Nutrition and diet 

How to lower the pressure of a pregnant woman at home. How to reduce blood pressure during pregnancy. Arterial hypertension: the reasons for its appearance

Hypertension in pregnant women in varying degrees of severity is recorded in 5-30% of cases, in almost every fifth woman. Due to the peculiarity of a woman's position, it is important to understand how and why high blood pressure (BP) appears, which pressure pills can be taken during pregnancy.

Some women experience unstable blood pressure as early as the first trimester of pregnancy. In the second, it begins to normalize, and at the initial stage of the third, it acquires optimal performance. Sometimes this condition is recorded in the second half of pregnancy and goes away on its own after childbirth. The pressure can "jump" up to 130/80 mm Hg. Art. even from a state of intense excitement. But if the signs of hypertension have not been registered before, as well as other serious symptoms, we should not talk about the diagnosis of "hypertension", but about the toxicosis inherent in pregnant women, which does not require specific treatment. To understand when there is a reason to seek medical help, to take pills for pressure during pregnancy, it is necessary to consider the causes of the appearance of high blood pressure.

The reasons for the development of hypertension in pregnant women

During pregnancy, especially for the first time, a series of changes occur in the body of women, affecting the hormonal system, which often leads to cardiovascular diseases, hypertension. This is not surprising, since during the gestation of the fetus, one and a half times more blood is produced, which means that the load on the vessels and the heart increases.

The most common factors causing high blood pressure are:

  • prolonged, severe stress, mental fatigue;
  • congenital pathologies of the thyroid gland, kidneys;
  • hormonal imbalance;
  • diabetes;
  • obesity.

Complications of pregnancy with hypertension

Hypertension during pregnancy is characterized by the following complications:

  • dropsy;
  • nephropathy, other types of kidney damage;

  • coma (disease of the central nervous system);
  • circulatory disorder of the brain;
  • detachment of the retina from the choroid, leading to irreversible blindness;
  • eclampsia - the most severe form of pregnancy toxicosis, occurring in the late stages;
  • placental insufficiency, leading to insufficient supply of nutrients, oxygen to the fetus, delay in its development;
  • early detachment of the placenta, causing severe bleeding in the mother, posing a threat to the life of the fetus, in particular, due to the development of hypoxia - oxygen starvation.

Pregnant women, who were overweight even before pregnancy, need to normalize their body weight, following the existing medical standards, which are also determined by height and age. This is done by controlling the amount of food eaten, its quality, following dietary recommendations.

This is important because overweight is a provoking factor in a pathological increase in blood pressure and other complications of pregnancy:

  • cardiovascular disease;
  • gestational diabetes;
  • hypercoagulability;
  • violation of the assimilation of folic acid, which plays an important role in the development of the nervous system of the developing fetus;
  • preeclampsia, characterized by high blood pressure, the appearance of edema due to impaired renal function, brain, decreased vascular patency;
  • preeclampsia - complications of the aforementioned disease, manifested by high blood pressure (140/80 mm Hg and more), visual disturbances, proteinuria - loss of protein due to its excessive excretion by the kidneys into urine, epigastric and headaches.

As a result: premature or late (41-42 weeks) childbirth, the birth of a child with a large - more than 4 kg - body weight is often recorded.

Pills for high blood pressure during pregnancy

Tablets for high blood pressure for pregnant women, approved by doctors for use, are divided into the following groups.

  • Beta-blockers: Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Atenolol, Lokren, Labetalol. The drugs inhibit the effect of adrenaline on the heart, making it easier to exert stress on it, reducing the manifestations of tachycardia and other cardiac arrhythmias. A decrease in the release of renin into the blood, a decrease in strength and heart rate, in turn, leads to a decrease in high blood pressure during pregnancy.
  • Calcium channel blockers: Nimodipine, Nifedipine. The principle of action of these drugs is to reduce the intensity of heart contractions, improve blood flow, and vasodilation. In the course of a detailed study of these drugs, it was found that they do not affect the fetus or their effect is insignificant. Side effects are manifested in the form of hypotension, heart rhythm failure, pain in the head, and a feeling of heat. It is undesirable to combine "Nifedipine" with magnesium sulfate, or "Magnesia", this leads to neuromuscular blockade, a rapid decrease in blood pressure. It has been proven that magnesium preparations are best combined with "Nimodipine". Nevertheless, its use during pregnancy is prohibited in Russia.
  • Antispasmodics: Drotaverin, No-shpa, Papaverin. These are drugs that lower the tone of the muscles of the uterus, intestines due to the expansion of the lumens in the vessels. Also, drugs improve placental blood circulation, thereby reducing the risk of developing congenital defects in a baby. There are no contraindications, but in rare cases, side effects appear: nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbances, severe headaches.


