One page summary: Preeclampsia and eclampsia

In two sentences

Preeclampsia is high blood pressure that develops in pregnancy along with signs that other organs are being affected, usually the kidneys, the liver, the blood or the brain. ¹

The single most important thing many people are not told clearly is that the risk does not end at delivery. Preeclampsia and eclampsia can appear or worsen in the days and weeks after birth, when everyone has gone home and attention has moved to the baby. ^{1 2}

The numbers, with their sources

• What it is. New high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy together with protein in the urine or with signs of other organs being affected ¹
• The severe features. Very high blood pressure, low platelets, impaired liver or kidney function, fluid on the lungs, and new headache or visual symptoms. Their presence changes management ¹
• What magnesium is for. Magnesium sulphate is given to prevent seizures in preeclampsia with severe features. It is not a blood pressure treatment ¹
• The only cure. Delivery of the baby and the placenta, which is why timing of birth is the central decision ¹
• The postpartum risk. Preeclampsia and eclampsia can present or worsen after birth, including in people who had no diagnosis during pregnancy ²
• The long-term implication. A history of preeclampsia is associated with higher lifetime cardiovascular risk, which is a reason for long-term follow-up ²

What to do this week

1. Learn the warning signs and take them seriously for six weeks after birth: severe headache, visual changes, upper abdominal pain, sudden swelling, breathlessness.
2. Ask for a home blood pressure monitor and a written follow-up schedule.
3. Ask what your blood pressure and blood results were, and when they should be rechecked.
4. Ask whether you should be on low-dose aspirin in a future pregnancy.
5. Get preeclampsia added to your permanent medical history.
6. Ask your primary care doctor for a cardiovascular risk review at the appropriate point.
7. If the baby was born early, ask what follow-up they need. ³

Questions to take with you

Take these with you. Write the answers down in the moment, because you will not remember them later.

For the obstetrician

• Did I have severe features, and which ones?
• Was I given magnesium, and for how long?
• Why was the timing of delivery chosen?
• What is my blood pressure follow-up plan?
• Should I take low-dose aspirin in a future pregnancy?

For your primary care doctor

• When should my blood pressure be rechecked?
• What long-term cardiovascular follow-up do I need?
• Is preeclampsia recorded in my permanent record?

For the neonatal team, if your baby was born early

• Were antenatal steroids given?
• Was magnesium given for the baby's brain?
• What follow-up does my baby need?

You can also build a printable list with the question generator.

Where to read more

The full page on this condition covers how it happens, causes split into what happens even with perfect care and what is associated with gaps in care, signs by age, diagnosis, treatment, outlook, daily life and lifetime cost.

Read the full page on Preeclampsia and eclampsia

Related pages are listed at the bottom of it, including the events that can lead to this condition and the guides that cover therapy, school and money.