High Blood Pressure Symptoms

Women with high blood pressure

The contraceptive pill

The pill (oral contraceptive) may cause a rise in blood pressure. So if you are taking the pill, you should have your blood pressure checked regularly – about every six months. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may change the type of pill you take, or suggest a different form of birth control. You can get advice from your GP or family planning clinic.

Pregnancy and high blood pressure

Women have their blood pressure checked regularly throughout pregnancy,whether they have high blood pressure or not. Blood pressure usually falls in the first few months of pregnancy, even in women who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. It usually then returns to pre-pregnancy levels in the last months. However, sometimes the pressure can become too high during these last few months.

High blood pressure can develop for the first time in pregnancy – a condition called ‘pregnancyinduced hypertension’. This may lead to a more serious condition called ‘pre-eclamptic toxaemia’, which needs treatment with bed rest and drugs.

Blood pressure usually returns to normal after the pregnancy and the problem may not happen again in future pregnancies.

Even if you already have hypertension, you should be able to have children without too much risk to yourself or your babies. But you will need extra supervision. Some of the medicines that are used to treat high blood pressure are known to be relatively safe ( such as methyldopa ), but others ( such as ACE inhibitors ) may not be suitable for pregnant women.

HRT

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not affect blood-pressure levels, so women with high blood pressure may take HRT if their blood pressure is well controlled. HRT helps to prevent menopausal symptoms, but it should not be taken specifically to protect against coronary heart disease