ROANOKE, Va. – Health advocates are raising awareness about preeclampsia, a complication that happens in 1 out of 12 pregnancies.
This comes after the death of track and field olympian Tori Bowie.
Bowie’s autopsy report shows that the 32-year-old died from childbirth complications – something that disproportionately affects women of color.
“We usually see young and healthy patients – a lot of them don’t see primary care providers or family practitioners on an annual basis even though they should and so sometimes as soon as they become pregnant they discover that they have chronic blood pressure issues – which is different but does increase your risk for things like preeclampsia,” Jaclyn Nunziato James, MS, MD, at Carilion Medical Center said.
Warning signs include headaches, chest pain, or shortness of breath.
Women might also be more at risk if they’ve already had 3 or more children or other medical conditions.