Many factors guide a doctor’s decision about how to treat pre-eclampsia, including the gestational age and health of the baby, the age and general health of the mother, as well as careful assessment of the progress of the disease. This assessment includes blood pressure monitoring and analysis of laboratory results that indicate the condition of the mother’s kidneys, liver and blood clotting properties. Other tests monitor the health and growth of the unborn child and detect signs of possible danger to both. If the pregnancy has not yet reached 37 weeks gestation, doctors will try to do everything possible to prolong the pregnancy. If 37 weeks of gestation or more have been completed, the health care provider will usually decide to proceed with delivery immediately.

The physician will be watching for any signs of instability in the mother, including very high blood pressure that does not respond to antihypertensive medications, signs of kidney and/or liver failure, as well as reduced red blood cells or platelets. Any indication of seizure risk or signs of impending stroke will also be closely monitored and the patient may be given magnesium sulphate (an anticonvulsant used specifically to treat pre-eclampsia). Antihypertensive drugs may also be given if blood pressure rises to dangerous levels.

If the baby stops growing, does not grow enough, or the results of a “stress test” are not favourable, he or she may not survive if the baby remains in the womb. Even if the baby is premature, early delivery may be required if the disease cannot be stabilised, in order to protect the mother or ensure the baby’s survival.

The cause (aetiology) of pre-eclampsia remains unknown. Many different theories have been proposed and have led to efforts at prevention and strategic intervention, but none have been convincingly successful. However, there is global agreement that the placenta plays a central role in the development of pre-eclampsia and that women with chronic hypertension and metabolic diseases such as diabetes are more susceptible to pre-eclampsia. Obesity is another major risk factor – one that can possibly be modified.

Talk to your health care provider about the risks and ask what you can do to minimise their impact. You should recognise, however, that there are still no precise, definitive answers about the cause or causes of pre-eclampsia.

Currently the only ”cure” for pre-eclampsia begins with the birth of the baby and the expulsion of the placenta. When pre-eclampsia begins to manifest itself, the mother and her baby must be closely monitored. There are medications and treatments that may help prolong the pregnancy, increasing the baby’s chance of survival.

When pre-eclampsia begins to occur, there is no way to reverse it and it must be constantly monitored, balancing the health of the mother and her baby. In some circumstances, immediate delivery of the baby, regardless of gestational age, is necessary to save the baby’s life or that of the mother.

Today, early diagnosis through simple tests and proper prenatal care can predict or delay some of the adverse consequences of pre-eclampsia. Early treatment saves lives. Research has begun to reveal some of the molecular abnormalities that occur in pre-eclamptic women and there is hope that these discoveries can be directed towards the development of a cure.

Researchers suggest that there are possibly many different variables, some with genetic origins, that increase a woman’s likelihood of developing pre-eclampsia. Thus, it is possible that a preventive or curative therapy that may be successful for one woman may not have the same result for another.

Pre-eclampsia can cause an increase in your blood pressure and put you at risk of brain injury. It can also cause impaired liver and kidney function, blood clotting complications, pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs) and seizures. In its most severe form or in the absence of treatment, pre-eclampsia can lead to maternal and infant death. Pre-eclampsia affects blood flow to the placenta, often resulting in smaller or premature babies. Ironically, sometimes babies are born much larger but scientists cannot attribute this to pre-eclampsia. Although maternal death is rare in developed countries, it is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in mothers and infants worldwide.