Diagnosis

If you've already been discharged from the hospital after childbirth and your health care provider suspects that you have postpartum preeclampsia, you might need to be readmitted to the hospital.

Postpartum preeclampsia is usually diagnosed with lab tests:

• Blood tests. These tests can determine how well your liver and kidneys are functioning and whether your blood has a normal number of platelets — the cells that help blood clot.
• Urinalysis. Your health care provider might test a sample of your urine to see if it contains protein, or he or she might have you collect your urine for 24 hours so it can be tested for the total amount of protein.