| Posted: 23 March 2007 at 6:01pm | IP Logged
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Pre-Eclampsia of Pregnancy
Pre-eclampsia is a condition during the middle to late pregnancy where high blood pressure, water retention and kidney problems occur. The condition is caused by a defect in the placenta. This is why your midwife takes your blood pressure and a urine sample on every visit. A raised blood pressure or protein in the urine may be the first sign of any problem. Swollen ankles can also be a sign, but don’t panic if you get water retention as it is common in pregnancy and this symptom does not always mean pre-eclampsia.
Pre-eclampsia affects about 1 in 10 pregnant women in the UK although not all of these will be severe cases. It is serious because it can put the baby at risk. It is difficult to predict who is at risk. But teens or women over forty are at greater risk, women carrying twins or triplets. Also if your mother or sister suffered from pre-eclampsia or you had it with a previous pregnancy there is also increased possibility of getting it. If you have a medical history such as chronic high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or obesity you will need closer monitoring.
Odd symptoms to look out for, which can occur as the disease advances, include headaches, nausea and vomiting, breathlessness, confusion, blurred vision and stomach or shoulder pain.
Medical treatment includes bed rest, blood pressure tablets, an early delivery and injections of magnesium sulphate. Researchers are looking into aspirin which stops blood being so sticky and calcium supplements.
It is interesting to note that apart from emergency caesarean, the most affective treatment discovered so far is actually a nutritional one – magnesium injections. There have been other studies done on nutritional supplements with high risk groups. The results are quite promising, and give weight to the concept that what women eat before and during pregnancy is important for mother and baby. Research shows that the minerals calcium, magnesium and antioxidants such as vitamin C with vitamin E can help reduce the chance of pre-eclampsia occurring. Lycopene, an important antioxidant found in tomatoes has also been found to help (take 2 tablespoons of tomato paste a day!).
My advice would be to take a good dose of calcium (1000mg) and magnesium (500mg) daily. If you divide the dose throughout the day, you absorb more of these minerals than if you take it all at once. Remember that coffee and tea as well as high fibre foods (e.g. bran flakes) can impede the absorption of minerals. So give consideration to when you take your supplements and what you are consuming with them.
Lamberts Osteoguard (Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D & Vitamin K)
http://www.keytohealth.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=8226%2D90&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;cat=28
Antioxidants are another important factor. Consuming a variety of fruit and vegetables can expose you to the wide range of antioxidants (there are many kinds) available. You can then boost you intake through supplements. So far the antioxidants that have been researched include vitamin C, vitamin E and lycopene. I’m sure that as an when research is done on other antioxidants a similar success story will arise.
5-A-Day
Take note of the 5-A-Day campaign, and make sure that you aim for this AT LEAST! Any extra is a bonus.
- RED Ensure a daily dose of processed tomato (tomato puree, passata (pizza topping), tomato soup and Ketchup). Lycopene is better absorbed when it has been processed and cooked. Red apples, radishes, radicchio, cherries, cranberries and blood orange.
- GREEN Rich in lutein and indoles, a daily dose of greens is important. .Choose cabbage, broccoli, watercress, asparagus, peas and avocados.
- BLUE/PURPLE Rich in anthocyanins. Purple broccoli, blackberries, blueberries, currants, red cabbage, purple grapes and red onion.
- YELLOW/ORANGE High in carotinoids (carotene-related antioxidants).Apricots, squash, sweet potatoes, orange, mangoes, pineapple and carrots.
- WHITE Rich in phytochemicals such as allicin. Onion, garlic, ginger, cauliflower, bananas, mushrooms and potatoes.
Lamberts Vitamin C 1000mg with bioflavonoids
http://www.keytohealth.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=8134%2D60&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;cat=27
Lamberts Vitamin E 400iu
http://www.keytohealth.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=8708%2D60&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;cat=27
I’m not aware of any research yet done on natural anti-coagulants for pre-eclampsia. But if researchers are looking into aspirin, a blood-thinner that reduces platelet stickiness, than natural alternatives may also play a role. Garlic and ginger have blood-thinning properties, as do oily fish. So indeed does vitamin E, which also acts as an antioxidant. Vitamin E is found in wheatgerm (wholemeal bread), almonds, sunflower seeds, peanut butter and to a much lesser extent green vegetables and fruit.
Links: More info on Pre-eclampsia and relevant related info.
http://www.apec.org.uk/home.htm
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/preeclampsia.htm
http://www.lycopene.org/content.aspx
http://www.clinicalevidence.com/ceweb/conditions/pac/1402/14 02_I15.jsp
Research:
Pregnancy Exposures and Preeclampsia Prevention Study (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1997-2001) This study showed that women who took a multivitamin during pregnancy had a 71% reduction in preeclampsia risk. Scientists believe it is the antioxidants in the multi responsible for this effect.
Chappell LC, Seed PT, Briley AL, et al. Effect of antioxidants on the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in women at increased risk: a randomised trial. Lancet. 1999; 354: 810-816.
Sharma JB, Kumar Ashok, Kumar A, et al. Effect of lycopene on pre-eclampsia and intra-uterine growth retardation in primigravidas. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. 2003; 81: 257-262.
Edited by Caroline Guy on 23 March 2007 at 8:08pm
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Topic: Pre-Eclampsia of Pregnancy
