Diagnosis Preeclampsia: Pregnant and in Danger

When my doctor called to tell me that, at just shy of my 9 month point, I have preeclampsia and needed to come to the hospital right away, I didn't really have any questions. We'd discussed the possibility for weeks, and I had done everything I knew to prevent it - which is to say, almost nothing. But for me, a mother who'd had three natural childbirths with few complications, the diagnosis of preeclampsia was frustrating to say the least.

What Preeclampsia Is

Of all late-term pregnancy complications, preeclampsia is probably the least understood. It's a condition diagnosed in three to seven percent of pregnancies where the mother probably feels perfectly fine, but in which her body is having a severe reaction to the pregnancy that can kill her and her unborn baby in hours.

The condition seems to be related to the placenta. Something few people realize is that the placenta is an additional organ shared by the mother and the fetus. In most people, it behaves properly, filtering out dangers from the mother's blood while it ensures the baby receives adequate nutrition. It's miraculous in many ways, providing for the complex and demanding nutrition of the baby while cushioning the mother's body from the shock of this foreign body.

In a few women, though, the placenta causes serious problems. One of those problems is gestational diabetes - another issue I have. In this complication, the previously-healthy mother develops a form of diabetes because the placenta interferes with her body's proper use of insulin.