Edema or dropsy is quite common in pregnant women. Is this a normal manifestation of pregnancy or a pathological condition requiring treatment? You can answer this worrying question by understanding the types of edema during pregnancy and their causes.
Types of edema during pregnancy:
They arise as a result of the action of pregnancy hormones on the wall of blood vessels. Accompanied by heaviness, pain in the limbs, increased venous pattern, and the appearance of venous nodes. The swelling may be asymmetrical - present on one limb.
Unlike dropsy of pregnancy, it can appear in the early stages. They are explained by decompensation of the work of pathologically altered organs (heart, kidneys) during pregnancy and require immediate hospitalization.
They occur after the 20th week of pregnancy due to overuse of salty foods and physical overload. Associated with the retention of water molecules and sodium cations in tissues. They manifest themselves as pasty feet and legs in the lower third. They usually appear in the evening and disappear on their own in the morning after a good rest.
Dropsy in pregnant women is caused by a complex of various reasons, such as changes in neuro-endocrine regulation, stress, genetic predisposition, which results in a violation of the pregnant woman’s body’s adaptation to its condition. The causes of edema have not yet been fully studied. Disadaptation is manifested by persistent vasospasm, disruption of microcirculation in the body, including the placenta, the pregnant woman’s brain, as well as retention of sodium cations and water molecules in the tissues. Such swelling is detected after the 20th week of gestation, does not go away on its own, and requires medical intervention. Untreated edema leads to more severe pregnancy complications, accompanied by hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the fetus.
When the skin is pressed, a dimple appears on the front surface of the leg, which does not disappear immediately, as is normal, but after seconds. Once upon a time comfortable shoes become tight. Rings on the fingers leave indentations and are difficult to remove.
The weight gain per week with edema is more than 300 grams, and uneven weight gain occurs. This may indicate hidden swelling.
The volume of fluid excreted during dropsy is less than 75% of what was drunk. You can use measuring cups to measure the amount of liquid. The liquid you drink is not only drinks, but also fruits (they need to be weighed) and first courses.
An increase in the circumference of the ankle joint by 1 cm or more per week.
The blister test is rarely used today.
There are different degrees of edema during pregnancy:
With SWELLING OF THE HANDS, the nerves in the carpal tunnel can be pinched. This is manifested by numbness, burning, pain in the fingers, and sometimes pain in the shoulder. There may be pain and limited movement in the joints of the fingers. In this situation, limit work associated with monotonous movements in the wrist joints. Massage, shaking the limbs, acupuncture, and vitamins help. Get treatment for swelling.
Edema during pregnancy, what to do?
EDEMA ARISING IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PATHOLOGY OF THE HEART AND KIDNEYS requires immediate hospitalization. If a woman did not have any of the above diseases before pregnancy, but edema appeared in the early stages of pregnancy, she should be examined and treated in a hospital.
SWELLING WITH VARICOSIS is treated at home. You cannot stand (sit) in one position for a long time. Walking in low heels at a moderate pace is beneficial. You can wash your feet with pleasantly cool water. During the day, be sure to find time to lie down with your limbs elevated. Wearing compression tights is recommended. Be careful when choosing them - tights are not cheap. The use of medicinal creams based on horse chestnut and heparin is allowed. To clarify the nuances of treatment, visit a surgeon.
PHYSIOLOGICAL EDEMA requires correction of the diet (will be discussed below), compliance with the work and rest regime. Stress must be avoided. It is important to walk every day for an hour at a moderate pace. Are you not used to moving a lot? Start with 10 minutes, increase the duration of the walk gradually, listening to how you feel. By following these tips, you can PREVENT edema during pregnancy as a manifestation of toxicosis.
EDEMA AS A MANIFESTATION OF TOXICOSIS OF PREGNANCY are treated in a hospital. Until recently, all pregnant women with dropsy were advised to reduce the amount of liquid they drink to one liter per day. These days the approach has changed. Fluid consumption should be physiological, up to 2 liters per day. Restrictions lead to a decrease in blood volume, vascular spasm and an increase in blood pressure. Insufficient drinking can cause pyelonephritis in pregnant women. The quality of the drink is important. Be sure to eat fresh fruits, vegetables containing structured water, freshly squeezed juices, weak tea with milk, slightly sweetened; fruit drinks, compotes.
