Preeclampsia: Signs, Risk Factors, Screening and When to Seek Emergency Care

Reviewed by the RHC Health Desk. Last verified: August 25, 2026.

Medical Disclaimer: This page is for general education only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and reading it does not create a provider-patient relationship. Talk with a licensed healthcare provider about your specific situation. If you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. See our full Medical Disclaimer.

Preeclampsia is a condition of new high blood pressure that starts after 20 weeks of pregnancy, often along with protein in the urine or signs of strain on other organs. Warning signs include a bad headache that will not go away, vision changes, pain under the ribs on the right side, and swelling in the face or hands. If you have severe symptoms, treat it as an emergency and get checked right away.

Warning Signs That Need Emergency Care Right Away

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you are pregnant or recently gave birth and have any of the following:

A severe headache that does not go away or gets worse, especially one that does not respond to your usual pain reliever
Vision changes, such as blurry vision, seeing spots, flashing lights, or brief loss of vision
Pain in the upper right part of your belly, or pain under your ribs
Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
A seizure

These signs can appear during pregnancy, during labor, or in the weeks after delivery. Preeclampsia that develops after birth is called postpartum preeclampsia, and it can show up even if your blood pressure was normal the whole pregnancy. Do not wait to see if symptoms pass on their own.

What Is Preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication involving new high blood pressure, usually starting after the 20th week of pregnancy in someone whose blood pressure was normal before. It often comes with protein in the urine, but it can also involve other signs of organ strain, such as changes in liver or kidney function, even without protein in the urine.

Preeclampsia sits on a wider spectrum of high blood pressure problems in pregnancy. At the milder end is gestational hypertension, which is new high blood pressure without the other organ effects seen in preeclampsia. When preeclampsia becomes severe enough to affect brain function and cause seizures, it is called eclampsia. A related and serious complication is HELLP syndrome, which involves red blood cell breakdown, elevated liver enzymes, and a low platelet count.

Common Symptoms to Watch For

Some people with preeclampsia feel fine and only find out through a routine blood pressure check or urine test at a prenatal visit. When symptoms do appear, they can include:

Swelling in the hands, face, or around the eyes that seems sudden or excessive
Rapid weight gain over a few days, more than expected for your stage of pregnancy
Headaches that are new, persistent, or unusually severe
Nausea or vomiting that starts suddenly after 20 weeks
Changes in vision
Pain in the upper abdomen, often on the right side

Some swelling in the feet and ankles is common and expected during pregnancy. Sudden or severe swelling, especially in the face or hands, is more of a signal to mention to your provider.

Who Is at Higher Risk?

Preeclampsia can happen in any pregnancy, but certain factors raise the chances, including:

A first pregnancy
A history of preeclampsia in an earlier pregnancy
Chronic high blood pressure or kidney disease before pregnancy
Being pregnant with more than one baby (twins or more)
Obesity
Being older than 40
A family history of preeclampsia
Certain health conditions, including diabetes, lupus, and other autoimmune or chronic conditions
Pregnancies from egg donation, donor insemination, or in vitro fertilization

Having one or more of these factors does not mean you will develop preeclampsia, and having none of them does not rule it out. This is general population-level information, not a personal risk assessment. Your provider is the right person to talk with about your own risk and whether preventive steps, such as low-dose aspirin starting after 12 weeks, might make sense for you.

How Screening Works

Screening for preeclampsia happens at routine prenatal visits and does not require you to have symptoms first. It generally includes:

Blood pressure checks at every prenatal visit
Urine tests to check for protein
Blood tests to check liver and kidney function and platelet levels, if there is a concern

Because preeclampsia can develop with no symptoms at all, keeping up with scheduled prenatal visits is one of the main ways it gets caught early. If you miss a visit or move your due date closer, ask your provider how to get back on schedule.

Practical next steps for Preeclampsia

Severe headache, vision changes, upper right belly pain, trouble breathing, or a seizure? This is an emergency. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room now.
New but milder symptoms, like unusual swelling or a headache that concerns you? Call your prenatal provider the same day to describe what you’re feeling.
No symptoms, but it’s time for a scheduled prenatal visit? Keep the appointment. Blood pressure and urine checks are how many cases are caught before symptoms start.
Already diagnosed with preeclampsia and told to monitor at home? Follow your provider’s specific instructions on when to call and what to watch for, since their guidance is based on your individual case.

Questions studies have not settled about Preeclampsia

Certain groups face a higher documented burden from preeclampsia, including people with existing chronic hypertension, kidney disease, or autoimmune conditions, and people carrying more than one baby. Being Black is also documented as a risk factor for preeclampsia, and among women who have had preeclampsia before, research shows non-white women are more likely than white women to have it again in a later pregnancy. This page does not have room to cover the full body of research on this disparity; it’s a reasonable topic to raise directly with your provider.

This page is a general educational overview. It does not cover every risk factor, treatment option, or possible complication, and it is not a substitute for individualized prenatal care. Diagnosis and treatment decisions depend on your specific blood pressure readings, lab results, gestational age, and overall health, which only a qualified clinician can evaluate.

Common questions about Preeclampsia

How early in pregnancy can preeclampsia start?

Preeclampsia is generally defined as starting after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It can also develop during labor or after delivery, which is called postpartum preeclampsia and can occur even without a history of high blood pressure during the pregnancy itself.

Can preeclampsia go away on its own?

Preeclampsia does not resolve until after delivery, since the placenta plays a role in the condition. Some milder forms of pregnancy-related high blood pressure can improve after birth, but any diagnosis and its management should be guided by your provider, not decided at home.

Is swelling during pregnancy always a sign of preeclampsia?

No. Mild swelling in the feet and ankles is common and expected in pregnancy, especially later on. Sudden, severe, or unusual swelling, particularly in the face or hands, along with other symptoms like headache or vision changes, is what’s worth reporting to your provider promptly.

Does having preeclampsia in one pregnancy mean I’ll have it again?

A history of preeclampsia does raise the chance of it happening in a later pregnancy, but it does not mean it will happen again. Talk with your provider before or early in a future pregnancy about your history so they can plan appropriate monitoring.

Educational Disclaimer

This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It does not describe every symptom, risk factor, or complication of preeclampsia, and it should not be used to rule a diagnosis in or out. If you are pregnant or recently gave birth and have any warning signs described above, seek emergency care right away. For all other questions about your pregnancy or blood pressure, talk with a qualified healthcare provider who knows your medical history.