Early preeclampsia in pregnant women: signs, symptoms and treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

During pregnancy, the female body has to solve a huge number of non-standard tasks. The work of many organs and systems is rebuilt, from blood circulation to metabolism. Unfortunately, our body does not always cope with this successfully, so there are typical pregnancy failures.

One of the most common pathologies of pregnancy is preeclampsia. He usually lies in wait for women towards the end of pregnancy. True, at present, preeclampsia refers to all diseases that occur only during pregnancy and do not exist at other times. With this approach, early and late gestosis of pregnant women are distinguished.

Late preeclampsia

Usually it is called preeclampsia itself. In some sources, it is called late toxicosis. This disruption of the body usually manifests itself as edema, high blood pressure, and the presence of protein in the urine. There may be only one sign out of three. And, finally, one of the most dangerous symptoms of preeclampsia is eclampsia, which is manifested by convulsions, loss of consciousness. Fortunately, this does not happen often if treatment is started in time.

With late preeclampsia, the work of several organs and systems is disrupted at once - the kidneys, the brain, the cardiovascular system. After all, the body is a single whole, and disruption of one system affects others.

Edema is an early clinical symptom of late preeclampsia. They can be overt and covert. True, they are not always associated with this particular pathology. Sometimes during a normal pregnancy, edema is also observed due to increased production of progesterone. Early and late gestosis differ in that weight loss is observed in the early ones, or, at best, it remains stable, and in the later ones, sharp jumps in weight can occur. Moreover, they are primarily associated not with the accumulation of fat mass or the development of the fetus and the female reproductive system, but with fluid retention. Excessive weight gain and should alert in the first place. Edema is of three degrees of severity. At the first, the limbs usually swell, almost always the legs and sometimes the hands. At the second, the stomach joins them. The third degree involves swelling of the entire body, including the face and neck. In such cases, weight gain can be very significant - up to 20 kg.

Causes of preeclampsia

One of the reasons is that plasma penetrates into the tissue through microscopic holes in the placenta, causing edema. The same thing can happen in the kidneys. Only inthem through such holes protein is lost along with urine. That is why during pregnancy, a urine test is taken even more often than a blood test.

Another cause of a large number of unpleasant and dangerous symptoms is considered to be a violation of the interaction of the cerebral hemispheres. And since the brain regulates all processes in the body, a malfunction in its work is not good for the cardiovascular system either, causing pressure surges, and also provokes nausea and headaches.

The cause can also be malnutrition - the use of excessive amounts of s alt, sugar, spicy foods that provoke fluid retention.

Risk group

Particularly susceptible to preeclampsia are women who did not have good he alth before pregnancy. Dispose to this complication of diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys, liver, endocrine system. The emotional state also affects - as they say, all diseases are from the nerves. Therefore, women who are prone to depression, stress and neuroses are more likely to experience this disease. Of course, much determines the way of life. Smoking and alcoholism also contribute to the development of preeclampsia in pregnant women. Provokes it and obesity.

Many other predisposing factors can be identified, such as being under the age of 18 or over 35. Numerous abortions or frequent childbirth can also weaken a woman's body. The genetic predisposition to gestosis is manifested in the fact that the closest relatives also suffered from it during pregnancy. And if a woman herself in previous pregnancies facedpreeclampsia, it is likely that this will happen again. Finally, carrying twins is a double burden on the body, so it also becomes a risk.

This list may give the impression that it is extremely difficult to avoid preeclampsia. This is not entirely true, but, unfortunately, this is indeed a common violation. It occurs in a third of pregnant women.

What is early preeclampsia?

This is a very common pregnancy abnormality, so much so that it is often taken as the norm. For many, a much more familiar name for this phenomenon is toxicosis. Early preeclampsia often becomes an occasion for jokes about vomiting, strange taste preferences and eating jars of pickles. Indeed, this condition is not so critical and is more of a discomfort than a danger. True, in some cases it can become a very formidable disease. Early and late gestosis of pregnant women are very different in signs and characteristics of the course.

Toxicosis occurs in the first trimester and sometimes becomes the first signal of pregnancy. For example, a woman may be alerted that a dish that she recently ate with pleasure suddenly began to disgust her. Early gestosis is characterized primarily by nausea and vomiting. There is also a general deterioration in well-being, such as headaches.

Most often, by the end of the first trimester, the unpleasant symptoms of early preeclampsia go away. But for some women, unfortunately, toxicosis continues throughout pregnancy.