Combination therapy

With severe hypertension or its complications, pregnant women are prescribed combined drugs: 2-3 different drugs or one that combines several medicinal substances. This method allows you to reduce the dosage of potent drugs, minimizing their toxic and other side effects.

Pregnant women are usually treated in a double or triple regimen. The leading drug in these schemes is methyldopa, which is a part of the pharmaceuticals "Methyldopa" and "Dopengit" - a dihydropyridine calcium antagonist and adrenergic blocker. The following therapy options are best known:

  • Dopengit + calcium antagonist / diuretic / beta-blocker;
  • dihydropyridine calcium antagonist + α-, β-blocker / verapamil;
  • α-blocker + β-blocker for hypertension caused by pheochromocytoma.

With a triple scheme:

  • "Dopengit" + dihydropyridine calcium antagonist / diuretic + β-blocker;
  • "Dopengit" + diuretic + calcium antagonist;
  • dihydropyridine calcium antagonist "Nifedipine" + diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide in a small dose - 6.25-12.5 mg / day) + beta-blocker.

A combination of four medical components is possible:

  • Dopengit / Clonidine (clonidine) + dihydropyridine calcium antagonist + beta-blocker + diuretic;
  • "Methyldopa" + dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker + β-blocker + α-blocker.

Contraindications

The "forbidden" drugs for high blood pressure during pregnancy include the following drugs:

  • ACE inhibitors;
  • angiotensin II receptor blockers;
  • "Reserpine";
  • "Veroshpiron";
  • Diltiazem.

Prevention of hypertension during pregnancy

Nutrition

To reduce blood pressure during pregnancy, nutritionists recommend following these dietary guidelines:


Physical exercises

Regular light aerobic exercise at a moderate pace can also help lower blood pressure in pregnant women. Positive responses were received by the respiratory gymnastics complexes according to Strelnikova and Samozdrav, which have no contraindications during pregnancy, and help:

  • strengthen the respiratory organs;
  • improve metabolism;
  • balance the emotional state, relax;
  • to establish oxygen metabolism in the body of the expectant mother;
  • accelerate blood circulation;
  • reduce the increased tone of the uterus;
  • regulate the state of the cardiovascular, nervous systems;
  • reduce toxicosis in the first month and a half of pregnancy;
  • improve immunity.

Hypertension is a common problem in pregnant women. At the same time, it is dangerous to ignore the pathology, since such deviations can harm not only the mother, but also the fetus. The main difficulty in this is that most pills that can lower blood pressure are contraindicated when carrying a child.

What is the danger of high blood pressure during pregnancy

Even in the early stages of pregnancy, an increase in blood pressure is a dangerous factor that can cause gestosis. This unpredictable disease can stimulate malfunctioning of various important, including the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. The disease develops as a result of the production of substances by the placenta, which form micro-holes in the vessels (through them, the protein and plasma fluid enter the tissues). This causes the appearance of puffiness on the legs, hands, placenta. The edema of the latter threatens with serious consequences for the fetus.

Even in cases where high blood pressure in pregnant women does not cause gestosis, the pathological condition cannot be ignored. It is not for nothing that the workers of the antenatal clinic pay great attention to tracking changes in blood pressure in pregnant women: as a result of pressure surges in the vessels of the placenta and the fetus, blood circulation between the woman and the baby is reduced (the phenomenon is called fetoplacental insufficiency). This leads to a deficiency of oxygen, nutrients and can lead to a delay in fetal development.

Early pregnancy pressure

The restructuring of the hormonal background, which actively occurs at the beginning of pregnancy, affects the entire body of a woman, including the circulatory and vascular systems. As a result, high blood pressure during early pregnancy is not uncommon. However, the tonometer dial should not show more than 120/80 mm Hg. Art., otherwise the development of the fetus may not occur as laid down by nature.

Anxiety in the expectant mother should be caused by blood pressure of 140/90 and above, which is noted regularly. Such data indicate arterial hypertension (gestational or chronic). In the latter case, the deviations are caused by any pathologies that a woman has (often these are kidney diseases or endocrine disorders). In gestational hypertension, a violation of the blood pressure indicator directly causes pregnancy, and, as a rule, at the end of the second trimester.

