Over the past two decades, preeclampsia has increased by 25 percent in the United States. It’s the leading cause of maternal death. (1)
While some health care agencies state there’s no cure or way to prevent preeclampsia, this isn’t entirely true. Preeclampsia can be managed and possibly even prevented with proper nutrition, exercise, and supplementation.
How to Prevent Preeclampsia
5 to 8 percent of all pregnancies are impacted by preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders. While the exact cause is unknown, there’s significant evidence pointing towards vascular dysfunction and abnormalities in the placenta.
Typically, preeclampsia occurs in first time mom’s and often begins after 20 weeks. If not properly treated, it may cause serious issues like brain, liver, and kidney damage to the mother, premature birth, and even death.
Women who’ve experience preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy, are also 7 times more likely to have preeclampsia in another pregnancy.
Natural Ways to Prevent Preeclampsia
So many people want to bash natural methods to treating health. Yet, they fail to see what kind of ingredients and side effects are associated with drugs that are prescribed by their doctors.
You have to use high quality foods and supplements to see results. Brands from places like Walmart are made with synthetic ingredients and won’t work properly.
As with everything in life, one size doesn’t fit all. Each person’s body chemistry and health is different, and therefore may respond different than another.
However, I can tell you from personal experience, that preeclampsia can be prevented and managed.
Take a look at my About Me page to see the drastic difference in my appearance during my two pregnancies.
1.Know the Symptoms
Preeclampsia occurs when a woman’s blood pressure rises higher than 140/90 mm Hg. This may reduce the blood supply to the baby, whom then may not get enough oxygen or nutrients.
Other symptoms of preeclampsia are high levels of protein in the urine and water retention (swelling).
With more severe preeclampsia, you may experience:
- Blurred visions
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Aversion to bright lights
- A tendency to bruise easily
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or vomiting
- Decrease in urination
- Pain in the upper right abdomen.
2.Eliminate all table salt and increase natural salt
Recent studies show increasing salt intake during pregnancy assists in lowering blood pressure, and even reduces the severity of preeclampsia. It’s also essential for the health of the baby and placental development.
However, the type of salt you add to your diet is incredibly important.
“Table salt” is a processed form of salt called sodium chloride. It’s cooked at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, which causes it to lose about 80 percent of its important minerals.
Iodized salts (a synthetic version damaging to the thyroid) have chemicals added to them, which may include iodide, anti-caking agents, MSG (mono-sodium glutamate), toxic amounts of potassium iodide and aluminate derivatives, and fluoride.
It may come as a shock, but white table salt is often times produced from crude oil extract, and bleached white. (2)
The best versions of salt are pink Himalayan salt and Celtic sea salt. (affiliate links)
3.Increase magnesium
Most women know that getting an adequate amount of calcium is important during pregnancy. Yet few realize it has to be properly balanced with magnesium.
Magnesium deficiency is the #1 deficiency in the United States. And when paired with an excess of calcium, research has shown that it can predispose women to vascular complications during pregnancy.
Women with gestational diabetes are commonly deficient in magnesium, and studies show links between gestational diabetes and a higher risk of developing preeclampsia.
The best food sources are dark leafy greens, sesame seeds, chia seeds, bone broth, Brazil nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, avocados, sunflower seeds, cashews, cacao powder (unrefined chocolate), and seaweed.
One of the absolute best ways to add magnesium into your daily routine is by soaking in a magnesium salt bath. Add an extra essence of stress relief by sipping on a glass of Calm. (affiliate links)
4.Avoid caffeinated beverages
Evidence now shows that over-consumption of caffeine has detrimental effects on a developing baby. This, in part, is due to caffeine impairing placental angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessels forming from pre-existing vessels.
Caffeine is also known to drastically increase your blood pressure for a short period of time. It may last up to 3 or 4 hours. This response differs from person to person.
Check out my article on coffee during pregnancy for more in-depth information on the effects of caffeine on the baby.
5.Consume adequate amounts of choline
Choline is an essential nutrient during pregnancy. It helps prevent preeclampsia by reducing placental inflammation, improve vascular function of the placenta, and enhances the ability of transferring nutrients to the baby.
Pregnant women are advised to supplement double the current recommended intake of choline. This means they should consume about 930 mg.
Foods high in choline are egg yolks and liver.
Liver has never sounded appealing to me, so I chose to up my choline intake with spirulina powder and chlorella tablets. (affiliate links) My kids seem to think the tablets are candy.
6.Do the Horizontal Tango
Sex is greatly beneficial during pregnancy, especially for lowering blood pressure. Being intimate with your partner releases endorphins and serotonin, hormones that play a pivotal role in relieving stress. In turn, the arteries relax which allows for better blood flow.
Laying on your back isn’t an ideal position for pregnancy though. It can put pressure on a main blood vessel. Make your partners day and get creative.
7.Eat Glycine-rich protein
Protein is especially important during pregnancy. The body is under an extreme amount of stress due to hormonal shifts, higher levels of fluids, and expanding blood vessels. Proper protein intake assists in maintaining normal blood pressure, and lowers your risk for developing preeclampsia.
