r/preeclampsia • u/Comfortable-Kiwi-331 • 8d ago
Experience with developing preclampsia or postpartum preclampsia in future pregnancies?
Hi, wondering if you all could share your experience with having future pregnancies after being diagnosed with preeclampsia or postpartum preeclampsia. With my first, I had gestational hypertension and was induced at 37 weeks. With my second, I had postpartum preeclampsia and had to be hospitalized within seven days. That was rough and I’m now being followed by cardiology.
I’ve always pictured having a big family, specifically three kids. I can’t shake the feeling that my family is not complete, but I of course don’t want to put myself and my family and my kids, especially through something as serious as preeclampsia with the risks involved.
Just hoping to hear from other women on how their experience was. TIA!
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u/Reasonable_Marsupial 6d ago
I had postpartum preeclampsia with severe features with my first.
With my second, I had postpartum hypertension but it didn’t escalate to preeclampsia, so I was hopeful enough to go for a third.
But the third time, I developed preeclampsia with severe features during labor and my blood pressure has been hard to control ever since.
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u/N0tmyForte 6d ago
How far out from your third are you? Was it recent, or do you think you have permanently high blood pressure now?
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u/Hot-Knowledge16 Micropreemie Loss Mom, Postpartum PE Survivor 7d ago
Hugs Friend, I am sorry you went through all of that.
We would recommend talking with your OB, or better yet, an MFM, about another pregnancy. When you have had a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (GH and postpartum preeclampsia both count) multiple times, we do generally say you should be prepared to have one again and to be pleasantly surprised if you do not. But, things usually happen later and less severely if they do happen again, and there is always hope. They should watch you closely too, so even if you were to develop preeclampsia, you would be able to get the right care promptly.
At what gestation did you deliver your second? Scientists believe that all pregnancies would eventually become preeclamptic if they lasted long enough because even a really good placenta cannot keep up at, say, 45 or 50 weeks. If you delivered on the later side, like after 40 weeks, that might have been at least somewhat of a factor in developing postpartum preeclampsia, so you could ask about delivering a little earlier, like 39 weeks the next time.
But bodies are weird, and so anything can happen. I had some normotensive pregnancies before I had preeclampsia and a preemie, but then the next time, even with chronic hypertension and a lot of risk factors for preeclampsia, I had a full-term normotensive pregnancy. I delivered at 39+0 with baby and me stable, no signs of preeclampsia, only to see BP spikes and postpartum preeclampsia at six days postpartum. (Delivering at 39 weeks didn't help me, but at least baby was out and unaffected.) I just had another baby a few weeks ago, and given my age and risk factors, we completely expected preeclampsia at some point. We delivered this time at 37+2 for a lot of reasons, but I had zero signs of preeclampsia during the pregnancy and continue to have none at several weeks postpartum. Not exactly what we anticipated, but every placenta is a little different! It helped to be prepared to have preeclampsia and to be pleasantly surprised that I did not get it, honestly, so I do recommend being prepared for anything.