At the initial stage, gestational hypertension is extremely dangerous, since it causes vasoconstriction, as a result of which the necessary substances entering the embryo are reduced. As a result of such a pathological state of fetal development, it may be delayed. In addition, miscarriage is a possible consequence of the disease in the first trimester.

High blood pressure in late pregnancy

Various pathological conditions can cause deviations in blood pressure in the last trimester. Doctors associate high blood pressure during late pregnancy with gestosis, a complication characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the body of the expectant mother. Since ordinary arterial hypertension is difficult to distinguish from gestosis, if edema, dizziness, tinnitus and other specific symptoms appear, you should immediately see a doctor.

As a result of regular drops in blood pressure, vascular tone increases, which threatens with impaired blood circulation in the placenta and can lead to serious disturbances in the intrauterine development of the baby. As a rule, the pathology develops after the twentieth week of pregnancy, but in exceptional cases it occurs at the initial stages. In this case, the factors that increase the likelihood of hypertension in pregnant women are:

  • diabetes;
  • pathology of the biliary tract or kidneys;
  • stress;
  • being overweight;
  • woman's age;
  • malfunctioning of the thyroid gland;
  • traumatic brain injury.

The rate of pressure during pregnancy

Almost half of pregnant women have problems with blood pressure. Normal pressure during pregnancy may fluctuate slightly, but does not go beyond the permissible range, while 120/80 mm Hg is considered optimal. Art. In young women, the norm will be up to 130/85 mm Hg. Art. - such blood pressure is not capable of harming the fetus or adversely affecting the health of the expectant mother. Doctors strongly advise to monitor blood pressure while carrying a child and write down the tonometer readings in a notebook every week. If blood pressure rises periodically, it should be measured daily.

How to lower blood pressure during pregnancy

Only an experienced doctor can choose safe means and suggest which methods can be used to lower blood pressure during gestation. It is strictly forbidden to take any medications on your own, since they can cause serious harm to the baby. How to lower blood pressure during pregnancy? Taking pills for hypertension is prescribed exclusively for severely elevated blood pressure in order to reduce the risks of developing any complications. In this case, the doctor selects the appropriate dosage and treatment regimen.

How to bring down blood pressure during pregnancy without taking medication:

  • taking folk remedies;
  • through diet;
  • with the help of massages, yoga and other techniques.

Pills for pressure during pregnancy

If a woman already had problems with blood pressure before pregnancy, then she probably already has pills in her medicine cabinet that help to normalize blood pressure. However, it is forbidden to drink them without consulting a doctor, as these funds can cause irreparable harm to the fetus or even cause a miscarriage. Without an urgent need, doctors are not advised to take drugs for pressure during pregnancy.

How to lower blood pressure during pregnancy? If the woman's health is not critical, the doctor prescribes the use of mild sedatives such as valerian or motherwort and the use of diuretics. If such drugs are not effective, Dopegit or Papazol tablets are used to treat hypertension, which must be drunk in a course of 10 days. For planned therapy, Nifedipine and Metaprolol are prescribed. In addition, in order to achieve normal blood pressure, No-shpa and Papaverine can be additionally used.

Find out more about what can be taken by pregnant women.

Products that reduce blood pressure during pregnancy

Liquid is retained in the body by animal fats and salt, therefore, with hypertension, it is important to limit the consumption of foods containing these substances. To bring down high blood pressure, you need to correctly form your diet, excluding food from it, which can negatively affect the state of the heart and blood vessels. Prohibited use:

  • chocolate;
  • coffee;
  • strong black tea;
  • fatty meats;
  • butter;
  • marinades;
  • fried food;
  • sugar and products containing it;
  • smoked meats.

It is impossible to achieve a rapid reduction in blood pressure with a balanced diet. What foods lower blood pressure during pregnancy? These include:

  • cranberry juice, lingonberry juice and fresh berries;
  • vegetables - carrots, pumpkin, spinach, beets, cabbage;
  • any fruit.

Ways to lower blood pressure without medication

If a pregnant woman has a moderately elevated blood pressure, it is possible to bring the tonometer indicator to normal values ​​without even resorting to taking medications. How to lower blood pressure without pills during pregnancy? The first thing to do is to normalize your own daily routine: go out into the fresh air more often, eat at the same time, play sports, and provide yourself with good rest.

