Beyoncé Shared Her Battle With Toxemia, Here's What You Need To Know About It

Beyoncé Talks About Her Near Fatal Experience During Pregnancy Due To Toxemia

So what exactly is Toxemia???

The September issue to fashion magazines is a big deal, with the change of seasons from Summer to Autumn, and people searching for back-to-school styles. So when news was announced of Beyoncé being on the cover of the September issue of Vogue magazine, it was a big deal. In the interview Beyoncé talks about her personal life: embracing her curves, motherhood, and her duties as a global African-American icon. With all that she speaks about, her suffering toxemia, also known as preeclampsia, was the gasping moment.

Beyoncé told Vogue, that around the time of her pregnancy, she was 218 pounds and swollen from toxemia. As such, doctors required that she be put on bed rest for over a month. She was in unstable condition, her health and the health of her twin babies diminishing, the trio on the verge of death. This uncertainty of survival called for an emergency cesarean delivery (C-section), which was the only answer to save her twins, Rumi and Sir, and the superstar too.

Beyoncé was a survivor, but she is not the only woman who suffered from this rare life threatening condition.

According to MayoClinic.org, toxemia or preeclampsia is a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure. Most cases begin after 20 weeks or so of pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had been normal. Preeclampsia can lead to eclampsia, a serious condition that can put women and their babies at risk, and in some cases leads to death.

When pregnant women get hit with preeclampsia, they experience a sharp rise in blood pressure, large amounts of protein in the urine, and swelling of the hands, feet and face. Sometimes there are no symptoms. It frequently happens to ladies who are going through their first pregnancy, women carrying multiple babies, and often is hereditary, common in daughters of women who have been affected. Still, it can happen to any woman who is pregnant.

About 200,000 cases of preeclampsia are reported a year. The problem is that it affects African-American women at a higher rate than white women.

Preeclampsia.org states that African-American women are three times more likely to die from preeclampsia. Its effects are severe to African-American women and it presents earlier than in women of other races. It still is not clear why it affects black women at a higher rate.

Taking medication prescribed by a medical expert or bed rest is treatment for this condition. If it continues to worsen, delivering the child, or in Beyoncé case, children, is the most successful way to overcome preeclampsia. Most cases, if the baby cannot be delivered through the vaginal canal, a C-section is required. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention says 30% of babies that were delivered in the US were a Cesarean delivery. C-sections are risky procedures, because organs will have to be rearranged to get to the baby.

Although it is a condition for women in labor, it indirectly affects family members. People may suffer seeing someone they care for in pain with no certainty of the future. In the end, it is best for pregnant women to frequently have check-ups to make sure they are in good health.

Luckily, Beyoncé is here with us today. This situation made her appreciate more of the things given in life. She is accepting her fuller look, the importance of self-love and self-care, and let’s not forget that she has developed a stronger love for her family, who stuck by her side in the difficult time.

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