The causes of preeclampsia that pregnant women need to be aware of

Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure, even though the pregnant woman does not have a previous history of hypertension. Preeclampsia is the leading cause of death for mothers in these countries.developing country. What causes preeclampsia?

What causes preeclampsia?

Quoted from WebMD, experts believe that the cause of preeclampsia comes from the placenta that is not well developed due to disorders of the blood vessels. The exact cause of preeclampsia isn't fully understood, but it is common at 20 weeks of gestation.

The placenta is the organ that delivers the mother's blood supply to the baby in the womb. Food and oxygen pass through the placenta from mother to baby. The baby poop is returned to the mother.

To support the baby's growth, the placenta requires a large and constant supply of blood from the mother. In the case of things that cause preeclampsia, a placenta that doesn't get enough blood supply can trigger preeclampsia.

This is because the placenta is not developing properly as it was formed during the first half of pregnancy.

Placenta problems can also indicate that the blood supply between mother and baby is impaired. Signals or substances from the damaged placenta will affect the mother's blood vessels, causing high blood pressure (hypertension).

At the same time, problems with the kidneys can cause important proteins in the mother's blood to leak into the urine, resulting in protein in the urine (proteinuria). This condition then becomes the cause of preeclampsia.

Why is a problem placenta the cause of preeclampsia?

Placenta problems are the main factors causing preeclampsia. Why does this happen? In the early stages of pregnancy, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus (uterus).

The uterus is the organ where the baby grows in it during pregnancy. The fertilized egg produces something like roots called villi, which will help attach itself to the lining of the uterus.

Villi are blood vessels that deliver nutrients in the uterus and eventually grow into the placenta. During the early stages of pregnancy, these blood vessels change shape and become wider.

If the blood vessels do not completely change, chances are the placenta will not develop properly because it is not getting enough nutrients. This can be a cause of preeclampsia.

It remains unclear why blood vessels do not change as they should, causing preeclampsia. Chances are, this is due to changes in your genes, which are a condition that runs in families. However, not all causes of preeclampsia are genetic.

Several other factors cause preeclampsia

Several factors also increase your risk of developing preeclampsia, although they are not very significant.

However, if you experience two or more of the following at the same time, then your chances of getting preeclampsia are higher:

Preeclampsia is more likely to occur in the first pregnancy than in subsequent pregnancies
Pregnancy occurred 10 years ago, since your last pregnancy
You have a family history of preeclampsia, for example, your mother or sister has had preeclampsia
You are over 40
You are obese at the start of your pregnancy (you have a body mass index of 35 or more)
You are carrying twins or triplets

If you are considered to be at high risk of developing a preeclampsia cause, you may be advised to take a daily dose of 75 mg of aspirin (baby aspirin or low-dose aspirin) during your pregnancy.

Usually this recommendation starts from when you are 12 weeks pregnant until the baby is born. Evidence suggests that this drug can lower your chances of developing preeclampsia.

Who is at risk for preeclampsia?

Various risk factors can cause preeclampsia to occur in pregnant women, namely:

The mother has a history or other health problems such as diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, high blood pressure, lupus, or antiphospholipid syndrome
Have a history of preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy. As many as 16 percent of women who have had preeclampsia experience preeclampsia in subsequent pregnancies
Pregnant at the age of over 35 years or even less than 18 years
Mothers who are pregnant for the first time
Obese pregnant women
Pregnant women carrying twins
Mothers who have a pregnancy interval of 10 years with previous pregnancies

In addition, other risk factors that can cause preeclampsia are genetic factors, diet, disorders of blood vessels, and autoimmune disorders.

Symptoms and signs of preeclampsia

Mothers who experience the causes of preeclampsia, usually will experience the following symptoms and signs, quoting from the NHS:

Sudden swelling of the face, feet, hands and eyes
Blood pressure becomes very high, which is more than 140 / 90mmHg
There is an increase in body weight within 1 or 2 days
Pain in the upper abdomen
Very severe headache
Nausea and vomiting occur
Blurred vision
Decrease in the frequency and amount of urine
There is protein in the urine (this is known after doing urine tests)

But sometimes pregnant women who experience preeclampsia also don't experience very clear symptoms. Therefore, it is important to check with your doctor during pregnancy regularly.

What are the effects of preeclampsia?

A placenta that does not get blood flow to distribute to the fetus is the cause of preeclampsia. This condition can cause various problems with the growth and development of the fetus because the fetus does not get enough food from the mother.

Problems that often arise in the fetus due to preeclampsia are low birth weight and preterm birth.

This can even lead to growth problems when the child is born, such as impaired cognitive function, vision and hearing problems in children.

The causes of preeclampsia can also trigger various problems with maternal health, namely:

Stroke
Pneumonia
Heart failure
Blindness
Bleeding in the liver
Serious bleeding during childbirth
Preeclampsia also results in the placenta being suddenly disconnected from the mother and fetus, leading to stillbirth

Can the factors that cause preeclampsia be treated immediately?

The only treatment or best treatment for the causes of preeclampsia that can be done is by giving birth to the unborn baby.

Therefore, it is best to discuss this with your doctor. If the baby is in good enough condition to be born (usually over 37 weeks of age) the doctor may suggest performing a caesarean section or performing an induction.

This step can prevent preeclampsia from getting worse. However, if the baby is declared not ready to be born, the doctor will provide therapy to reduce the risk of preeclampsia getting worse.

If the causes of preeclampsia experienced by pregnant women are not too severe, here are recommendations that can be done to prevent preeclampsia from getting worse:

Bed rest or complete rest, this can be done at home or in the hospital to get better care.
Carry out regular check-ups to the doctor.
Consume more mineral water.
Reducing salt consumption.

To detect the risks and causes of preeclampsia from the start, don't be lazy to have your uterus checked early in pregnancy.