Gestational hypertension is defined as new-onset hypertension after 20 weeks gestation without proteinuria.

Gestational hypertension is defined as new-onset hypertension after 20 weeks gestation without proteinuria.

• A. Hypertension before 20 weeks
• B. Hypertension after 20 weeks with proteinuria
• C. Hypertension after 20 weeks without proteinuria
• D. Hypertension with edema in the third trimester

Answer: (C)

Gestational hypertension is defined by new-onset high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy in a woman who was normotensive before, and crucially, without proteinuria. The presence of protein in the urine with new hypertension after 20 weeks reclassifies the condition as preeclampsia, not gestational hypertension. Hypertension that occurs before 20 weeks points to chronic hypertension rather than a pregnancy-induced condition, and edema alone is not a reliable diagnostic criterion. So, hypertension after 20 weeks without proteinuria best matches gestational hypertension.

Gestational hypertension is defined by new-onset high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy in a woman who was normotensive before, and crucially, without proteinuria. The presence of protein in the urine with new hypertension after 20 weeks reclassifies the condition as preeclampsia, not gestational hypertension. Hypertension that occurs before 20 weeks points to chronic hypertension rather than a pregnancy-induced condition, and edema alone is not a reliable diagnostic criterion. So, hypertension after 20 weeks without proteinuria best matches gestational hypertension.