Follow-up
Many women are not followed regularly by their doctor in the months and years after pregnancy.
We want to educate you on the power of prevention.
While the medical community is still learning how to best take care of women after HDP (hypertensive disorder of pregnancy: high blood pressure or preeclampsia), it is now well understood that you should be followed-up after the pregnancy to improve your long-term health risks. Unfortunately, some doctors do not know about the increased heart risks associated with HDP, which is why part of the Her-HEART project is focused on educating your doctor on how to best follow you in the future.
Follow-up is important in the first weeks and months after the pregnancy, to figure-out whether you require blood pressure medicine after the pregnancy or not, and to ensure any laboratory test abnormalities become normal.
Long-term follow-up remains important for many reasons:
Your doctor, nurse, or a dietician can help you make healthy lifestyle changes such as healthy eating, smoking cessation, and increasing your activity level.
Your healthcare provider should monitor your blood pressure at least once a year, or more often if your numbers are high. Early treatment is suggested, rather than waiting for your blood pressure to become very elevated.
Your healthcare provider may check your blood and urine tests to watch for high cholesterol, kidney disease, and diabetes. Early diagnosis and management can sometimes reverse these conditions, or prevent you from developing more serious complications. These conditions can develop in the first 1 to 9 years after the pregnancy, making early and consistent follow-up important.
“Referral postpartum [after HDP] to a primary care physician or cardiologist should occur so that in the years after pregnancy, risk factors can be carefully monitored and controlled.”