Exercise and hypertension in pregnancy

Hypertensive disease in pregnancy can be prevented

This is best done before pregnancy when you are contemplating to have a baby. An already hypertensive mother can have treatment by natural or traditional method with blood pressure put under a check the intended pregnancy! has the best chance of not developing hypertensive complications. There are two types of hypertensive diseases in pregnancy; clinical hypertension and pregnancy induced hypertension. Those who have the latter are predisposed ‘and have a high risk of developing clinical hypertension later in life. Further there are women with pregnancy induced hypertension (eclampsia and pre-eclampsia) who persist with the hypertensive state after pregnancy and may need long term follow up.

The best way of controlling blood pressure in pregnancy whatever the type is by proper exercise and good eating habits. On the first day of the exercise there may be noted a change in blood pressure. One should however do exercises that suit their body size and pregnancy state. If you already have a high blood pressure, start exercise schedules with a personal trainer who is conversant with pregnancy.

Join a health club not only to help you choose the right exercise but to make you conversant with various types of exercises.

If one is not yet hypertensive, stress exercise tests can be done. At rest, during each phase of gradual exercise and using past exercise observation, the mean heart rate is significantly higher in previously hypertensive women or those with a potential to developing hypertension. A double product (heart rate x blood pressure) an index of myocardial oxygen consumption is also significantly great. These can detect hypertension in potential patients and significantly prevent its development.

Exercise controls blood pressure by;
Improving blood pressure. In high blood pressure patients, metabolism is not perfect within the body. The heart does not pump blood properly and some parts of the body do not get blood properly. This is corrected by exercise. The resultant relative healthy state improves the overall body function and helps in blood pressure control.

Through better circulation, it clears toxins from the blood stream.
Unhealthy diet and inactivity destroys health. In blood pressure control improved lifestyle and exercising entails improving mental health in a natural progressive way. This reduces anxiety, worries and fears concerning pregnancy and they are factors that raise the blood pressure.

There is however a small cause-effect of exercise with hypertensive expectant women. When standard exercise and test is done, the following effect occurs in the hypertensive placental blood flow;

• Placental blood flow is lower than normal
• In pre-eclampsia, there is a higher peripheral vascular resistance than normal. The placental blood due to exercise is therefore ever much lower
• There is a lower cardiac index value
• Maternal heart rate increases significantly from values at rest to values at the end of the exercise
• In pregnancy complicated by hypertension, a short exercise can cause a fall in cardiac index and placental blood flow and then compromise the foetus. In such patients, exercises should be avoided in later pregnancy.

Use of exercise should therefore be approached with a lot of caution and must be properly supervised, with adequate consultation. You do not have to go to a gym to achieve the desired level of exercise, a mild to moderate exercise from your home and walking around is enough in pregnancy.

END: PG 26 /41