Pregnancy Over 40 and High Blood Pressure
Years ago, when I was working in the "corporate pressure cooker" I would have intermittent high blood pressure readings when I took time out of my work day for doctor's appointments.My site: www.getpregnantover40.com
Aside from high blood pressure being a dangerous condition, it can also negatively affect female (and male) fertility. Here is a link to the Blood Pressure Association which discusses high blood pressure and how to manage it if you're planning a pregnancy:
Blood Pressure Association
From the link above:
"If you have high blood pressure and are planning to have a baby or if you are already pregnant and have high blood pressure then these pages are for you. They provide information about prevention and treatment, along with antenatal care and pre-eclampsia.
Planning to become pregnant
If you already have high blood pressure and you and your partner are planning to have a baby you need to talk to your doctor about preparing to conceive. You can, like any other woman, have a successful and healthy pregnancy but if you have high blood pressure you have a slightly greater chance of complications than other women do. For this reason you will need to be more closely monitored than women without high blood pressure.
If at all possible any medicines that you take for high blood pressure will be stopped by your doctor before you become pregnant. You should not become pregnant whilst you are taking atenolol (beta-blocker), ACE Inhibitors or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers as these medications can affect the development of your baby. Therefore it is important that you plan your pregnancy if you can. Examples of ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers are in the table below.
ACE Inhibitors
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers
Captopril, Cilazapril, Enalapril, Fosinopril, Lisinopril, Perindopril, Ramipril, Trandolapril
Candesartan, Eprosartan, Irbesartan, Losartan, Olmesartan, Telmisartan, Valsartan
However, some women will have to continue to take tablets for high blood pressure. If this is the case then you may find that your blood pressure falls in the middle of your pregnancy. If this happens, the tablets might be stopped. There are certain medicines that can safely be taken during pregnancy, so if you need to continue to take medications, there are choices available."