The only way to cure preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. However, if that delivery would be very early (premature), the disease can be managed by bed rest, close monitoring, and delivery as soon as the fetus has a good chance of surviving outside the womb.
Patients are usually put in the hospital, but sometimes can be managed at home with careful monitoring of blood pressure, urine, and weight.
Ideally, the condition can be managed so that the mother can deliver after the 37th week of pregnancy.
Labor may be induced if any of the following occur:
Abdominal pain
Abnormal biophysical profile (a test to monitor the health of the fetus)
Abnormal liver function tests
Diastolic blood pressure greater than 100 mmHg consistently for a 24-hour period, or any confirmed reading over 110 mmHg
In cases of severe preeclampsia when the pregnancy is between 32 - 34 weeks, delivery is the treatment of choice. For pregnancies less than 24 weeks, inducing labor is recommended, although the likelihood that the fetus will survive is ver
Rh incompatibility (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Rh incompatibility is a condition that develops when a pregnant woman has Rh-negative blood and the baby in her womb has Rh-positive blood. Reviewer: Deirdre OReilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Childrens Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/15/2007
Premature infant(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A premature infant is a baby born before 37 weeks gestation. Reviewer: Deirdre OReilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Childrens Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/11/2007
Placenta previa (9 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Placenta previa is a rare condition in which the placenta grows in the lower part of a pregnant woman's uterus and covers all or part of the cervix. The placenta is the organ that nourishes the developing fetus. Reviewer: Melanie N. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/17/2007
Placenta abruptio (10 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Placenta abruptio is separation of the placenta (the organ that nourishes the fetus) from the site of uterine implantation before delivery of the fetus. Reviewer: Audra Robertson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/08/2006
Post-partum depression(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Post-partum depression is severe depression in a woman after she has given birth. It may occur soon after delivery or up to a year later. Most of the time, it occurs sometime in the first 4 weeks after delivery. Reviewer: Audra Robertson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/23/2007
Breastfeeding (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Breastfeeding is giving human breast milk to infants to meet their nutritional needs. See also: Breastfeeding tips; Overcoming breastfeeding problems; Breastfeeding mothers - self-care; Formula feeding; Age-appropriate diet for children. Reviewer: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine andPediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided byVeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/24/2006
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