🩺 Preeclampsia: How We Try to Protect 

 Even When Risk Is High

When a woman is at high risk of preeclampsia,

the goal of care is not to promise prevention 

but to reduce risk, delay progression, and protect both mother and baby as much as possible.

💥Protection starts before symptoms appear.

What protective care really means:

🔹 Pre-pregnancy assessment whenever possible.

Understanding baseline blood pressure, medical conditions, and previous pregnancy history matters.

🔹 Early antenatal booking

Care that starts late cannot undo processes that begin early in pregnancy.

🔹 Low-dose aspirin when indicated

Started early, at the right dose, for the right patient  not as a guarantee, but as risk reduction.

🔹 Calcium supplementation when appropriate.

Especially in populations with low dietary intake.

🔹 Tight blood pressure surveillance

Not just treatment  but trend monitoring and timely adjustment.

🔹 Focused placental and fetal surveillance

Growth scans, Dopplers, and clinical judgment  not assumptions.

🔹 Care in a high-risk setting

Where escalation decisions are made early, not after deterioration.

✌These measures do not eliminate risk 

but they change outcomes.

Protection in preeclampsia is about preparation, vigilance, and timing 

not reassurance.

Dr Rabab Cares

#DrRababCares 

#Preeclampsia

#HighRiskPregnancy

#MaternalHealth

#AntenatalCare

 🩺 Gestational Hypertension: What Should Never Be Ignored

Having gestational hypertension does not mean something will go wrong.

But ignoring warning signs is what allows complications to develop.

Not all danger signs are dramatic.

Many start quietly  and are easy to dismiss.

👁Symptoms that should never be ignored:

🔴 Persistent headache not relieved by rest or simple analgesics.

🔴 Visual disturbances (blurred vision, flashing lights, spots).

🔴 Upper abdominal or epigastric pain

🔴 Sudden swelling of face or hands

🔴 Reduced fetal movements

🔴 A feeling that “something is not right”.

💥Behaviors that increase risk:

⚠️ Skipping follow-up appointments

⚠️ Stopping BP checks because readings were once normal

⚠️ Dismissing symptoms because “labs were fine”

⚠️ Waiting for symptoms to become severe before seeking help.

Gestational hypertension does not usually worsen overnight 

but warning signs are often present before serious complications occur.

Early reporting changes outcomes.

If something feels wrong, it deserves assessment  not reassurance.

Dr Rabab Cares

#DrRababCares 

#GestationalHypertension

#PregnancyWarningSigns

#AntenatalCare

#HighRiskPregnancy

 World Cancer Day  4th February 2026

Early detection saves lives.  

Awareness drives prevention and timely

Access to care makes the difference.

#DrRababCares

#WorldCancerDay

 🩺 Gestational Hypertension: High-Risk — and Why “No Risk” Does Not Mean Safe

When we talk about gestational hypertension, we often focus on identifying high-risk women.

This is important but it is only part of the picture.

Yes, some women carry a higher baseline risk.

Women considered at higher risk include:

• First pregnancy

• Age over 35

• Obesity

• Family history of hypertension or preeclampsia

• Multiple pregnancy

• Pre-existing metabolic or vascular conditions.

These factors help us anticipate risk.

But they do not define the whole story.

🎯The critical point:

The absence of risk factors does not exclude gestational hypertension.

Many women who develop gestational hypertension:

 • Have no medical history

• Are young and healthy

• Have normal early-pregnancy blood pressure

• Do not fit the “high-risk” profile

Pregnancy itself is a physiological stress test.

It can unmask vascular vulnerability even in women who appear low-risk.

✌This is why: 

✔️ Blood pressure must be monitored in every pregnancy

✔️ Normal early readings do not guarantee ongoing safety

✔️ Follow-up protocols should not depend on risk labels alone.

👍Risk assessment guides care 

but surveillance protects outcomes.

Gestational hypertension is not a condition limited to “high-risk” women.

It is a possibility in any pregnancy.

Dr Rabab Cares

#DrRababCares 

#GestationalHypertension

#HighRiskPregnancy

#MaternalHealth

#AntenatalCare

 🩺 Gestational Hypertension: More Than “Just High Blood Pressure”

High blood pressure during pregnancy is often minimized  especially when it does not meet the criteria for preeclampsia.

However, gestational hypertension is a distinct clinical entity that deserves careful attention, structured follow-up, and informed decision-making.

👏Gestational hypertension is diagnosed when: 

• Blood pressure is ≥ 140/90 mmHg

• Develops after 20 weeks of gestation

• Occurs without proteinuria

• And without signs or symptoms of preeclampsia.

