Definition
A low blood pressure during pregnancy is said to exist when the blood pressure is below 100/60 mmHg. Blood pressure values that are lower than this are referred to in medical terminology as hypotension. As part of the natural adaptation mechanisms during pregnancy, blood pressure usually falls rather than rising. Therefore, low blood pressure during pregnancy is generally not considered to become a disease.
What are the minimum blood pressure levels during pregnancy?
Low blood pressure is also known as hypotension. The same limit values that are used outside pregnancy apply to pregnancy. A blood pressure value below 100/60 mmHg is called too low blood pressure.
However, this value does not yet mean that medical action is required. There is also no strict limit value at which a therapy should be started. Rather, the well-being of the pregnant woman and the unborn child is at stake.
As long as there are no symptoms and complaints, there is no acute need for action. In contrast to high blood pressure (hypertension) during pregnancy, too low blood pressure does not require close monitoring. It is possible that a woman with a severely lowered blood pressure value suffers from no symptoms, while a woman with only slightly lowered blood pressure values already has a reduced sense of well-being. Low blood pressure values should therefore not follow a strict categorization, but should always be considered individually in pregnant women. Which blood pressure values are normal?
Which values are dangerous for my baby?
There are no uniform limit values above which one could speak of a danger to the unborn child. Blood pressure adaptation follows a natural adaptation mechanism during pregnancy and is therefore not primarily considered pathological, unlike pregnancy hypertension. Nevertheless, the values are checked regularly as part of the preventive medical checkups.
It becomes dangerous for the child if the mother suffers from severe circulatory problems. Seizures of weakness and a circulatory collapse due to low blood pressure increase the mother’s risk of falling and thus the risk of injury to the unborn child. However, it is not possible to predict at what blood pressure level such complaints occur.
This varies from person to person. While some women with severely lowered values do not feel any discomfort, others with slightly lowered values feel even worse. Some sources also see a risk of so-called placental insufficiency if hypotension persists. However, this assumption cannot be supported by scientific facts. Rather, high blood pressure is a risk factor for insufficient blood supply to the uterus and placenta, even if this may sound contradictory.
All articles in this series:
