If you’re thinking of becoming pregnant in the near future, get a blood pressure measurement and record it. Then, if your blood pressure is high during your pregnancy, you and your doctor will know whether the reading is new or has been at that level for awhile.

Chronic high blood pressure

A woman with chronic high blood pressure has a blood pressure of more than 140/90 mm Hg on repeated occasions, and it’s present before pregnancy or recognized before the 20th week of the pregnancy. Because many women haven’t had their blood pressure measured before a pregnancy and because blood pressure falls normally during the first six months of a pregnancy, chronic high blood pressure may go unnoticed until the final three months of the pregnancy.

As I note in the previous section, a woman with chronic high blood pressure may be able to stop medication until the baby is born. There is no evidence that the outcome of the pregnancy improves if the mother’s blood pressure is treated for the short duration of a pregnancy. However, if the diastolic blood pressure is above 100 mm Hg or the mother’s heart or kidneys are damaged, she should continue the medication.

The favorite medication for high blood pressure during pregnancy is methyldopa because it’s effective and safe for both the mother and the growing fetus. If the woman is already on a diuretic, she can continue it, but she should not start taking it during the pregnancy because it tends to lower the blood volume — which needs to be greater during a pregnancy. If methyldopa is ineffective, labetalol is another drug that has been successful.

If you’re pregnant and have high blood pressure, become familiar with the drugs . Do not take any of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, the angiotensin II receptor blockers, or the direct renin inhibitors because they all endanger the fetus. They must be stopped as soon as a woman becomes pregnant, preferably before pregnancy.

A woman who begins a pregnancy with a diagnosis of chronic high blood pressure should not do strenuous exercise during the pregnancy. The risk to the fetal blood supply is too great.

Chronic high blood pressure poses increased risks to the mother and the fetus, and these risks are even more dangerous in African American women and women with diastolic blood pressure over 110 mm Hg. The main risks are

• Developing preeclampsia
• Disease such as retarded growth and death for the fetus
• This must be monitored with monthly ultrasound studies.
• Significant worsening of the mother’s kidney function if kidney disease is present

    Sometimes people with high blood pressure have thefollowing symptoms: Headache , Dizziness , Blurred vision , Nausea.

Chronic High Blood Pressure Symptoms:Heart attack , Heart failure , Stroke or "mini stroke" (transient ischemic attack, TIA) ,Kidney failure ,Eye damage with loss of vision , Peripheral arterial disease ,Outpouchings of the aorta, called aneurysms .

Malignant Hypertension Symptoms:

1.In malignant hypertension, the diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) often exceeds 140 mm Hg.

2.Malignant hypertension may be associated with headache, light-headedness, or nausea.

3.This degree of high blood pressure requires emergency hospitalization and lowering of blood pressure to prevent brain hemorrhage or stroke.

General tips for controlling blood pressure include the following:

1.Maintain a healthy weight.Lose weight and keep it off.

2.Quitting smoking (A Quit Smoking Tip) and moderating alcohol consumption will also help keep your blood pressure in the healthy range.

3.Reduce sodium (salt) intake.

4.Take medicines as directed.

5.Eat a nutritious, low-fat diet.

6.Exercise regularly.

7.Get your blood pressure checked periodically. Consider getting an accurate and easy-to-use home monitor.

8.Take your blood pressure medications as directed, even if you’re feeling fine.

9.Reduce stress and practice relaxation: Physical activity will help with this.