What happens biologically during Pre-E

[chippery]

Caryn, I completely didn't see your question. Sorry for the late response. The dose I'm on now is Labetalol(sp?) 300mg/3xdaily. The pressures swing so much that we don't want to raise the dose, or it could hit too low. It is creeping at a steady pace, however it's more the bottom number that's creeping than the top. Right now I'm averaging 130/90 on the meds, so I can't complain.

I do have a question for ya'll though. I'm not getting the trademark pounding headaches that I was getting earlier in the pregnancy. But I have been getting the head pressure, behind the eyes, back to the upper ears for many weeks. I've never seen flashes of light or the other things that are mentioned on here. However over the last couple of days, I'm getting a "jumpy" feeling in my eyes - kind of like if you are looking at too many things for too long that your eyes get overworked. It doesn't hurt, but I noticed it during driving yesterday for sure. Would you wait to talk to the doctor on Monday about it, or give the on-call dr. a ring? (Or could this just be normal pregnancy,which I try not to assume w/ PE)

[dbronson]

Wow! I feel so smart now. You ladies rock.

[caryn]

Katie, did they double your meds today, or is that from your last post on the 19th?

Amber, Laura looked into this a while ago, and I'll go look to see if there's any more data. It's my understanding that hyperemesis is probably a runaway immune response as well.

[sckitzo]

Can anyone tell me if Hyeremsis (rare condition in pregnancy that causes extreme Morning (all day) sickness, weight loss) and PE have any connection. I had Hyperemsis in both prenancies and Severe PE, in both pregnancies. This caused extreme stress on my body in the first trimester, and was wondering if it could have had any effect on the plecenta, or implantation. I have not had any miscarriages, or bleeding, I have been tested for everything under the sun, and have no blood clotting, Autoimune issues. I have no diabiates (gestational or otherwise), or BP issues. Besides history of PE (me only not in the family) I do not have any pe risk factors. Just wondering if there has been any research linking Hyperemsis with PE?

[chippery]

Thanks for the quick reply Caryn.

They've labeled me as High Risk from the start pretty much. I only see the Doctors anyways as we are already planning a second c-section. (Since the last one was just 10 months ago.)

They just started doing the Fetal Imaging today, and I'll be doing those every two weeks. The baby was at the 62% today - so on track so far. BP jumped to 150/92 this last week or so, and they've doubled my BP medication. They've told me to expect bed rest around my 30 week mark again. Everything is repeating the first pregnancy, down to the WEEK.

[caryn]

Katie, welcome to the forums!

If you develop hypertension prior to twenty weeks gestation, they'll usually call that unmasked chronic hypertension. The idea is that the stress of pregnancy on your body reveals your genetic tendency to become a chronic. Chronic hypertensives have a 25% chance of developing superimposed preeclampsia in any given pregnancy.

However, you developed symptoms pretty early in your pregnancy last time, and that probably makes your risk closer to 40-60%. Here's a link to our Experts talking about recurrence rates.

Are you being seen by a high-risk team?

[chippery]

First of all, THANK YOU for actually explaining PE, it's the best simplified description I've seen yet.

I was trying to research my own two pregnancies and fell into this site...luckily. :)

The first pregnancy, was finally a success after finding out my thyroid was off. Soon after starting and adjusting my dose, I got pregnant. I bled the entire first trimester. It stopped right around the 13 week mark. All was fine until around 26 weeks, when my BP started to rise - quickly. I was on two different BP medications, and it was still creeping up to 160/100+ on a daily basis. Protien in the urin was around 1 until the very end when it hit 3+. They did a c-section at 37 weeks. My son came out at 5 pounds 6 ounces(5 percentile). 18 1/2 inches (25 percentile). His blood sugar was low, had to go on oxygen and was in the incubator (fishtank as the family called it) for approx. 4 days. He's now 10 months old. His weight has increased to the 10th percentile, 17 pounds and his height is now average. :)

I found out I was pegnant again 4 months after having the last one. This scared the daylights out of me, after everything we'd just been through. Sure enough - at the confirmation appointment with my regular doctor, my blood pressure was 160/?. I've always had normal BP my entire life. He immediatly put me on pressure meds. I'm now 25 weeks and am starting to get the typical BP headaches. The pressure isn't as high now, being in the second trimester, but w/ the meds it's starting to reach 141/95.

However there was no bleeding w/ this one in the first trimester. So I'm trying to see what the chances of the PE are, if I'm just having the BP signs this time. My doctors already told me to expect it - and be happy if it passes me by. I just wish this wasn't such a mystery condition.

[jacinta]

Hey, not so obvious! I asked the same thing of my MFM and the answer I got is that the spiral arteries are too small and numerous to appear on an ultrasound. Caryn is referring to them in her post above. The only way the doctor told me she would be able to examine them is on an autopsy of the placenta, obviously postpartum.

[smb]

this question is pretty obvious - can they scan the placenta to see if it has implanted properly? Forewarned is forearmed as they say

[ambersjourney]

Wow- this says it all! Great, detailed information!!