In addition, it is imperative to balance the diet by filling it with foods high in vitamins. It is important to drink enough water (you need to drink at least 1.5 liters per day). How to reduce pressure during pregnancy at home? There are many effective ways to normalize blood pressure:

  • taking a cool shower;
  • yoga classes, gymnastics for pregnant women (it is important to take into account the gestational age up to weeks - the load should be moderate);
  • an active lifestyle that includes frequent walks;
  • acupressure of the base of the skull;
  • massaging, stretching the fingers (you need to do it daily, or even several times a day).

How to lower blood pressure during pregnancy with folk remedies

Since drugs for pressure during pregnancy are highly undesirable, the treatment of hypertension is often carried out using methods of alternative medicine. Despite the fact that they are inferior in effectiveness to medicines, with systematic use they help to remove the signs of hypertension and avoid preeclampsia and preeclampsia. How can you reduce blood pressure during pregnancy? To this end, use the following folk remedies for pressure for pregnant women:

  1. Cranberry medicine. Squeeze juice from a glass of berries, pour boiling water over the cake and put on low heat for 5 minutes. Strain the broth and boil 3 tsp in it. semolina (this will take 15 minutes), adding 4 tbsp. l. Sahara. Whisk the resulting mixture with a blender, mix with cranberry juice. To reduce blood pressure, take 3 tsp. several times a day.
  2. Corn grits against blood pressure during pregnancy. To gently relieve pressure, take a mixture of ground product with warm water (6 tablespoons per glass). It is necessary to use the remedy infused during the day before meals.
  3. Pumpkin broth. Boil 200 g of pumpkin, chop, mix with 1 tbsp. l. honey. Take in a tasty mass to lower your blood pressure during pregnancy.

Video: High blood pressure in pregnant women

The pressure can build up, causing you to experience many unpleasant moments. Dizziness, tinnitus, headache, nausea - these are not all signs.

If the high blood pressure is within the physiological norm, then it does not pose a danger to the expectant mother and her child, but a higher one can have serious consequences. Therefore, if you feel unwell, be sure to contact your doctor.

Self-medication during pregnancy is unacceptable, since many drugs that normalize blood pressure are contraindicated during pregnancy.

However, there are also methods for short-term reduction of blood pressure during pregnancy.

Massage. Self-massage of the head, neck, collar zone, abdomen and front of the chest. Massage is performed by rubbing, kneading and stroking. A good result is given by massage of the shoulder blades and shoulder girdle. After the procedure, rest and lie down for 30-40 minutes.

Acupressure. To relieve pressure during pregnancy without medication, use the pad of your thumb to press the junction of your spine with your head, count to ten, and release for a few seconds. Then repeat the manipulation again.

Hot water massage. A stream of hot water directed to the cervico-occipital region helps well with increased pressure. The procedure takes 5 minutes.

Contrasting foot baths. Lower your feet alternately in cold and hot water for 2 minutes. Carry out the procedure for 20 minutes, finish it with cold water.

Hot hand bath. A hot hand bath can help reduce high blood pressure. The water temperature should be about 45 ° C, the procedure time should be 10 minutes.

Juices. Pomegranate, birch, beetroot and cranberry juice will help reduce blood pressure during pregnancy. Mountain ash juice will also help reduce blood pressure, but it should not be consumed more than 2 tbsp. spoons 3 times a day, otherwise it can act as a laxative.

Rosehip water infusion. Rosehip infusion will help not only lower it, but also help. However, be careful: in case of hypertension, an alcoholic extract of rosehip is contraindicated, since it has the opposite effect - it increases blood pressure.

Water, lemon and honey. You can easily prepare a safe pregnancy blood pressure reliever with a glass of mineral water, a tablespoon of honey, and the juice of half a lemon. You need to drink "lemonade" in one go.

Holding your breath. With a sharp increase in pressure, try to relax and try to hold your breath while exhaling for 8-10 seconds for 3 minutes. This technique can very quickly reduce blood pressure during pregnancy by 30 points.

Fresh air. At the first sign of a sharp increase in pressure, it is recommended to go out into the fresh air. A leisurely walk can help reduce pregnancy high blood pressure by 10-20 points over 30-40 minutes.

During pregnancy, the female body is exposed to increased stress, since it begins to function in an enhanced mode. This is necessary for the correct formation and development of the fetus. And one of the problems that expectant mothers have to face is the increase in blood pressure. This most often occurs in the middle of pregnancy, that is, in the second trimester. You need to know that in no case should this phenomenon be ignored, since it can lead to the development of severe consequences for both the mother and the baby.

