Transitional (gestational) hypertension typically resolves by how many weeks postpartum?

• A. It is always acute
• B. It persists beyond 6 months
• C. It resolves by 12 weeks postpartum
• D. It requires steroids

Answer: (C)

Transitional (gestational) hypertension is new-onset high blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of gestation and resolves after delivery as the placental factors driving the state disappear. The postpartum period is defined as up to about 12 weeks after birth, and by that time most women’s blood pressure returns to normal. So the typical course is resolution by around 12 weeks postpartum. If blood pressure remains elevated beyond that window, it prompts evaluation for chronic hypertension or other causes. Steroids are not part of treating gestational hypertension, and the condition is not expected to persist beyond the postpartum period in most cases.