A mum who suffered from pre-eclampsia during pregnancy said she felt her symptoms were “overlooked” due to her underlying sickle cell disease.
Grace, 28, from Manchester, was in her second trimester when she started noticing how “physically taxing” her pregnancy had become including “extreme pain”.
It was only when she was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester with a sickle cell disease (SCD) unit that she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy-related condition that can cause high blood pressure, and went on to have an emergency Caesarean.
She has called for urgent research and more awareness of SCD so people do not suffer the same trauma ordeal she did.
She said: “It’s not often you get pre-eclampsia present itself and not be flagged up.
“It was just something that was so overlooked that any symptom that was raised or any issue that was raised, they just put it down to sickle cell.”
A spokesperson from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are proud to see Grace share her story to help raise awareness of sickle cell disease.
“Grace has been working closely with us in collaborative efforts to improve awareness of the condition within the wider health system.”
During Grace’s pregnancy she was under the care of various services, including midwifery teams in Accrington, Burnley and Blackburn.
She was treated by Blackburn Hospital for SCD and was later transferred to a specialist sickle cell unit at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, where she remained as an inpatient until giving birth.
Due to having the condition, Grace believes a lot of her symptoms were overlooked until she was transferred to St Mary’s Hospital, where doctors discovered that she was suffering from the SCD-related condition known as pre-eclampsia.
Pregnancy with SCD is high-risk and carries an increased risk of serious conditions. It is the fastest-growing inherited blood and genetic condition in the UK and can cause severe pain and other complications including shortness of breath, strokes and vision problems.
By the time that Grace’s symptoms were eventually diagnosed her condition was so bad that she needed to have an emergency Caesarean section.
Her daughter Lana is now two, and while she does not have sickle cell disease herself she has inherited the trait for it.
Grace has urged women to speak to their doctors if they have any concerns.
“I cannot emphasise strongly enough how much we need more research into sickle cell disease, funding into sickle cell disease, and understanding of the disease itself,” she said.
“It’s so much more important now that we raise as much awareness as possible to help people understand what this condition is and how it presents itself.”
She continued: “I just want women who are sickle-celled to know really, that if you are pregnant or planning to have a baby, be very, very prepared that you may experience a higher rate of crises than is normally expected, and if you feel like anything isn’t right, vocalise it.
“You are your own advocate, no one can advocate for you like yourself,” she said.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are glad Grace is using her experience to raise awareness of sickle cell disease.
“We continue to be one of the region’s only trusts providing this specialist care, with our teams at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital also delivering specialist services for sickle cell patients.”
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