Monitoring of preeclempsia and cardiovascular diseases during pregnancy

Women with preexisting cardiovascular diseases and women with severe preeclampsia are severely endangered by and during pregnancy. The delivery of the baby-ending the pregnancy-is often the only way to save the mother's life. If pregnancy is continued to protect the child from very early preterm birth, the pregnant women has to be closely monitored. For women with preexisting heart disease, World Health Organization (WHO) offers distinct management recommendations depending of the kind and severity of the underlying disease. Women with a WHO risk classification IV should be advised not to become pregnant. In women with severe hypertension in pregnancy, the main threat are cerebral bleeding and eclampsia. Therefor close monitoring of blood pressure is essential in these cases.