High blood pressure complaints during pregnancy on the rise, research shows

A new study finds that the number of high blood pressure problems during pregnancy has increased in Canada over the past decade.

The study, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that rates of hypertension and preeclampsia increased by 40 percent between 2012 and 2021.

Lead author Dr. Joel Ray says high blood pressure is dangerous for both the mother and the fetus, but it can be detected with regular monitoring and prevented with low-dose aspirin in women considered at risk.

Ray, who also specializes in obstetrics at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, says there are also highly effective blood pressure medications that are safe to take during pregnancy.

He says factors likely linked to rising rates of hypertension include women becoming pregnant at older ages and more people being obese.

According to Ray, the causes are not as important as “getting better on the ball” in identifying the risk of high blood pressure and treating it.

He says women can also experience high blood pressure in the days after giving birth, but they may not get the care they need because follow-up appointments with the obstetrician are not scheduled until six weeks after the birth.

Dr. Catherine Varner, deputy editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and an emergency department physician in Toronto, wrote an editorial about the study in which she called for greater access to obstetric care, particularly in the days and weeks after birth when women are not closely monitored, through teams of midwives, family doctors and specialists.

“I think this study is another indicator that people are entering their reproductive lives with more health problems than the generation before them. And our health care systems are not prepared for that,” Varner said in an interview.

“People who suffer from hypertensive disorders during pregnancy need close monitoring, especially in the immediate postpartum period and in the early postpartum period. Sometimes there is no good place where they can have their blood pressure checked,” the doctor said.

Even if women measure their own blood pressure after giving birth with a home monitor or at a pharmacy, they often don’t have a primary care provider or other outpatient care provider to see if their blood pressure is high, Varner said.

“They come to the emergency room as a last resort,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press