Restrictions should apply to table salt and products containing high amounts of sodium ions. Add salt to ready-made dishes, adding only a little salt to the food. Prepare boiled or steamed dishes.
It is necessary to exclude completely:
The diet should contain complete protein - meat, fish, fermented milk products. Limit fatty foods and foods rich in easily digestible carbohydrates.
As prescribed by a doctor, diuretic herbs and sedatives are taken in a course of 2 weeks.
Be sure to take complex vitamins for pregnant women. If the doctor prescribes, additional calcium supplements and vascular-strengthening drugs.
Your doctor will tell you what else is needed for treatment. Do not avoid hospitalization if necessary, do not make your baby suffer.
By now, the baby has a very developed sense of “movement”; so he can feel you dancing. Moreover, now that he or she is 11 cm tall and weighs 0.5 kg, you will be able to see the little observer's wriggling movements closer to the surface of your abdomen! Blood vessels are now developing in the lungs, thus preparing the baby for breathing; and increasingly sensitive ears begin to pick up many new sounds, training the ear before entering a new life. The barking of a dog or the roar of a vacuum cleaner will probably no longer bother the child, since this stage has already been passed for him.
Note: Every baby develops differently in the womb. Our helpful information is designed to give you an overview of your baby's development at a glance at 23 weeks.
How many months? - the answer is at the bottom of the article.
You already know what it is like to have swollen ankles and feet in general, especially at the end of the day or during the summer heat. In the coming weeks or even months, you will experience the same sluggish circulation in your lower extremities, exacerbated by changes in your blood chemistry. As a result, such processes in the body lead to water retention and swelling. Your body will begin to rapidly eliminate excess fluid only after giving birth, which is why you will urinate frequently and sweat a lot for several days afterward. At this stage, listen to the following tips:
Swelling in the lower extremities is completely normal during pregnancy, but excessive puffiness can be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. If there is abnormal swelling of the legs, arms and face, or puffiness around the eyes, consult your healthcare provider immediately.
If you're having trouble sleeping this week of pregnancy, try exercising or going for walks. According to all mothers suffering from a similar problem, this really helps to sleep “like a log.”
How to spend the 23rd week of pregnancy?
Write a letter to your baby! If you do this by listening to your heart and being inspired, then such a treasure will delight you and your child for many years. Don't know what to write about? Here are some ideas for you:
Well, if writing is not your style, make a collage or collect a box of memorable moments of pregnancy, advise psychologists who prepare pregnant women for motherhood.
The changes that occur in a woman’s body during pregnancy affect all organs and systems. As a result, some health problems arise, since it is not as easy to withstand a large load as it seems at first glance.
One of the most common complications is swelling during pregnancy. They occur in any pregnant woman, but always for different reasons. Therefore, the approach and treatment must differ in each individual case.
During pregnancy, the need for water increases. This is due to the fact that the body requires a large volume of blood, the amount of amniotic fluid also gradually increases and there is a need to reduce blood viscosity. Pregnancy hormones make a woman thirsty, and she begins to drink more water. This leads to the fact that swelling of the legs during pregnancy occurs in almost every woman. Such swelling is often a normal condition, but requires attention from a doctor.
Swelling appears for the following reasons:
During an examination and interview with the patient, the obstetrician-gynecologist finds out the probable cause and prescribes an examination to clarify the nature of the edema.
Usually, in the first half of pregnancy, a woman does not experience edema. Detection of pastiness of the legs or face before 30 weeks of pregnancy is a poor prognostic sign, so it is necessary to be examined. If swelling of the legs occurs during pregnancy, you should inform your doctor about it.
“Normal” swelling in the later stages begins, is localized only in the area of the feet or legs, appears in the late afternoon, disappears after resting in a horizontal position and is not accompanied by a deterioration in the general condition (headaches, increased blood pressure or the appearance of protein in the urine). Swelling in the thighs or abdomen is an unfavorable sign. And if your hands swell during pregnancy, then you should immediately sound the alarm. This should not happen to a healthy woman.
