Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice his Department provides to pregnant women with high blood pressure to reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

NHS England and NHS Improvement recommend that women attend all antenatal appointments, which will involve regularly monitoring blood pressure. Cases of high blood pressure should be referred to their obstetrician for ongoing management.

The management of high blood pressure in pregnancy can reduce the risk of a stroke, and further information on the management of high blood pressure in pregnancy is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/hypertension-blood-pressure-pregnant/

Public Health England’s Start4Life programme also provides information for pregnant women about the risks of high blood pressure and key related behaviours, such as healthy eating and exercise during pregnancy, on its website and through the Information Service for Parents email programme. Relevant details on the Start4Life website are available at the following link:

www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/

Start4Life is Public Health England’s national programme that delivers trusted advice and practical guidance to parents-to-be and families with babies and under-fives, to help them adopt healthy behaviours and build parenting skills.