Also known as toxemia, preeclampsia is a condition that affects some women in the second half of pregnancy. The symptoms are: high blood pressure, a swelling that won't go away (no, not your bump! Swelling to the hands, feet, or face), and large amounts of protein in the urine.

Is It Dangerous? It can be. High blood pressure can kill, and preeclampsia can reduce the amount of blood passing through the placenta thus reducing the air and food that reaches your baby, resulting in low birth weight and other problems.

Who Is Likely To Be At Risk? Preeclampsia often runs in families, so if your mother or sister had the condition, you will be at risk. As will women who are overweight (a BMI of over 30), or are at either age extreme - teenagers and women over 40. Most at risk are those women who had preeclampsia during a previous pregnancy.

The Symptoms High Blood Pressure: Usually defined as a reading higher than 140/90. However, if you normally have low blood pressure, a rise to less than 140/90 could indicate you are at risk. You can buy blood pressure gauges from your pharmacist if you want to establish your baseline as soon as you know you are pregnant.

Swelling: A certain amount of swelling is normal during pregnancy and you may find it difficult to wear a ring for the full term. Swelling, or edema, that could provoke concern is caused by excess fluid and usually appears in the face, legs and hands. Try pressing your thumb into the swelling, if the indentation remains for a few seconds after you remove your thumb, tell the nurse at your next prenatal visit.

Protein In Your Urine: This is not a symptom you will be able to spot or monitor. You will be tested at each prenatal check-up.

Sudden Weight Gain: An increase in your weight of more than 2 pounds in a week or 6 pounds in a month will ring alarm bells. If your weight is increasing at that sort of rate, don't diet or try to lose the weight. Tell the experts at your prenatal, it is important that they know and let the nurse or doctor judge whether you are likely to have preeclampsia.

Headaches: If you suffer from migraine-like headaches which are not relieved by over-the-counter pain killers (do not take aspirin), contact your doctor immediately.

Vomiting: The nausea that all mothers experience occurs early in pregnancy and goes away. If you experience sudden vomiting in the second half of your pregnancy, contact your doctor. Of course this could just be a bug, but your doctor will check your blood pressure and urine to see if you have other symptoms of preeclampsia.

Treatment The best way to protect you and the baby is delivery, but that will not be considered if it is too early. Until then you will be prescribed bed rest and medicine to lower your blood pressure, and frequent monitoring of the baby which may involve hospitalisation.

This can be frustrating as most women with preeclampsia will not feel ill.

It is likely your baby will be delivered early, either through induced labor, or a cesarean section.