Pre-Eclampsia
Archived Q&A and Reviews
HELLP syndrome / preeclampsia and future pregnancies
Nov 2005
I was wondering if anyone out there was diagnosed with HELLP in one pregnancy, then went on to get pregnant again. My 2nd pregnancy this summer, my son was delivered at 38 weeks because I was diagnosed with HELLP. Everything went fine, but I wasn't sure if I was done having kids. My ob however, makes it sound as though I really shouldn't take the risk of recurrence by getting pregnant again. One website quoted a rate as high as 27% for getting HELLP again. I'm just curious what others have actually experienced. Thank you
I was seriously ill with HELLP syndrome in my first pregnanacy; my oldest was also delivered at 38 weeks. I was 41; three years later at age 44 I had another child with absolutely no complications and normal blood pressure throughout the pregnancy. My OB said there was a possibility of recurrence but he didn't seem overly anxious about it and certainly didn't discourage me from becoming pregnant again. liz
Hi. I didn't see your original post, but just had preeclampsia (diagnosed at 37 weeks) for my first pregnancy, and thought I'd pass along info my doctor gave me. She said that there is only a 3% chance of preeclampsia in future pregnancies with a prior preeclampsia (though I don't know if this is increased if diagnosed earlier in the pregnancy or with additional risk factors). From my research done during my half day of bedrest, I also learned that the condition seems to be more common with boys than girls, may be tied to testosterone production, and is most often seen in first pregnancies. Hope this helps. LJ
Hi - My sister had HELLP with her first pregnancy but not during her second. Her OB was not worried about her 2nd pregnancy, I think they just monitored her more closely. katherine