preeclampsia...talk to me

[bellymama]

what are your thoughts about it? do you think it is preventable? if so, how would you recommend preventing it? diet? excersice? or do you think it is just one of those weird things that happens?
i got it with my ds...led to my homebirth becoming a hospital birth/c-section...would like to avoid it next time and curious if there is a way to do so.
any info would be so appreciated!thanks!

[ksera05]

I had pre-e at 24w5d with my first.

Here's a really good thread on pre-e:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=221654

It's long but well worth the read!!

[NaomiMcC]

In a book I recently read they connected preeclampsia to lack of protein. The more protein : milk, eggs, mean etc - you eat, the less the chances. Protein helps your placenta.

[happyartmama]

Like previous poster, I have read that one possible cause is a lack of adequate protein in the diet. You may want to Google search Tom Brewer's work on MTLP (Metabolic Toxemia of Late Pregnancy). I am very UN-techy or I would try to figure out how to connect a link for you. In a study conducted with moms in an area of Califormia that had a higher than-usual rate, he modified their diets to include more protein and lowered the rate in the study group from 17% to .5%. Pretty incredible. In general, the gist of his diet consists of at least 100 grams of protein/day, going up to 120/day if Pre-eclamsia develops as well as other specific food needs. Hope that helps!

[courtenay_e]

I also read somewhere (sorry I can't remember where) that mamas who exercise especially early in pregnancy also have a significantly lower chance of getting pre-e. Anne Fry has some good info in "Understanding Diagnostic Tests in the Childbearing Year," but apparently that's almost impossible to findk and then you pay a premium if you DO find it right now...basically, though, she quotes a lot of Brewer's work, so going to the source would be a great idea!

[ksera05]

Originally Posted by happyartmama

Like previous poster, I have read that one possible cause is a lack of adequate protein in the diet. You may want to Google search Tom Brewer's work on MTLP (Metabolic Toxemia of Late Pregnancy). I am very UN-techy or I would try to figure out how to connect a link for you. In a study conducted with moms in an area of Califormia that had a higher than-usual rate, he modified their diets to include more protein and lowered the rate in the study group from 17% to .5%. Pretty incredible. In general, the gist of his diet consists of at least 100 grams of protein/day, going up to 120/day if Pre-eclamsia develops as well as other specific food needs. Hope that helps!

The problem with the Brewer diet is that his studies have never been able to be replicated, and in some women, eating that much protein can actually cause more problems - like, some women with vascular renal problems.

Also, for some women their pre-e is caused by clotting disorders. So even if they were to follow the Brewer diet *exactly* right, the clotting disorder would still be in place and therefore they would still have a very high chance of developing pre-e.

I don't think the Brewer diet is bad in and of itself, and for some women, it might really help them. But I think it's a really bad idea to rely on it as your sole form of prevention. If the diet truly worked for everyone, his results would have been replicated at least once in the past 30 years.

[bellymama]

thanks everyone!

[Jane]

There was a recent study that showed that vitamin use before conception had some preventative effect. Vitamin use starting in the 1st trimester didn't have any effect. I think that optimum nutrition and health (on a very personal, individual level) is important. For some women that's all about calories, or protein, or veggie, or meat, or lots of fruit or no fruit. Some women need more exercise than others.

I've known women on a brewer/bradley +++ protein diet to get pre-e. It's not a total preventative. Related to above, I think some women need protein, and some do not. Personally, I'd choke on that much MILK. Yuck. Not what I need.

[Synchro246]

This preventative measure requires pre-conception planning.

Maternal exposure to paternal antigens prior to pregnancy. Have sex without barrier methods of birth control for at least a few months before planning conception. Oral sex also will help.

It all sounds so sordid, huh?
It's not though.
Lots of research supports the idea that adequate maternal immune response is required to help implantation be adequate. The more the mother is exposed to the father the more her body can recognize the pregnancy.

Research shows:
Pre-e is less comon (and less severe) in subsequent pregnancies.
A woman's risk for the disase increases for subsequent pregnancies if the father is different.
Pregnancies from donor sperm are associated with higher rates of pre-e.
The longer a man and a woman co-habitate the lower her risk for pre-e.
Couples who use barrier methods of birth control are at higher risk for pre-e pregnancies.
History of oral sex is associated with lower rates of pre-e.



This sort of thing doesn't really help the midwife much though.
Bet your patoot I'll be telling any daughter of mine about paternal antigen exposure