Document Type

Brief

Publication Date

9-25-2020

Abstract

The Population Council developed High Impact Practice (HIP) briefs for three strategies that show promise for improving prevention, detection, and management of Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy (HDPs). This brief focuses on one of those strategies: detecting and managing hypertension in the extended postnatal period. Key points presented are: the extended postnatal period provides an opportunity to monitor a woman’s blood pressure (BP) and check for persistent hypertension; if BP is measured routinely at any contact with the health system during the extended postnatal period, hypertension is more likely to be detected and managed appropriately; women with pre-eclampsia have a 3.7-fold increased risk of future hypertension, a 2.2-fold risk of ischemic heart disease, and a 1.8-fold risk of stroke; measure every woman’s BP after birth, daily until discharge; if women continue to have high BP postnatally, they must receive hypertensive medicines with close follow-up; women who were previously normotensive during pregnancy may develop hypertension or pre-eclampsia for the first time after delivery. Detecting, and/or managing unresolved BP during the postnatal period is one of several promising HIPs in maternal health.

DOI

10.31899/rh14.1036

Language

English

Project

Ending Eclampsia

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