Jessica Simpson, 38, should be in close contact with her doctor after the troubling picture she posted on Jan. 10. Asking for “remedies,” the pregnant actress shared a close-up pic of her left foot, which was VERY swollen. And while her followers had all kinds of tips and tricks for Jessica, Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway, board-certified OB-GYN and author, spoke to Hollywoodlife.com EXCLUSIVELY about why Jessica should seek immediate help. Along with weight gain, high blood pressure, headaches and blurry vision, swollen feet are a symptom of preeclampsia, which is one of the top two reasons pregnant women die, along with postpartum hemorrhaging.
“Preeclampsia is a disease of the placenta, so the strict cure is to deliver the baby and get rid of the placenta,” she explained. “Something in the placenta causes constriction of blood vessels and makes blood pressure go up. If left untreated, preeclampsia and progress and women can have a stroke, a seizure, or a pulmonary edema, which is too much fluid in the lungs.” So scary! And since she’s over 35, Jessica is actually more at risk of suffering from preeclampsia than younger pregnant women.
Recall Kenya Moore, 47, had to go into an emergency C-section in November when she was suffering from this same pregnancy complication. While her preemie Brooklyn arrived happy and healthy, it was very scary for the former reality star and her husband Marc Daly — and it all started with swollen feet, though there are other symptoms. “Swelling of the feet alone does not make a diagnosis of preeclampsia,” Dr. Peter Weiss an OB/GYN at Rodeo Drive Women’s Health Center in Beverly Hills EXCLUSIVELY shares. “Her feet are very swollen, but this is just one sign of many.”
Jessica has been pregnant before with her kids Ace, 5, and Maxwell, 6, so hopefully she’s experienced enough to ask her doctor or midwife for help instead of her Instagram followers.
Also, Dr. Daniel Roshan, OB/GYN, EXCLUSIVELY tells us, “Preeclampsia is when after 20 weeks of pregnancy blood pressure goes up above 140/90, protein appears in the urine and body gets swollen. It occurs in about 7% of pregnancies, mostly in first time mothers, risk factors are family history, obesity, diabetes, excessive weight gain, chronic hypertension, etc.” The NYU School of Medicine Asst. Professor adds, “Lower extremity often gets swollen toward the end of the pregnancy, in the absence of hypertension its not preeclampsia, Elevating the feet, wearing stocking and making sure there is no blood clotting in the legs are important. Preeclampsia if its severe often requires premature delivery, as the only treatment for it is delivery. Preeclampsia is a very serious, patients should be seen often and very carefully to avoid complications of it.”