Because it lacks dramatic features, it is often labeled as “mild” or “not concerning.”

This assumption can be misleading.

🎯Gestational hypertension is not a benign diagnosis.

🔹 It may progress to preeclampsia at any point

🔹 It can impair placental function and uteroplacental perfusion

🔹 It is associated with fetal growth restriction and preterm birth

🔹 It requires active surveillance, not passive reassurance

Blood pressure in pregnancy is not just a number.

It reflects the dynamic interaction between maternal vascular health and placental adaptation.

✌A diagnosis of gestational hypertension should trigger: 

✔️ Accurate and repeated BP measurements

✔️ Regular urine screening

✔️ Maternal symptom assessment

✔️ Fetal growth and wellbeing surveillance

✔️ Individualized clinical decisions  not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Pregnancy does not tolerate “wait and see” medicine.

👁In this series, we will explore gestational hypertension in depth: 

• How it differs from preeclampsia

• Why “mild” does not mean “safe”

• How to monitor it properly

• When and how to intervene

• And what it means for long-term maternal health.

Because awareness, timing, and follow-up are what truly protect both mother and baby.

#DrRababCares 

#GestationalHypertension

#HypertensionInPregnancy

#MaternalHealth

#AntenatalCare

#HighRiskPregnancy

#BeyondPreeclampsia

 🧨🧨🧨Emergency Ovarian Cyst: When Sudden Lower Abdominal Pain Should Not Be Ignored

Many women are living their normal lives with a known ovarian cyst, often told it is “benign” or under observation.

🤔But sometimes, things change suddenly.

If a woman with a known ovarian cyst develops acute lower abdominal pain, this should always raise concern for a possible ovarian emergency.

⚠️ What could be happening?

Sudden pain may indicate:

-Ovarian torsion (twisting of the ovary)

-Cyst rupture

-Bleeding into the cyst

-Rapid cyst expansion

These conditions can occur even in cysts previously considered benign.

🚨 Red flags that need urgent attention:

• Sudden, severe lower abdominal or pelvic pain
• Pain associated with nausea or vomiting
• Pain not relieved by rest or simple analgesics
• Abdominal tenderness or guarding
• Dizziness, fainting, or signs of internal bleeding.
• Pain occurring during activity, exercise, or intercourse

🏥 What should be done?

• Do not ignore the pain or wait it out at home
• Seek urgent medical assessment
• Clinical examination + urgent pelvic ultrasound
• Blood tests if bleeding or infection is suspected

⏱ Why timing matters

In conditions like ovarian torsion, delayed diagnosis can lead to:

Loss of ovarian function

Ovarian necrosis

Avoidable surgery

Early intervention may allow ovarian preservation, especially in young women.

💡 What women should remember

A “known cyst” does not mean a harmless situation forever

Sudden pain is not normal, even with a benign diagnosis

Emergency symptoms deserve emergency evaluation

⛈Key Message

Most ovarian cysts are not dangerous 

but acute pain is never something to ignore.

Listening to your body and acting early can make a critical difference.

#DrRababCares

#OvarianCysts

#EmergencyGynecology

#AcutePelvicPain

#OvarianTorsion

#RupturedOvarianCyst

 🧨Functional vs Pathological Ovarian Cysts:

• Functional vs Pathological Ovarian Cysts
• Not all ovarian cysts are the same.
• Ovarian cysts are often grouped under one label, but clinically they behave very differently.

🎯Understanding the difference betwee

 functional and pathological cysts is essential for safe decision-making.

🤔Functional ovarian cysts

These are related to the normal ovarian cycle and are usually physiological:

-Follicular cysts

-Corpus luteum cysts

They often resolve spontaneously over time and may only require observation and follow-up imaging, especially in asymptomatic women.

🤔Pathological ovarian cysts

These arise from abnormal tissue and are not part of the normal cycle:

-Endometriomas

-Dermoid cysts

-Benign or malignant ovarian tumors

They are more likely to persist, cause symptoms, or grow, and often require closer monitoring or surgical evaluation.

Why the distinction matters

Management is not based on the word “cyst” alone.

Age, symptoms, persistence, growth pattern, and imaging features all matter.

Treating all cysts the same can lead to over-treatment in some cases — and delayed diagnosis in others.

⛈Key messag

Not every ovarian cyst needs surgery.

Not every cyst can be ignored.

Good care starts with correct classification, followed by individualized management and appropriate follow-up.

#DrRababCares

#OvarianCysts

#FunctionalCysts

#PathologicalCysts