Pre-eclampsia
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Pre-eclampsia, also known as pre-eclamptic toxaemia (or PET), is an illness exclusive to pregnancy.
It can affect both mother and unborn baby, and occurs at any time from around 20 weeks of pregnancy until a few days after delivery. It's caused by a defect in the placenta, the source of an unborn baby's oxygen and nutrients.
If undetected and allowed to develop, it could be life-threatening to mum and baby, hence the importance of checkups. It affects one in 10 pregnancies in some form, but affects one in 100 first pregnancies severely.
Can I tell if I'll get it?
Pre-eclampsia can't be predicted, but some women are more at risk. They are:
- First-time mothers
- Very overweight women
- Women over 40
- Women with a family history of pre-eclampsia
- Mothers who've left a gap of 10 years or more between babies
- Women with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease
- Women with multiple pregnancies
- Women who've suffered from pre-eclampsia before
By Anne Richley, midwife
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