Glycine is an amino acid that produces elastin and protects against oxidative stress. Elastin is a structural protein that allows your vessels to expand and contract. Glycine has been found in the urine of pregnant women, which suggests that they have a higher need.
Consuming glycine-rich protein is great for regulating blood pressure. The best sources are bone broth, slow cooked roasts and stews, chicken with the skin on, and collagen powder.
8.Limit Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbs are often sugars and processed grains. They’re also depleted of most of their vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Refined carbs have a high glycemic index which may lead to rapid spikes in insulin and blood sugar levels. This in turn can cause your blood pressure to rise.
There are studies showing that pregnant women who consumed added sugars were more likely to develop preeclampsia.
Eating healthy carbohydrates (from whole foods) and adding nutrient dense food to your diet will help support blood sugar regulation. It’s best to avoid anything fried, processed, or refined.
Healthy carbs include oats, potatoes, quinoa, buckwheat, prunes, beets, yogurt, carrots, legumes, beans, bananas, and sprouted bread.
Medical Prevention for Preeclampsia
The medical establishment doesn’t believe there’s any real way to prevent preeclampsia. They base their approach on how to manage high blood pressure after it has become an issue.
This approach includes:
- Getting plenty of rest (laying on the left side to take pressure off a main artery- read my article on sleep positions during pregnancy for all the benefits)
- Using little or no added salt in your meals
- Elevating your feet throughout the day
- Drinking plenty of water
If you’re at high risk of preeclampsia, your doctor may recommend a daily dose of aspirin. Unfortunately, aspirin does come with a possibility of side effects.
Scientific studies show that aspirin use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of postpartum hematoma and postpartum bleeding. There’s also a link between aspirin use and intracranial hemorrhage (brain bleed) in newborns. (3)
As with all doctor recommended medications the risks need to be weighed against the benefits.
In the event that a woman has severe preeclampsia, medical establishments will recommend that the baby be delivered.
Most women with preeclampsia have healthy babies, and will recover after delivery.
Why is Preeclampsia Underdiagnosed
Unfortunately, far too many women aren’t properly diagnosed with preeclampsia until it’s progressed to dangerous levels. In turn, they’re unable to take precautionary measures while the disorder is still manageable.
I was one of those women. During my 1st pregnancy, I suffered from undiagnosed preeclampsia.
In the beginning of my pregnancy, my midwife was worried that I had placenta previa (the placenta was partially covering the opening of the cervix), and took note to keep a close eye on it.
At my 16 week appointment, I voiced my concern on how quickly I was gaining weight. I’d gained 15 pounds in 5 weeks. My hospital midwife waved it off, and joked that she only went up 15 pounds during her entire pregnancy. An odd contrast to me.
At 24 weeks I asked if I should be worried about swelling in my feet. They were so big I had to drastically loosen all my shoes. Another of one my midwives looked at them and told me swelling was normal during pregnancy.
By 28 weeks my fingers were swollen to the extent that I had to remove my wedding ring. They still expressed no concern.
At my 32 week appointment, I mentioned that my nose and eyes were swollen and painful. I even told her that my sister and other family members noticed the extreme swelling in my face and ankles. Again, I was told that I was fine.
I know some of you may be thinking that I live in a small town with uneducated midwives. However, this isn’t the case. I went to VCU Medical, the number one hospital in Virginia. And they still missed the fact that I had preeclampsia.
No one took into consideration that I had lower than average blood pressure before I became pregnant. Typically ranging from 98-102/80. They didn’t notice when it went up to 115/85. Since they rotated me between 8 different midwives, no one noticed how drastically my entire body swelled.
Luckily for me, I didn’t suffer any (known) consequences. I have a relatively healthy child.
The only issue I do know that I ran into was during labor. While I was holding my newborn and fighting off exhaustion from 27 hours of labor, I heard them whispering about a large amount of blood. Later I looked over and noticed I was hooked up to Pitocin (which I clearly stated several times was not to be used). They never told me why they gave it to me.
I also played a role in the misdiagnosis. I’ve always been told that headaches during pregnancy were normal, so I didn’t mention them. I ignored the pain in my upper abdomen, believing it was a strange pregnancy pain.
I figured that the extreme fatigue I was experiencing (and mentioned at an appointment) was typical. That the shortness of breath and bruising I experienced was part of being large and clumsy.
My midwives assumed I didn’t have preeclampsia because I didn’t have medical standards of high blood pressure. I didn’t know I had preeclampsia because I was uneducated on the topic.
Think About It
Over 700 women die from complications related to childbirth every year. And experts say more than half of the deaths related to blood pressure and hemorrhage could’ve been prevented. This is often due to hospitals failing to follow known safety guidelines. (4)
The best practice to avoid potential miscommunication and possible harm is to be as educated as possible with pregnancy related issues.
Check out my blog on how to reclaim control of your prenatal care for more subjects hospitals may not be properly addressing.