Causes of toxicosis

All scientists agree that the disease is associated with the presencefertilized egg. But what is the mechanism of its development, there are still discussions. There are several theories explaining the occurrence of early preeclampsia.

Toxic

It is no coincidence that for many years this disease was called toxicosis. Its symptoms are very similar to those of poisoning. Therefore, it was quite logical to assume that it was with him that preeclampsia was associated with early pregnancy. The body of the fetus and the placenta secrete waste products that are poisonous and provoke intoxication. Most often this happens when there is a metabolic disorder. However, this theory is considered outdated by many experts, so they put forward other assumptions.

Neuroreflex

In the body, everything is complex and interconnected. A growing fetal egg irritates endometrial receptors. They, in turn, enhance the reactions of the autonomic nervous system and even subcortical formations. The likelihood of early preeclampsia is higher if a woman has endometrial pathology or abnormalities in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. How is it explained that the majority of toxicosis goes away by the end of the first trimester? The fetus becomes larger and, of course, does not cease to irritate the receptors, however, the nervous system of women adapts to new conditions, and its work is getting better.

Hormonal

There are scientists who believe that the cause may be increased production of human chorionic gonadotropin - the same hCG, the level of which is determined by pregnancy tests. Passes early gestosisafter 3 months, because the production of this hormone is reduced.

Psychogenic

It is noticed that toxicosis is more often observed in emotional impressionable women. In their brain, the processes of excitation and inhibition are often disturbed. In addition, this happens with an unwanted pregnancy or, conversely, a long-awaited one.

Diagnosis of early preeclampsia

How is this disease detected? Preeclampsia in the early stages is quite easy to detect. After all, usually it is not asymptomatic. Most often, the woman herself complains of nausea and vomiting. It is much more important for the doctor to determine the degree of pathology in order to prescribe treatment. The degrees are characterized by the intensity of vomiting, as well as the general condition of the body.

Mild degree

Vomiting can occur 2 to 5 times a day, and some women do not. They are only concerned with the subjective feeling of nausea and aversion to certain foods. Due to the predominance of subjective sensations over objective symptoms, this degree is also called neurotic or allergic. Nausea haunts women very often. Disgust increases, smells especially provoke nausea. Some find it very difficult to prepare food. Doctors advise eating warm, but not hot, food so that it smells less. At the same time, the need for food is felt, and the appetite may not even be disturbed. Sleep, too, most often does not suffer. Weight loss may be almost non-existent or it may reach no more than 2 kg per week. There is a slight increase in heart rate - up to 90 beats / min and a decrease in pressure to 100-110 per 60. Temperatureusually does not rise. Analyzes correspond to the norm. This degree is observed in most pregnant women with early preeclampsia.

Medium degree

This degree is called toxic. It is much more pronounced and is accompanied by metabolic disorders. In this case, vomiting occurs up to 10 times a day, food and liquid are poorly retained. The state of he alth leaves much to be desired. Appetite and sleep are disturbed, headaches, noticeable weakness may be present. Weight loss reaches 3-5 kg per week. The temperature is slightly elevated. The pressure decreases more noticeably, and the pulse quickens to 100 beats per minute. Urinalysis shows the presence of acetone.

Severe

It is also called indomitable vomiting, or dystrophic degree. This is a very painful condition. The urge to vomit is almost constant, although the stomach is empty. There are pains in the epigastric region. Appetite is completely absent, sleep is noticeably disturbed. Muscle pains, disturbances of consciousness, apathy join the suffering of a pregnant woman. The temperature rises, the pressure drops (the upper figure is up to 80), the pulse can increase up to 120 beats per minute. Urine tests show not only ketonuria, that is, a very high level of acetone, but also an increased amount of bilirubin and other substances.

Treatment

Treatment directly depends on the severity of the pathology. With a mild degree, outpatient treatment of early preeclampsia is possible. In order not to interfere with the development of the fetus, doctors try to prescribe the most sparing therapy and manage with littlenumber of drugs.

Some deal with it without medical help through changes in diet and habits. For example, include more fresh vegetables and fruits, acidic foods like sauerkraut, avoid things that cause strong disgust and nausea. For example, they refuse sharp-smelling foods, entrust cooking to relatives, and use public transport as rarely as possible. All this does not completely relieve the symptoms, but makes life bearable.

And yet, with a mild degree, they also offer hospitalization, especially if the woman's condition approaches the border of a moderate degree. Nevertheless, vomiting several times a day and weight loss of about 2 kg per week are not entirely safe symptoms for the mother and fetus. At this rate, you can lose 8 kg per month, while losing not only fat, but also substances necessary for the functioning of the body. In some cases, women are referred to a day hospital.

In moderate and severe degrees, hospitalization is clearly indicated. Treatment of early gestosis of pregnant women in this case is intensive. With uncontrollable vomiting, sometimes it is necessary to resort to abortion, because this condition threatens the life of both the mother and the fetus.

If preeclampsia is observed in a woman who did not dream of pregnancy at all, this may be the reason for her termination for medical reasons.

How to prevent morning sickness

Prevention of early gestosis of pregnant women is early care for your body. No one can give you a 100% guarantee of preventing it. However, greatly reduce the riskreally, if you prepare for pregnancy consciously and in advance. First of all, you need to check for the presence of chronic diseases. It is important to examine the gastrointestinal tract and liver. It is also worth visiting a cardiologist and an endocrinologist. In the presence of diseases, it is better to first deal with their treatment and postpone pregnancy. In addition, no one canceled a he althy lifestyle and proper nutrition. It is better to give up smoking and alcohol in advance, if such habits exist. So, the prevention of early preeclampsia can be quite effective, so this should not be neglected. If the pregnancy has already begun, the woman requires careful treatment.

Prevention of early and late gestosis during pregnancy will be adequate sleep, lack of stress, gentle physical activity such as walking, swimming, yoga for pregnant women.

Tips for toxicosis

What to do if early preeclampsia has overtaken in a mild degree? You can live, but not too pleasant? Again, a he althy lifestyle will help. But this does not mean that you should rush to the gym to lift a hundred-kilogram barbell or run a marathon. In this case, regular walks in the fresh air will be much more useful. But the load should not be large, both physical and emotional. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to prevent stress, but it is better to avoid them if possible. Keeping a daily routine and getting enough sleep will do the trick.

Most of the advice relates to nutrition, because it is this that is the main difficulty in earlygestose. During pregnancy, and even more so toxicosis, you should eat fractionally - up to 6 times a day, in small portions. Some may be bothered by the loss of blood sugar and severe morning hunger. In this case, it is better to place a snack right next to the bed. Crackers, crackers, apples or bananas will do.

Food should be semi-liquid. You should not eat both too hot and cold food. It is better to give preference to warm food that does not spread its smell.

After each bout of vomiting, after a while, it is advisable to drink to make up for the loss of fluid. Plain water, berry juice, rosehip broth will do.

There are foods or scents that can significantly reduce nausea. Many pregnant women are helped by the aroma of lemon, mint, ginger. To do this, you can use essential oils or brew aromatic tea.

Taste preferences

Toxemia often coincides with the appearance of strange taste addictions. This is not always accompanied by early gestosis. This happens with a favorable pregnancy. And yet, this can also indicate a malfunction in the body. They say what a pregnant woman wants is what the baby needs. But this statement should be treated with caution. A he althy pregnant woman may well afford to eat delicacies if this does not happen regularly. If there are contraindications, then it is important to observe them. With gestational diabetes, you should not overeat sweets, and with edema - s alty, no matter how much you want. So, for what products and not onlyproducts pulls pregnant?

At the beginning of pregnancy, many women crave s alty foods. And very often this occurs precisely with early gestosis. Unlike late preeclampsia, in which it is important to limit s alt due to edema, now this is quite reasonable. The body loses a large amount of water during vomiting, so it strives to retain it. S alt does just that. In addition, there may be a loss of s alts that needs to be replenished. So within reason, cucumbers, olives or cheese won't hurt.

Often, early preeclampsia during pregnancy is accompanied by a desire to eat acidic foods - sauerkraut, lemon, berries, fruits. The acid helps fight the feeling of nausea. True, it is important to take into account the acidity of the stomach. If it's normal or low, it won't do any harm.

The desire for inedible foods is also observed in a small part of pregnant women. The woman suddenly feels an irrational desire to taste chalk, wall paint, charcoal. Smells that are not food at all, such as the smell of gasoline, may seem attractive. They say that chalk and coal in small quantities are not dangerous for the body, while the rest can cause serious harm to the mother and baby. Therefore, before following this desire, it is important to understand what is happening in the body. Analyzes often show reduced hemoglobin. Therefore, doctors advise supplementing the diet not with coal and chalk, but with products containing iron - beef, buckwheat porridge, pomegranates. By the way, cravings for chalk may also indicate a lack of calcium. But in this form,unfortunately, it is almost not digested. Therefore, it is much better to lean on dairy products, especially cottage cheese, as well as fish.