High blood pressure after childbirth: causes of hypertension, drugs and treatments

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

About 2-3 women out of 100 suffer from high blood pressure after giving birth. Moreover, such a phenomenon may appear for the first time and not disturb during pregnancy. Hypertension may be one-time. However, if an increase in pressure is noted for several days after childbirth, then you should consult a doctor. Moreover, without prior consultation, women who are breastfeeding are not recommended to take any medications.

How to determine the rate

The norm is a condition in which the pressure adheres to the mark of 120/80. This figure is generally recognized in medical practice, which is equal to when measuring. There is also such a thing as an individual norm. That is, a woman can have stable pressure at the level of 110/70 during her life, while she feels good. But as soon as these figures increase a little, a headache, nausea, and dizziness appear sharply. Therefore, when it comes to defining the norm,it is necessary to take into account the individual parameters of a woman, including age, weight, the presence of chronic diseases.

Causes of occurrence

There are several causes of high blood pressure after childbirth, which may be related or appear separately. It's no secret that the very process of having a baby for a woman is a colossal neuropsychic burden. A sharp change in the regime of the day, the emergence of new responsibilities will certainly be accompanied by excitement, and in some cases lead to depression. The heart and blood vessels also experience increased stress. It is not surprising that the female body reacts to this by jumps in pressure, in particular by increasing it.

In the first days after the mother and child are discharged from the maternity hospital, the doctor visits them at home and analyzes the likelihood of developing hereditary diseases. It is important to know whether there were cases of hypertension in close relatives. It often happens that such an unpleasant disease is inherited. Therefore, it is better to be prepared even before childbirth for the fact that it may be necessary to solve problems with high blood pressure without medical intervention.

Another reason that leads to high blood pressure after childbirth is the presence of bad habits such as smoking, alcohol abuse. It is worth abandoning them even at the stage of pregnancy planning in order to eliminate the risk of developing not only pathologies of fetal development, but also a deterioration in the general well-being of a woman.

If there are problems with excessweight, chronic untreated diseases (kidney, endocrine, nervous, cardiovascular system), then we can also talk about an increased risk of developing hypertension. It would not be superfluous to mention the age of the mother, which also makes a certain contribution. The older the woman, the higher the risk for complications in the postpartum period. It is also extremely important to find time to recuperate, get enough sleep, be in the fresh air.

Unpleasant effects of hypertension

High blood pressure after childbirth is uncomfortable in an already stressful environment. This state of affairs can last from one month to six months. This is due to the fact that those women who are prone to depression have low stress resistance, more often than others they are subjected to nervous strain. As a result of a deviation from the normal state, a woman may experience a severe headache, up to loss of consciousness. If this happens several times, do not hesitate, it is better to seek help from a specialist.

One of the most difficult adverse reactions is pulmonary edema, which may not be immediately recognizable. Therefore, when consulting a doctor, it is important to explain what symptoms a woman is worried about, to focus on whether the baby is breastfeeding. This affects the scheme and duration of treatment. In addition to the above unpleasant consequences, do not forget that a woman who suffers from hypertension should not be left unattended. It may happen that she loses consciousness and there will be no onehelp her, take care of the child.

Deviation from the norm, what to do?

If a woman notes high blood pressure after childbirth as a one-time phenomenon that does not bother her, then you should not panic. Usually her well-being improves after a while, with the normalization of the daily routine and sleep. But what to do when hypertension torments day after day? Do not deal with high blood pressure after childbirth alone. Forums can be full of different advice, as well as suggestions to take a pill that will solve all problems at once.

The fact is that most drugs adversely affect lactation and can significantly reduce the flow of breast milk. However, if the baby is bottle-fed, this item can be skipped, since the benefit to the mother outweighs the harm to the baby. But still, it is worth consulting with a specialist in advance.

Medicated treatment

There are several ways to reduce high blood pressure after childbirth, what if the mother is breastfeeding? Not all medicines can help her with the condition that they will be harmless for breastfeeding. Therefore, before grabbing the usual drugs for hypertension from the first-aid kit, it is better to consult a doctor.

