During pregnancy, your body goes through numerous physical changes to accommodate fetal growth and development. Throughout these nine months, it’s ideal to have a normal blood pressure reading.

Your blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Every time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries, which then carry the blood to the rest of your body. The blood typically moves through the arteries at a certain rate. However, various factors can disrupt the normal rate at which blood flows through the vessels, causing an increase or decrease in pressure. Increased pressure in the arteries can result in an elevated blood pressure reading. Decreased pressure in the arteries can result in a low blood pressure reading.

Blood pressure is recorded as two types of numbers. The systolic number is the top number, which indicates the amount of pressure in the arteries when your heart beats. The diastolic number is the bottom number, which indicates the amount of pressure in the arteries between heartbeats. Your blood pressure naturally rises with each heartbeat and falls when the heart rests in between beats. However, the rapid changes your body goes through during pregnancy can greatly influence these numbers and cause a drastic change in blood pressure.

A normal blood pressure reading is 120/80 mm Hg and below. Readings below 90/60 mm Hg indicate low blood pressure, or hypotension. Readings above 140/90 mm Hg in pregnancy indicate high blood pressure, or hypertension. Hypertension is seen far more often in pregnancy than hypotension. About 10 percent of all pregnancies in the United States are complicated by high blood pressure issues.

An abnormal blood pressure during pregnancy is a cause for concern. Both you and your baby may be at an increased risk of health complications. However, you may be able to prevent problems by attending regular prenatal appointments so your doctor can monitor your blood pressure closely. You may also want to consider learning more about related conditions so you can help manage factors affecting your blood pressure.

How to detect abnormal blood pressure
* Elevated blood pressure is a systolic number between 120 and 129 and a diastolic number lower than 80.
* In stage 1 hypertension, the systolic number is between 130 and 139 or the diastolic number is between 80 and 89.
* In stage 2 hypertension, the systolic number is 140 or higher or the diastolic number is 90 or higher.
* In a hypertensive crisis, the systolic number is higher than 180 and/or the diastolic number is higher than 120.
You may not always be able to tell whether your blood pressure is too high or too low. In fact, hypertension and hypotension may not cause noticeable symptoms.

Causes of abnormal blood pressure during pregnancy
High blood pressure disorders related to pregnancy generally develop after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. There are several types of disorders that range in severity. A 2016 review published in Integrated Blood Pressure Control suggests that age, obesity, and underlying health problems seem to contribute to these conditions. Though these conditions usually go away after you give birth, your risk of getting hypertension in the future is much higher if you develop any of them.

Hypotension, while much less common, can be directly related to pregnancy. Your circulatory system expands during pregnancy to accommodate your fetus. As circulation expands, you might experience a small drop in blood pressure. According to the AHA, this is most common during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. Still, this amount is usually not significant enough to cause concern.

Hypotension may also be caused by:

* dehydration
* diabetes
* low blood sugar
* heart problems
* thyroid problems
* severe allergic reactions
* blood loss
* infection
* malnutrition, particularly a lack of folic acid, B vitamins, and vitamin D

Preventing abnormal blood pressure during pregnancy
The best way to lower your risk of complications is to prevent abnormal blood pressure in the first place. It’s helpful to visit your doctor for a physical exam before becoming pregnant so that any blood pressure abnormalities can be detected early. It’s also best to be a healthy weight before pregnancy.

According to the Gynecologists, there are no proven methods to prevent high blood pressure during pregnancy. However, you should strive to be in the best possible health before getting pregnant by:

* eating a healthy diet
* managing any preexisting conditions, such as diabetes
* limiting alcohol
* quitting smoking
* exercising at least three times per week