High blood pressure develops in about 10% of all pregnancies in the United States.1 Of pregnant women with chronic high blood pressure, nearly 1 in 4 develops preeclampsia.2
Preeclampsia occurs in about 5% of all pregnancies.3 In some populations and environments, higher rates have been reported. Preeclampsia most often affects women who:
- Are pregnant for the first time or have not been pregnant for 10 or more years.4
- Have a family history of preeclampsia. Your risk is greatest if either you or your partner were born from a pregnancy affected by preeclampsia.5
- Are younger than 21 or older than 35.
- Are more than 20% over their ideal body weight. If your weight is within this range, the higher your prepregnancy body mass index, the greater your preeclampsia risk.6
- Do not see their doctors for prenatal checkups regularly.
Less than 1% of women with preeclampsia develop seizures (eclampsia).7
References
Citations
Duley L (2005). Pre-eclampsia and hypertension, search date November 2004. Online version of Clinical Evidence (14): 1776–1790.
National High Blood Pressure Education Working Group (2000). Report on High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy (NIH Publication No. 00–3029). Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health.
Cunningham FG, et al. (2005). Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. In Williams Obstetrics, 22nd ed., pp. 761–808. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Skjaerven R, et al. (2002). The interval between pregnancies and the risk of preeclampsia. New England Journal of Medicine, 346(1): 33–38.
Esplin MS, et al. (2001). Paternal and maternal components of the predisposition to preeclampsia. New England Journal of Medicine, 344(12): 867–872.
O'Brien TE, et al. (2003). Maternal body mass index and the risk of preeclampsia: A systematic overview. Epidemiology, 14(3): 368–374.
Witlin AG, Sibai BM (1998). Magnesium sulfate therapy in preeclampsia and eclampsia. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 92(5): 883–889.
Credits
| Author | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | William Gilbert, MD - Perinatology |
| Last Updated | November 22, 2006 |
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