Rate of high blood pressure disorders in pregnancy on the rise, study suggests

A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas on Thursday, May 18, 2023. A new study suggests the rate of high blood pressure disorders in pregnancy has risen over the last decade in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, LM Otero

A new study suggests the rate of high blood pressure disorders in pregnancy has risen over the last decade in Canada.

The research, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that rates of hypertension and pre-eclampsia increased by 40 per cent between 2012 and 2021.

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Senior author Dr. Joel Ray says high blood pressure is dangerous for both the mother and fetus, but can be identified with regular monitoring and prevented with low-dose Aspirin in women identified as being at risk.

Ray, who is also a specialist in obstetrical medicine at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, says there are also highly effective blood pressure medications that are safe to take during pregnancy.

He says likely factors associated with rising rates of hypertension include women getting pregnant at older ages and higher rates of obesity.

Ray says the causes aren't as important as being "more on the ball" when it comes to identifying the risk of high blood pressure and treating it.

He says women can also develop high blood pressure disorders in the days following delivery, but may not get the care they need because followup obstetrical appointments aren't scheduled until six weeks after birth.

Dr. Catherine Varner, a deputy editor for the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and a Toronto emergency department physician, wrote an editorial about the study calling for more access to obstetrical care -- especially in the days and weeks following birth when women aren't closely monitored -- through teams of midwives, family physicians and specialists.

"I think this study is yet another indicator that people are entering their reproductive lives with more health problems than the generation did before. And our health-care systems are not prepared for that," Varner said in an interview.

"People who have hypertensive disorders in pregnancy have a particularly high need of close monitoring in the immediate postpartum, the early postpartum period, and sometimes they don't have a good place to follow up to have their blood pressure checked," she said.

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Even if postpartum women are checking their own blood pressure with a home monitor or at a pharmacy, they often don't have a family doctor or other outpatient provider to turn to if their blood pressure is high, Varner said.

"They come into the emergency department sort of (as) a last resort." she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.