Walking for awareness: Annual event to raise money, support for preeclampsia research

Molly Herring is well aware of the dangers of preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication of pregnancy for both mother and child. At 29 weeks, Herring was diagnosed with the illness and was rushed into delivery.

I checked in with Herring to learn more about preeclampsia and the walk. Here's a Q&A:

I became involved with the foundation after giving birth as a means of support. My daughter and I are the lucky ones as my doctors recognized the symptoms. Our mission is to stop preventable death and disability of mothers and babies by eliminating delays in diagnosis, implementing the best-known practices, developing new practices, and helping women and their families through the impact of preeclampsia.

Typically, preeclampsia occurs after 20 weeks gestation in the late second or third trimesters or middle-to-late pregnancy and up to six weeks postpartum, even after the delivery. In rare cases, it also can occur earlier than 20 weeks. Proper prenatal care is essential to diagnose and manage preeclampsia.  HELLP Syndrome and eclampsia, the onset of seizures, are other variants of preeclampsia.

Treatments include medications to prevent seizures such as magnesium sulfate and to lower blood pressure. Ultimately, delivering the baby is the most effective treatment, although some mothers will get worse before they get better and an even smaller number will develop preeclampsia for the first time after delivery.

Globally, preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death. By conservative estimates, these disorders are responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year.