Gestosis is a dangerous complication in the second half of pregnancy, therefore it is also called late toxicosis, in which the functioning of the kidneys, blood vessels and the brain of the expectant mother deteriorates, often proceeds without any symptoms and manifests itself precisely in an increase in pressure.

How can you help a pregnant woman and normalize blood pressure? The main difficulty of the situation is that most drugs, the action of which is aimed at lowering blood pressure indicators, cannot be used during pregnancy. Let's try to figure out what values ​​are considered a variant of the norm, and what may signal the development of preeclampsia.

What is the danger of high blood pressure

From the day when conception occurred, the female body begins to function with a double load, and high pressure indicates that some kind of violation has occurred. An increase in the volume of blood in the body of the expectant mother can lead to the fact that the pregnant woman's blood pressure rises. However, when this happens not once, but many times, you should be alert and immediately seek medical help. If this is not done on time, such a dangerous phenomenon as gestosis may occur. This condition lowers cardiac activity and affects the circulatory system. Placental edema, which can be caused by gestosis, prevents the fetus from receiving the required amount of oxygen. Due to a lack of nutrients, it can lag behind in formation.

Signs of high blood pressure

To measure pressure indicators, a special device is used - a tonometer. However, when it is not possible to measure blood pressure in this way, the following signs will help to understand that it has exceeded the norm:

  • malaise;
  • headache;
  • dizziness;
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • noise in ears;
  • the appearance of spots on the chest and other parts of the body.

The emergence of one of the above manifestations should be the basis for immediate medical attention.

Ways to lower blood pressure during pregnancy

The increased pressure in the expectant mother can be normalized in the following ways:

  • the use of traditional medicine;
  • drug therapy.

It has already been noted above that not all drugs that can reduce blood pressure are allowed to be used while carrying a child, and even if pregnancy is not a contraindication, the drug can be taken only under the strict supervision of a doctor. In any case, it is necessary to visit a medical institution as soon as possible.

Drug therapy

It is advisable to treat high blood pressure in a hospital setting. At home, you can reduce the indicators for a short time to alleviate the condition.

In no case should you engage in self-treatment, this will only harm the baby. After the doctor prescribes medications, therapy should be carried out to the end, without interrupting it. Only by carefully observing the doctor's prescriptions can the desired effect be achieved.

In most cases, the expectant mother is strongly advised to go to hospital. Here, taking into account her condition, complete treatment will be carried out and an individual birth plan will be determined.

In some cases, women in position are assigned the most harmless agent - Papazol. In addition, herbal sedatives such as valerian or motherwort will have a beneficial effect.

To make the clinical picture more complete, additional diagnostic procedures will be prescribed - urine and blood tests, ultrasound and other examinations, with the help of which it will be possible to choose the appropriate method of reducing pressure.

Daily routine and nutrition

If the pressure in the expectant mother has increased slightly, then it is sometimes possible to lower it to a normal level without medication.

Of course, sound and healthy sleep is the foundation of health. We must remember this.

You can normalize the pressure values ​​during pregnancy by adjusting the diet as follows:

  • Reduce to a minimum or completely eliminate the use of fatty and salty foods.
  • Remove foods that increase blood pressure from the diet - coffee, black tea, chocolate.
  • Give up all bad habits (alcohol, cigarettes).

The following means to prevent an increase in pressure or help to lower it:

  • Birch juice;
  • beets and juice from them;
  • cranberry juice;
  • beetroot and carrot salad seasoned with oil;
  • weakly brewed tea with a lot of lemon;
  • pumpkin with honey (finely chopped pumpkin -200 grams is boiled over low heat, mixed with honey);
  • contrast shower and walks in the fresh air.

Folk remedies

Folk recipes will also help to normalize the indicators. Some remedies to improve the condition with high blood pressure:

  1. Healing infusion. To prepare the remedy, you need to take one large spoonful of viburnum and rosehip berries, which should be pre-chopped. Add the same amount of motherwort, linden and calendula. Pour one and a half glasses of boiling water. Insist in a warm place for two hours and drain. Drink ½ cup three times a day after meals. The therapy is carried out in courses of at least six weeks. As a rule, after this time, the pressure will return to normal.
  2. Cranberry juice will help reduce the pressure of the expectant mother. In addition, it will strengthen her immunity. It is necessary to add 80 ml of honey to 100 ml of the drink. Drink the product 2-3 times a day for a dessert spoon. The course of therapy is 14-21 days. After this period of time, there will be a noticeable improvement. Cranberries contain a huge amount of useful elements that are needed for the proper development of the fetus.
  3. Dill helps well against high blood pressure. The seeds of this plant must be thoroughly ground. 2 tbsp the resulting powder must be poured into a thermos and pour 0.5 liters of boiling water. The tool must be insisted for three hours, strain and drink half a glass up to six times a day. The course of treatment is two weeks.

