at least six months before becoming pregnant you may, under medical supervision, take steps to:
- Manage your high blood pressure
- Manage weight
- Exercise
Medication
Pre-pregnancy counseling will give your doctor a chance to adjust your medication if needed. Sometimes a woman may be worried that a prescribed medication may be harmful and, on her own, reduce the dose or simply stop taking the medicine. If you are taking medicine to lower your high blood pressure, it is very important that you take the proper dose and complete any course of medication that your doctor prescribes.
Prenatal Care
Remember, if you're even thinking of becoming pregnant, see your doctor for counseling. Once you become pregnant, keeping prenatal visits is very important. If you have complicated hypertension, make sure you schedule a preconception visit to a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine.
The way to ensure a good outcome for you and your baby is to get the right care at the right time.
Sources for this information include a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Working Group Report on Hypertension and Pregnancy and patient education from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Different Strategies |