Management of chronic hypertension in postnal period

Chronic hypertension - postnatal period

• in women with chronic hypertension, blood pressure measurement after birth should be done
  • daily for the first 2 days after birth
  • at least once between day 3 and day 5 after birth
  • as clinically indicated if antihypertensive treatment is changed after birth
• in women with chronic hypertension who have given birth, aim to keep blood pressure lower than 140/90 mmHg
• in women with chronic hypertension who have given birth:
  • continue antenatal antihypertensive treatment
  • review long-term antihypertensive treatment 2 weeks after the birth
• if a woman has taken methyldopa to treat chronic hypertension during pregnancy, stop within 2 days of birth and restart the antihypertensive treatment the woman was taking before she planned the pregnancy
• offer women with chronic hypertension a medical review at the postnatal review (6-8 weeks after the birth) with the pre-pregnancy care team

Reference:

• 1) NICE (August 2010). Hypertension in pregnancy - the management of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy