How does the doctor diagnose my condition of preeclampsia?

Answer 1

A doctor usually suggests the following tests to diagnose the onset of preeclampsia:

BP check - It varies from mild to moderate and severe depending on the various readings of systolic and diastolic blood pressure measured with a gap of 6 hours. Mild - moderate -- Systolic BP >= 140 mmHg ; Diastolic BP >= 90 mmHg. Severe -- Systolic BP >= 160 mmHg ; Diastolic BP > = 110 mmHg.

Blood test – To determine the platelet count in the blood, as preeclampsia is characterized by low counts of platelets, <= 1,00,000. The test is also used to gauge normal functioning of liver and kidney, by checking the levels of creatinine.

Urine test – To determine the level of proteins (condition called proteinuria) in the sample using a dipstick. Samples at different intervals are tested for a period of 24 hours to determine the loss of proteins, which is directly proportional to the severity. In mild to moderate condition, the level of proteinuria will be > 300 mg/24 hours.

Pulmonary edema detection– A test to determine the presence of fluid which gets collected within the lungs leading to shortness of breath.

HELLP Syndrome – It stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme and Low Platelet Count, a collective detection of this can help determine the severity

Fetal ultrasound – To closely monitor the growth of baby and the health of amniotic fluid.

Answer 2

Preeclampsia is known as one of the potentially life-threatening conditions, which can affect at least 5% of pregnant women. However, one of the problems is that there are not really many symptoms that can be identified or observed in this condition. Hence, doctors may have to conduct certain examinations and test to ensure safety of the mother and child..

Noting changes in your chart

During pregnancies, doctors maintain a chart of your symptoms and signs. So if you are suffering from any kind of abdominal pain, excess dizziness, changes in vision, sudden loss of fluid, headaches, etc. the doctor would be able to diagnose via these signs. He/ she would also be making suggestions on other bodily changes and signs of urine, etc.

Checking for swelling

The doctor would also examine and check your hands, ankles, legs, etc. for signs of swelling. Though some amount of swelling is normal, the doctor would be looking for unusual signs of swelling in the mother.

Urine test

This would be suggested usually when the doctor notices that the mother is not urinating as frequent. Generally the milder cases would reveal proteinuria to be less than 300 mg in a duration of 24 hours.

Rise in blood pressure

Blood pressure that stays more than 140/90 is known as one of the potential threats of this illness. The doctor will ask you to maintain a chart of your BP at home and keep them posted. Depending on your readings over a period of 2 days, further steps would be taken.

Self test doesn’t really work here because the doctor would be able to analyse preeclampsia on the basis of these factors put together and just not a single aspect. So don’t panic and worry about 1-2 symptoms going wrong, because they could well be a other pregnancy related temporary issues.