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Once you have preeclampsia, it doesn't get better until after your baby is born. If you get it near the end of your pregnancy, you may be able to give birth naturally. Otherwise, you will probably need to have your baby early.

Preeclampsia varies a lot from woman to woman. That means it is hard to say exactly what will happen to you.

What we can say is that the only cure for preeclampsia is for you to have your baby. How soon that needs to happen depends on two things:

• How badly you and your baby are affected by the illness
• How near you are to your due date.

You may get just high blood pressure or very mild preeclampsia near the end of your pregnancy. In that case, you may not need to stay in the hospital before the birth. And you may be able to go into labor naturally.

But you should have checkups more often than usual for the rest of your pregnancy. And you and your baby should be watched closely during and after the birth. That's because preeclampsia often gets worse at that time.

Some women don't get the first signs of preeclampsia until they are in labor or have just given birth. If this happens to you, your doctor will watch you until the signs go away. If your blood pressure is very high, you may need to be given drugs to bring it down.

If you have severe preeclampsia at any time during pregnancy, you will need to stay in the hospital. For more, see Hospital care for preeclampsia.

Your doctor may say you have severe preeclampsia if these things happen.¹

• You have two blood pressure measurements that show you have a top blood pressure number (systolic pressure) of 170 or higher, or a bottom blood pressure number (diastolic pressure) of 110 or higher (for more, see Blood pressure during pregnancy).
• You have 5 grams or more of protein in urine that you collected over 24 hours, or three "plusses" (+++) or more of protein on two tests called dipstick tests that were done at least four hours apart (for more, see Urine checks for protein).
• You have other signs or symptoms. These include changes in your vision, pain below your ribs, liver problems, problems with the way your blood clots or signs that your baby is not growing properly.

If you get severe preeclampsia at 34 weeks or later, your baby will probably be delivered as soon as your doctor thinks that it's safe.² But if you get severe preeclampsia earlier than this, your doctor may decide to look after you in the hospital for a while. This is to give your baby more time to grow in your womb.³

Preeclampsia is most dangerous when you get it earlier in pregnancy. You will need to have your baby well before your due date. That is done to stop either of you from getting serious problems (complications). For more, see Complications of preeclampsia.

You and your baby will be watched very closely during delivery. And you will be watched very closely for a few days afterward, too. See Delivery and after.

How well your baby does after the birth depends on two things:

• How badly your baby was affected by the preeclampsia
• How early your baby was born.

For more, see Your baby's health after delivery.

If you have had severe preeclampsia, you and your partner should talk to your obstetrician after the delivery. This is so that you can ask questions about what happened and get advice about your next pregnancy.⁴ For more, see Your next pregnancy.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.