What position should a pregnant woman be in to measure her blood pressure?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises that optimal blood pressure measurement is performed with the patient:
- comfortably seated
- legs uncrossed
- back supported
- arm supported
- middle of the cuff at the level of the heart
The patient should be relaxed and not talking. Recommendations from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) are similar.
The Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia & New Zealand (SOMANZ) and the American Heart Association consider measurement on the left arm in the left lateral recumbency position a reasonable alternative during labor.
However, ACOG cautions that measuring blood pressure in the upper arm while the patient is in the left lateral recumbent position may give a falsely low reading.
References ▼1. ACOG Task Force. Hypertension in Pregnancy. 2013. Link
2. Magee LA, et al. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2014. PMID: 24927294
3. Pickering TG, et al. AHA recommendations for blood pressure measurement. Circulation. 2005. PMID: 15699287
4. Lowe SA, et al. SOMANZ guideline for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Link
5. Hypertension in pregnancy: executive summary. Obstet Gynecol. 2013. PMID: 24150027