Last updated on August 4, 2020
Question:
I am 15 years old and my doctor has said that I have hypertension so he sent me to a specialist and I did all the possible tests there are. I took a CT-Scan on my kidneys, I took a sonogram, a lot of urine tests, blood tests, and an ECG on my heart to see if the high blood pressure has had an impact on my heart muscle. In the end there were no clogged arteries and no problem with the urine tests and blood tests and my heart was completely normal and also my bladder. But my blood pressure was still quite high around 145/95, but it keeps jumping up and down (so the doctors said it might be white coat hypertension or stress). Thankfully most of the time my blood pressure is normal 120/80. Can this affect me in the future if I’m trying to conceive a child?
Answer:
Since your blood pressure isn’t remaining high and the tests indicate that it isn’t staying high (if it was there would have been damage detected by the tests), your doctor decided that your blood pressure goes up whenever you are under stress or you are nervous, such as when you see a doctor.
Temporary spikes in blood pressure won’t affect your fertility. High blood pressure is a concern when it remains high because it doesn’t give the body a chance to recover. Everyone’s blood pressure goes up when they are working hard. It is the body’s way of making sure the blood gets to the muscles and organs necessary for a hard workout. Muscles that are squeezed make the blood vessels smaller. Therefore your blood pressure needs to rise to get the same amount of blood through the muscles.
The problem is that when you are nervous or stressed, you also tense your muscles and so your blood pressure rises. The unfortunate thing is that this wears you out faster because your body has to work harder. One thing an athlete has to learn is how to keep his muscles semi-relaxed until they are actually needed. This lets more blood through and saves energy.
So when you feel yourself tensing up, concentrate on taking slow, deep breathes and relaxing any muscles you don’t need at the moment. It will take some effort at first, but eventually, it will become a habit.