A randomized trial of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring versus clinical blood pressure measurement in the management of hypertension in pregnancy. A feasibility study.

To assess the feasibility of a prospective randomised trial of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) versus clinic blood pressure (CBP) readings for managing pregnancy hypertension. The primary outcome measure was admission to hospital. The secondary measures were number of antenatal attendances, use of anti-hypertensive drugs and duration of hospital stay. In general, there were no statistical differences between the two groups including the primary outcome, the rate of hospital admission p=0.76. 89% of participants would undergo ABPM in future pregnancies. A randomised trial of ABPM in pregnancy using this methodology is feasible and acceptable to pregnant women.