Can pre-eclampsia occur without high blood pressure?

Blood pressure can vary during the day, and a single measurement is only one part of pregnancy assessment. Clinicians may also check urine for protein, blood tests for liver and kidney function, platelet levels, symptoms, and the baby's growth and wellbeing. Severe headache, visual disturbance, upper abdominal pain, sudden swelling, nausea, or feeling very unwell can be warning signs. These symptoms have other possible causes, so they do not prove pre-eclampsia, but they deserve clinical review.

Contact your maternity team promptly if you have a new severe headache, flashing lights or blurred vision, pain beneath the ribs, sudden swelling of the face or hands, vomiting, or reduced fetal movement. Record when symptoms began and any home blood-pressure readings, including the time and cuff used. Keep prescribed appointments and medicines, and do not change treatment based on one home reading without advice.

Seek emergency care for a severe or persistent headache, major vision change, difficulty breathing, seizure, collapse, intense upper-abdominal pain, or markedly reduced fetal movement. Do not wait for a later appointment if symptoms are rapidly worsening. A maternity assessment can repeat measurements and tests and decide whether monitoring or treatment is needed.

Ask which symptoms should trigger a same-day call, how to measure blood pressure correctly at home, and when urine or blood tests should be repeated. Discuss how your baby's growth will be monitored and which medicines are safe for you during pregnancy.