High blood pressure during pregnancy appears to becoming much more common in recent years.
According to data from French health advocacy group CFLHTA, which publishes the guide Women and Hypertension, the proportion of pregnant women suffering from high blood pressure has increased significantly in recent years.
In the 1990s, it was a rare condition, however today it’s estimated that 10 percent of pregnant women have high blood pressure. The news is troubling since 25.5 percent of those women will suffer complications during childbirth, compared to 17.6 percent of women with normal blood pressure.
Pregnancy-related cases of high blood pressure should not be taken lightly, since those same women also have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure when they get older.
To reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, researchers recommend a low-sodium diet, cessation of smoking, and regular physical exercise.
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