Preeclampsia occurs when a pregnant woman has high blood
pressure and protein in her urine at any point after her 20th
week of pregnancy. This condition is also called toxemia or
pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). It only occurs during
pregnancy, although in some cases, it can occur earlier than the
20th week. According to the Preeclampsia Foundation,
approximately five to eight percent of pregnant women experience
preeclampsia. (PF) During pregnancy, it is important to keep you
and your baby as healthy as possible. This includes eating a
healthy diet, taking prenatal vitamins with folic acid, and
going for regular prenatal care checkups. However, even with
proper care, unavoidable conditions like preeclampsia can
sometimes occur and endanger your health or that of your baby.
Doctors cannot yet identify one single cause of preeclampsia.
However, some potential causes are being explored, such as: -
genetic factors - blood vessels problems - autoimmune disorders
There are also risk factors that can increase