Products that bring the pressure of the expectant mother back to normal are beets, garlic, persimmons, mint, green tea.

Before using folk remedies to combat high blood pressure, you must consult a doctor. Products that cause an allergic reaction must not be used. They will not be able to stabilize the pressure, but they will lead to other problems.

How to help a pregnant woman with a pressure surge

If the expectant mother's blood pressure has jumped sharply, the following measures must be taken:
  1. Place it in a horizontal position so that the head is above the body. If the woman has not lost consciousness, she can take a half-sitting position.
  2. To ensure that a fresh resting room enters the room, a window must be opened. To prevent the woman from freezing, cover her with a blanket.
  3. If the pregnant woman has previously taken medications that lower blood pressure, you can give it to her. A new remedy cannot be offered, since it is not known how the woman's body will react to it.

When do you need to seek medical help?

She must visit a gynecologist who is registered with a pregnant woman constantly, observing the established schedule, and in case her health worsens. Any complaints - spasms, painful sensations, insomnia, depression and others - can become the basis for seeking medical help. If a doctor suggests hospitalization, you shouldn't refuse it.

Video: what to do if a pregnant woman has high blood pressure

Increased pressure during pregnancy is very common. Regardless of the reasons for its occurrence, a high level of blood pressure provokes complications from both the mother and the fetus, and also negatively affects the processes of childbirth and gestation. Adverse effects can be minimized and even avoided if blood pressure numbers are constantly monitored and blood pressure levels are promptly and fully managed with medication. Therefore, it is necessary to know the answer to the question, which pills for pressure during pregnancy exist and is their use safe?

Principles of treating hypertension in pregnant women

Given the availability of a large amount of information on the Internet, the existence of various forums and advice from a friend that a specific drug helped her with the same problem, a pregnant woman should in no case succumb to the temptation to choose and take a drug on her own to reduce pressure during gestation. This is often fraught with an even greater deterioration of the situation and the emergence of sad consequences. Any medicine can be taken by a pregnant woman only with the consent of the attending physician.

In the therapy of high blood pressure during gestation, the following principles are adhered to:

  1. Pills for lowering pressure during gestation are taken only as directed and under the close supervision of the attending physician.
  2. The choice of the drug is determined by the doctor based on the cause of high blood pressure, the severity of arterial hypertension, the duration of pregnancy and the presence of concomitant pathology.
  3. A negative effect on the course of pregnancy and the condition of the fetus, as well as side effects, can occur when taking any antihypertensive drug. Therefore, the doctor decides on the appointment of treatment, weighing all the pros and cons, evaluating the benefit / harm ratio for the mother and the fetus in each specific situation.
  4. Treatment always begins with preventive measures and non-drug effects on blood pressure levels.
  5. In the event of a situation of choice between different pills for pressure during pregnancy and childbirth, choose the drug with the lowest risks to the fetus.

How to choose the safest drug to lower blood pressure during pregnancy and childbirth

There are no antihypertensive drugs that are absolutely safe for the fetus. Therefore, pills for high blood pressure during pregnancy are used exclusively according to indications.

A woman on her own will not be able to assess the need for taking the drug, and even more so to determine how dangerous this pill is for her and the unborn baby. Doctors make decisions based on knowledge of the results of the studies conducted about the drug.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the US Department of Health has developed a classification of drugs (according to the FDA), based on an assessment of the risk to the fetus from the drugs used by a pregnant woman. The World Health Organization recommends using it in daily practice.

Based on this classification, 5 categories of drugs have been identified. Most antihypertensive drugs are category C drugs (category C - studies in animals have shown negative effects of the drug on the fetus, and there have been no studies in pregnant women, however, the potential benefits associated with the use of this drug may justify its use, despite the risks involved). These include Nifedipine, Metoprolol, Labetolol, Bisoprolol, Atenolol, Verapamil, Clonidine and others.

