Beyonce has revealed that she suffered from a potentially fatal medical condition while she was pregnant with her twins, Rumi and Sir.
In a personal essay written for Vogue’s September issue, in which she appears on the cover, the singer details the last month of her pregnancy.
‘I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month,’ she wrote. ‘My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section.’
Toxemia is an old term for pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage in other organs, often the kidneys – and within hours of the release of Beyonce’s article, Google searches for the term spiked.
Daily Mail Online spoke to Dr Michael Cackovic, OB/GYN at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, about how dangerous the condition can be if left untreated.
Beyonce has revealed that she was suffering from a potentially fatal medical condition while she was pregnant with her twins, Rumi and Sir, in Vogue’s September issue
She had what is known as pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage in other organs, often the kidneys. Pictured: Beyonce and her twins
Within hours of the release of Beyonce’s article, Google searches for the term spiked
The condition used to be called toxemia because medical professional previously believed it was caused by a toxin in the blood, which we now know is not the case.
While it still is not clear what exactly causes pre-eclampsia, we are learning more about it – including the fact that it is more commonly seen in certain races than others in America.
According to a 2017 survey run by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, black women were found to have rates of pre-eclampsia to be 60 percent higher in black women than white women.
Dr Cackovic said it can appear anywhere after the 20-week mark in pregnancy and that it’s very dangerous whether you have no symptoms or typical symptoms.
‘Women will say they’re experiencing the worst headache of their life, have changes in vision, or abdominal pain,’ he told Daily Mail Online.
‘It affects between five and seven percent of pregnant women and it’s a disease of the placenta so the more placenta you have, in Beyonce’s case twins, the more of a chance you have of getting pre-eclampsia.’
When a woman gets pregnant, new blood vessels form to send blood to the placenta, according to the Mayo Clinic.
However, many women with pre-eclampsia typically have improperly developed or poor functioning blood vessels.
This means the amount of blood that flows though the vessels is limited.
Dr Cackovic explained that the only cure is delivery, which for many women indicates inducing labor or performing C-section, as occurred in Beyonce’s case.
He said that although pre-eclampsia is not an indication of an emergency C-section being needed, it may be necessary if the symptoms are severe enough.
The singer said she was on bed rest for more than a month and was forced to undergo an emergency C-section
If the condition is left untreated, the mother can experience seizures or strokes and the baby can experience preterm birth
‘If we see they’re suffering from pre-eclampsia, we can admit them to the hospital around 34 weeks and watch them closely,’ he said.
‘If it’s a woman with severe pre-eclampsia we deliver at 34 weeks, with mild pre-eclampsia we deliver at 37 weeks.’
If the condition is left untreated, the mother can experience seizures or strokes or the baby can experience preterm birth.
Dr Cacokvic says that if pregnant women experience a multitude of signs such as swelling, pain in the abdomen, and severe headaches, they should get medical help immediately.
‘Once women have those signs, it means the pre-eclampsia is likely severe and their babies need to be delivered,’ he said.