Health Guide

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Article Content:
During pregnancy marked physiological changes occurs and for successful and happy outcome of pregnancy the female body has to undergo successful physiological adaptation. If the adaptation process is not perfect or appropriate medical disorders may occur during pregnancy. Some of the medical disorders are fairly common during pregnancy and increase in blood pressure is one such common medical problem during pregnancy.

During pregnancy the cardiac output (which the quantity of blood heart has to pump every minute) increases by approximately 40% and the heart rate or pulse rate increases by approximately 10 beats per minute mainly during the last three months of pregnancy. But despite the increase in heart rate the increase in cardiac output is mainly due to increase in stroke volume, which is the amount of blood heart pumps out in every heart beat.

During second trimester of pregnancy there is reduction in the vascular resistance and there is reduction in blood pressure in normal pregnant women. Blood pressure is the result of cardiac output and degree of vascular resistance and if there is reduction in the vascular resistance, blood pressure falls. That is the reason blood pressure of 140/90 mm of Hg is considered very high during pregnancy (mainly during second trimester), whereas the same pressure is considered only the beginning of high blood pressure in general population. High perinatal (4 weeks before delivery to 4 weeks after delivery is the perinatal period) mortality and morbidity is associated even at blood pressure of 140/90 mm of Hg.

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