Expectant management and preeclampsia

Expectant management, or observation, is sometimes used to manage complications of a high-risk pregnancy. Depending on the severity of your preeclampsia, you may need expectant management at home or in the hospital.

Expectant management at home requires reduced activity and careful checking and daily recording of:

• Fetal activity.
• Blood pressure reading.
• Urine protein measurement.
• Weight.

The daily log of symptoms and measurements is combined with frequent (usually twice weekly) checks at the doctor's office.

Being on expectant management may mean you are advised to stop working, reduce your activity level, or possibly spend a lot of time resting (partial bed rest). Although partial bed rest is considered reasonable treatment for preeclampsia, its effectiveness is not proven for treating mild preeclampsia.¹ It is known, however, that strict bed rest for 3 days or more increases the risk of developing a blood clot in the legs or lungs (from about 1 in 1,000 to as high as 16 in 1,000) when used to prevent preterm labor.²

Expectant management in the hospital requires some bed rest and includes more frequent electronic and laboratory monitoring of the mother and fetus.