From the list that doctors offer as a treatment, one can single out drugs that:

• Do not have a pronounced effect on lactation.
• Applied only when it is understood that there will be more benefit for the mother than harmfor baby.

Only a specialist can assess such risks, based on a clear understanding of the cause of hypertension. Many practitioners agree that high blood pressure after childbirth can be not only one-time, but also permanent, which determines the treatment regimen. In most cases, the cause is not behind any particular disease and is treated by normalizing the sleep and nutrition regimen, sufficient intake of trace elements and vitamins.

Dopegit

If it is necessary to reduce pressure, then it is possible to use a drug such as Dopegyt. It reduces the intensity of myocardial contraction and acts throughout the day after the last dose. The maximum concentration in the blood is determined after 4-6 hours, which is felt as a significant improvement in overall well-being. It is advisable to take the drug before breastfeeding, so that less ingredients of the drug get into the milk.

The dosage should be selected by the doctor, according to the instructions, the frequency of admission per day is not more than 3, 2-3 times a day, 250 mg. "Dopegyt" is excreted in breast milk, 70% of the active components are excreted by the kidneys.

Dibazol

Much faster you can get an effect in terms of reducing high blood pressure if the doctor prescribed "Dibazol" in the form of injections. The manufacturer also offers the drug in the form of tablets. Its pharmacokinetics is based on relaxation of the bronchial muscle, stimulation of the spinalbrain, elimination of spasms. The drug promotes vasodilation and improves the functioning of the immune system.

The main component of bendazole helps the body produce antiviral proteins that protect against infections and viruses. As a result of taking the drug, after half an hour you can feel an improvement. The therapeutic effect persists for the next three hours. If we talk about the use of the drug in the form of injections, then to improve its action, it is recommended to use "Papaverine" together.

Dopanol

Another drug produced in the form of tablets, which has no contraindications for use during lactation by women in the period after childbirth, is Dopanol. The main indication for use is arterial hypertension. The use of this drug also has a long-term effect, up to a day. The maximum concentration in the blood is determined 2-6 hours after taking the pill.

Medical practice allows the appointment of this drug if high blood pressure persists after childbirth. However, it should be noted that Dopanol has a sedative effect. The intensity and duration of admission are selected based on the individual parameters of the patient.

Folk methods

It happens that it is urgent to find an answer to the question of why there is high blood pressure after childbirth, and the doctor does not have the opportunity to look for answers. Then it remains to resort to the proven means of traditional medicine. Naturally, it is worth resorting to them in extreme cases andonly symptomatically, not permanently. One of the simplest methods of treatment is a decoction of cranberries. It is prepared as follows:

• 1 tbsp berries;
• 0, 5 tbsp. boiling water;
• 5 tsp semolina;
• sugar or honey to taste.

Squeeze juice from clean berries, pour boiling water over the remaining cake and put on fire for 5 minutes. Then strain through a sieve and again put the broth on the stove. Add semolina, cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Then remove from the stove and cool, wipe with a blender, adding squeezed cranberry juice to the gruel. The finished product is used three times a day, 1 tbsp. l. before meals.

A less labor-intensive, but also effective recipe is drinking beetroot juice. If you mix it with the juice of other vegetables, then the benefits will only increase. The recommended dose is 0.5 tbsp. per day, 3 times regardless of meal times.

Can we do without intervention?

The main causes of high blood pressure after childbirth and treatment, as a further action, should be regulated by the attending physician. Only after collecting a detailed analysis and conducting a medical examination of a woman, any treatment can be prescribed. Practice shows that it is possible not to take any explicit measures to eliminate high blood pressure at all, only if it was of a one-time nature and does not cause severe discomfort to the woman. In all other cases, it is necessary to pass general tests to determine the state of he alth. This will avoid a recurrence or worsening of the clinical picture and will help to choose the right treatment regimen.