Due to swelling, the skin ceases to be elastic; when pressed, a small depression remains, which disappears gradually. The woman usually feels well. If swelling begins in the early stages and is accompanied by deterioration in health, then you should go to the hospital for examination.
Often swelling is one of the signs of gestosis. This is a serious disease that only occurs during pregnancy. Accompanied by increased blood pressure and detection of protein in the urine. What does swelling with gestosis lead to? A woman sees only external swelling, and does not think about the fact that it can also be inside. With gestosis, all tissues swell, including the placenta, uterus, liver and brain of a woman. Therefore, swelling in such cases is very dangerous. They can lead to intrauterine growth retardation and serious health problems for the pregnant woman.
At each appointment, the doctor examines the pregnant woman, especially the face and legs for the presence of pastiness. Weighing is also carried out regularly, with the help of which excess weight gain can be detected in time. Edema during pregnancy is always accompanied by a sharp increase in weight. If swelling is not expressed on the legs, then this is a sign of hidden, internal edema.
A urine test must be taken before each visit to the gynecologist. This will help the doctor immediately assess kidney function at the appointment and differentiate “normal” edema from gestosis or kidney problems. The causes of edema during pregnancy are quite difficult to immediately identify, so the gynecologist requires additional examination (ultrasound of the kidneys, blood tests). A woman is recommended to count her urine output (taking into account the volume of fluid consumed and the volume of urine excreted). If there is little urine, but a lot is drunk, then this is a reason to start therapy.
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to find out exactly what is the need for serious measures to eliminate edema. If this is “normal” swelling, then it is not necessary to treat it. Such edema during pregnancy can be corrected by lifestyle and changes in water load. If swelling is widespread and accompanied by a change in general condition, then active action should be taken.
In such cases, it is best to place the woman in a hospital, since the prognosis can be very different. How to treat edema during pregnancy against the background of gestosis should be decided by a qualified doctor. Treatment is based on diet correction, weight control, diuretics and infusion therapy. Preeclampsia is accompanied by thickening of the blood, so the pregnant woman is given many IVs to improve blood circulation in the uterus, brain and other organs. It is impossible to cure gestosis, but it is possible to reduce the degree of its manifestations. Thanks to this, pregnancy is prolonged until the fetus becomes viable.
The doctor gives recommendations that all women should follow from the very beginning of pregnancy. Treatment of edema during pregnancy always begins with these instructions. An increased need for fluid leads to thirst. It must be quenched, but you should not drink sweet juices or sparkling water. The thirst will only intensify, but this will be of little use. You should drink plain water, or weak green tea. Better in small portions, and as often as possible. At the same time, you should not limit yourself to water, since it is very necessary for a pregnant woman.
Also, preventing edema during pregnancy is to reduce the amount of salt in food. Salt attracts water, which is why you want to drink more after eating salty food. Excessive amounts of salt and water lead to swelling in the legs. By limiting salt, this mechanism of edema will be eliminated.
Meals should include sufficient amounts of protein. It is necessary for a growing body. If few amino acids are supplied with food, the fetus will take from the mother's blood. This will lead to a decrease in the amount of protein in the blood, and against this background, edema during pregnancy occurs very often. Therefore, you need to eat more meat, fish, cottage cheese, and liver.
If there is a person in the house who is well versed in herbs, then you can use herbs to eliminate swelling. Doctors do not prohibit treating edema during pregnancy with folk remedies, but you should not completely rely on these methods. Typically, patients are prescribed to take lingonberry leaf or bearberry. You should not drink more serious diuretic herbs, as they remove many minerals along with water. This can lead to disruption of electrolyte metabolism.
The attitude towards edema that occurs during pregnancy is different for all women. For some, swelling was the first sign of a problem, for others it disappeared without a trace after childbirth and did not affect the health of the baby or mother in any way. It is difficult to predict the prognosis when edema appears, but it is possible after a detailed examination. Edema during pregnancy - what to do? This question should be asked to a doctor, since self-medication in such cases can lead to serious consequences.