Can pre-eclampsia be cured?

Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy complication involving raised blood pressure and signs that organs may be affected. It can develop without a person feeling unwell, so blood-pressure checks, urine testing, blood tests, and assessment of the baby are central to care. Depending on severity and gestation, a maternity team may recommend close outpatient review or hospital care. Medicines can lower blood pressure, and magnesium sulfate may be used in selected situations to reduce seizure risk.

Keep every antenatal appointment and take prescribed medicines exactly as directed. Ask how to monitor symptoms and blood pressure at home if advised. The team weighs your results, symptoms, and the baby’s wellbeing when planning timing and method of birth. Labour may be started with Induction of Labour, or a Caesarean Section may be recommended when it is safer than waiting. Antenatal Care Package visits support ongoing checks but do not replace urgent assessment when warning symptoms appear.

Contact your maternity unit urgently for a severe or persistent headache, visual disturbance, pain under the ribs, sudden swelling of the face or hands, breathlessness, vomiting, feeling very unwell, reduced baby movements, or a seizure. These symptoms need prompt assessment during pregnancy and after birth.

Ask how severe the condition appears, which tests are needed, what symptoms require immediate contact, how medicines affect you and the baby, and why a particular birth plan is recommended.