With increased blood pressure in pregnant women, such drugs of group B can be used (category B - studies on animals did not reveal the risk of negative effects on the fetus, there were no studies in pregnant women), such as Methyldopa and Hydrochlorothiazide.

What pills for pressure are strictly prohibited during pregnancy

Taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, Reserpine, Diltiazem, Veroshpiron, Torasemide is categorically contraindicated during pregnancy.

The use of ACE inhibitors in the second and third trimester of pregnancy is fraught with teratogenic effects. Cases of the occurrence of such congenital developmental anomalies as oligohydramnios, delayed ossification of the skull bones, and kidney pathology have been noted. The fetus may develop hypotension, renal failure, and an increase in the incidence of stillbirth. According to a number of studies on the teratogenicity of ACE inhibitors, in the first trimester there is a slight increase in the risk of congenital fetal pathology. Although this data is incomplete and unconfirmed. However, in connection with the above, this group of drugs is not recommended for women planning pregnancy. When pregnancy is established, the ACE inhibitor must be discontinued and replaced with an alternative drug.

Angiotensin II receptor blockers, due to the similarity of their mechanism of action with ACE inhibitors, probably cause the same consequences and therefore are prohibited from taking during pregnancy.

Reserpine has a teratogenic effect. It can cause the occurrence of microcephaly, hydronephrosis, hydroureter in the fetus. When taken before childbirth, a newborn may have swelling of the nasal mucosa, inhibition of the sucking reflex and lethargy.

Diltiazem, Torasemide and Veroshpiron have been shown to be teratogenic in animal studies.

Which blood pressure medications are safest during pregnancy?

Methyldopa (Dopegit) is recommended primarily for use to reduce blood pressure during pregnancy. Belongs to FDA group B. The metabolite Dopegita, by stimulating certain receptors, inhibits sympathetic stimulation. This leads to hypotension, slowing heart rate. The drug is well tolerated and does not affect the renal and uteroplacental blood flow, it can cause sedation.

It should be noted that quite often, as a result of prolonged use for 1-1.5 months, when taking Dopegit, addiction and a decrease in the hypotensive effect may occur. In such cases, it is combined with other drugs.

With contraindications or lack of effect from the use of Dopegit, doctors stop their choice on β-blockers. However, in the case of prolonged use of these drugs in the first half of pregnancy, the development of intrauterine growth retardation, impaired fetal response to hypoxia during childbirth, bradycardia and hypoglycemia in newborns is noted. Therefore, it is undesirable to prescribe them for a duration of more than 1.5 months. . β- adrenergic blockers are canceled 2-3 weeks before delivery. They use Metoprolol, Bisoprolol. The safest drug in this group is Labetolol.

Calcium channel blockers are prescribed in combination with methyldopa when its effectiveness decreases. Representatives of this group include Verapamil, Nifedipine. Calcium channel blockers can inhibit labor, so they should be canceled 2-3 weeks before delivery. Drugs in this group enhance their effect when taken simultaneously with magnesium sulfate. With this combination, uncontrolled hypotension may develop.

Diuretics are not prescribed during pregnancy, because they reduce the volume of circulating blood, thereby creating the prerequisites for a violation of the uteroplacental circulation.

When to start high blood pressure pills during pregnancy


According to the results of numerous studies, a slight increase in pressure during pregnancy often does not lead to complications from the mother and the fetus. Therefore, given the risks associated with taking drugs to lower blood pressure, it is recommended to start treatment with non-drug methods and the safest drugs. Each situation is considered individually and only a doctor can make the decision to take the pills.

Non-drug treatment for high blood pressure during pregnancy is as follows:

  • it is necessary to exclude stress, psycho-emotional stress and excessive physical exertion;
  • regular long walks in the fresh air;
  • a balanced diet with the required amount of vegetables and fruits;
  • sufficient duration of night sleep, the presence of daytime sleep;
  • gymnastics for pregnant women, swimming.

Given the fact that most episodes of increased blood pressure during pregnancy are associated with stress and emotional experiences, treatment is often started with the appointment of sedatives (valerian and motherwort). For the prevention of gestosis with arterial hypertension or the risks of its occurrence during the period of gestation, magnesium preparations, omega-3-polyunsaturated acids, aspirin in low dosages, Dipyridamole are used.

With severe hypertension more than 160/100, hospital treatment is necessary, and taking special drugs to reduce blood pressure is inevitable and justified.