According to medical experts, doctors should monitor the blood pressure of pregnant women to lower the chance of preeclampsia or maternal death.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force published draft recommendations on February 7. They called for regular and early blood pressure monitoring in pregnancy, especially among women who are of color.
According to the task force, blood pressure disorders in pregnancy pose a risk to many women in the U.S. but complications related to hypertension can make it more dangerous for women of color.
The new recommendations, which aren’t considered final yet, stem from a rise in maternal mortality and a sharp increase in blood pressure disorders among pregnant women.
Preeclampsia, Pregnancy Hypertension and Risks
The United States has the highest rate of pregnancies-related deaths in industrialized countries. The U.S. has four times the chance of a woman dying during childbirth than other industrialized nations. The rate of death during childbirth in the U.S. ranks at the bottom of the world’s wealthiest countries.
Women of color are more likely to die in pregnancy than other women, most of which can be prevented.
The leading cause of death during pregnancy is hypertension, which refers to high blood pressure. This has doubled in the past 30 year. Hypertensive disorders now affect 1 out of 10 pregnancies, as opposed to 1 in 20 pregnancies back in 1993.
In addition, Native American women are more likely to die from hypertension during pregnancy than white women. Black and Native American women are three times more likely to die from maternal causes than white women.
Preeclampsia can also be a problem for pregnant women. This is a condition that results in high blood pressure. Preeclampsia, which can lead to severe distress in the mother as well as the infant, can quickly cause death.
The majority of US hospitals aren’t implementing safety measures that could prevent pregnant-related deaths after and during childbirth. It is possible to prevent over half of all the deaths related to pregnancy in the US.
Preeclampsia has been linked to an increase in risk of heart disease and stroke in infants, according to research.
Recommendations on Blood Pressure Monitoring
According to the new guidelines, doctors should monitor their patients for hypertension early in pregnancy and keep them under close observation throughout. This is especially important for women with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or lupus, those over 35, under 15, and pregnant women who have had in vitro fertilization.
