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Preeclampsia and High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy  Topic
Overview  What are high blood pressure and preeclampsia?  Blood
pressure is a measure of how hard your blood pushes against the
walls of your arteries. If the force is too hard, you have high
blood pressure (also called hypertension). When high blood
pressure starts after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it may be a sign of
a very serious problem called preeclampsia.  Blood pressure is
shown as two numbers. The top number (systolic) is the pressure
when the heart pumps blood. The bottom number (diastolic) is the
pressure when the heart relaxes and fills with blood. Blood
pressure is high if the top number is more than 140 millimeters
of mercury (mm Hg), or if the bottom number is more than 90 mm
Hg. For example, blood pressure of 150/85 (say "150 over 85") or
140/95 is high. Or both numbers can be high, such as 150/95.  A
woman may have high blood pressure before she gets pregnant. Or
her blood pressur