When carrying a child, women are forced to constantly undergo a blood test, which helps to timely detect the presence of health problems and quickly eliminate them. It is especially important to take control of a situation in which monocytes are raised in the blood. During pregnancy, making such a diagnosis after examination raises a large number of questions in women - what kind of cells are these, what their excessive number speaks of, and also, what can this lead to? In most cases, a sharp increase in the level of monocytes for a long time indicates that serious malfunctions occur in the human body, which must be addressed.
Monocytes and their norm in the body
Monocytes are a type of white blood cells that play the role of defenders in the body, preventing the penetration and spread of pathogenic microorganisms through it. An elevated level of these large cells in the blood is also called monocytosis. It, in turn, is divided into two types - relative and absolute.
With relative monocytosis, the number of such cells in the body is at a normal level, although when calculated by the leukocyte formula, their number increases. In simple terms, these indicators remain in the original quantity, while the level of leukocytes of a different type decreases markedly.
This condition is detected when the total number of immune blood cells of monocytes is 10 percent higher than the standard ones, which happens during neutropenia and lymphocytopenia. A pathology of the absolute type is set when the number of this component becomes more than 0.7 * 109 liters.
It is important to remember that the relative form of monocytosis does not carry any information during diagnostic measures, while the absolute stage indicates the presence of serious diseases and pathological inflammatory processes that occur in the body.
When does monocyte count rise?
Elevated blood monocytes during pregnancy are observed in the following cases:
- in the initial stages of acute infections, due to the penetration of viruses;
- pulmonary tuberculosis;
- pathologies caused by bacteriological infection;
- the development of syphilis;
- malaria
- the occurrence of malignant neoplasms in the body.
In addition, monocytosis quite often becomes a symptom of a neglected form of the inflammatory process and even Crohn's disease. In a woman’s body, the number of such components often increases as a result of recent surgical interventions associated with gynecological diseases.
It is important to remember that an elevated level of monocytes is most often the first sign of an early stage of development of malignant neoplasms. Such a pathology needs timely diagnosis and comprehensive treatment, especially during the bearing of a child.
The functions of monocytes in the body
As already noted, this type of leukocyte cells takes part in protecting the human body from the negative effects of foreign bodies. In their appearance, monocytes are white structures that capture and destroy foreign agents.
Most often, immature cells act as phagocytes (structures that are capable of destroying extraneous agents). When pathogens enter the human body, monocytes resist them, by inactivating them. As a result of this process, all pathogenic microbes that penetrate the human body, as well as protein fractions, die.
In addition, monocytes perform the following functions:
- remove dead white blood cells from the body;
- contribute to the accelerated production of interferons;
- actively participate in the formation of blood clots;
- have an antitumor effect.
Based on this, we can confidently say that monocytes are a serious obstacle to the further passage of the infection process through the body.
Symptoms of malaise
If the entire pregnancy has elevated lymphocytes (including monocytes), then the woman has the following symptoms:
- fatigue;
- feeling of weakness, malaise, worsening condition;
- chronic fatigue;
- an increase in body temperature to 37-37.5 degrees Celsius, while it persists for a long time.
Most often, it is possible to understand that monocytosis is present in the body not by personal sensations, but by indicators of blood tests in the laboratory. However, experts have identified the symptoms described above in the group of the main ones, which most often speak of health problems. If a pregnant woman suddenly has such symptoms, then it is important for her to immediately seek medical help.
Elevated Monocyte Levels During Pregnancy
Monocytes are increased - there are many reasons for this condition. Many experts describe the period of bearing a child as an immunodeficiency state. However, at the same time, many chronic inflammatory processes subside over time or completely disappear. The main reason for the increase in monocytes during pregnancy is that they, and not lymphocytes, become the main protective cells at this time, which occurs due to an increase in white blood structures.
During this period, they can release a huge amount of cytokines into the blood (useful components that have anti-inflammatory effects). Also, at this time in the woman’s blood, the number of granulocytes increases significantly.
For this reason, in the first trimester after conception, monocytosis in a future mother is considered normal and indicates a good adaptation of immunity to a new state. This leads to an improvement in protective functions, which begins to effectively resist various bacteria and pathogens, preventing various diseases. However, this does not apply to diseases.
If a pregnant woman has monocytosis, she should undergo a blood test for the presence of viral inflammatory processes. Especially when it comes to herpes type 4, which is very harmful to health. It is also important to pay attention to the symptoms of mononucleosis that occurs due to exposure to such viruses.
Other reasons
Another fairly common cause of the violation of the number of monocytes, as many experts say, is the presence in the body of a woman in the position of parasites. It is important to take blood tests in a timely manner to identify them:
- if the level of monocytes deviated slightly from the norm, then the treating specialist can independently reduce the effect of pathogenic bacteria on the body;
- with strong deviations from the normal state, it is important for a woman to undergo complex treatment, which will help normalize previous indicators.
It is important to remember that monocytosis is not a disease. It signals that in the human body for this period of time some kind of malaise develops, which needs compulsory treatment. It is important to eliminate the cause of monocytosis as soon as possible in order to get rid of the pathological process in a short time.
Therapeutic measures
It will not work to treat monocytosis during pregnancy without eliminating the main reason for its appearance, since there are no alternative recipes and medicines to reduce the amount of these structural units. In order to normalize their level in the patient’s blood, it is important to carry out in-depth diagnostics and identify the source of infection and inflammation.
Only after a diagnosis can we proceed to the preparation of an effective treatment plan:
- with an increase in the number of protective cells as a result of infection, the doctor prescribes antibacterial medications;
- with monocytosis resulting from an inflammatory process, the doctor prescribes appropriate medications to women;
- with systemic diseases caused by this cause, complex therapy is prescribed.
In order for the diagnosis of sales monocytosis as detailed as possible, it is important to take a fasting blood test.
Preventive measures
If the attending specialist revealed that the adult monocytes are increased during pregnancy, then he prescribes an additional study that helps determine the exact cause of the disease.
It is important for the expectant mother to monitor her health. Obviously, the condition when monocytes are raised during pregnancy is not always a pathology. Prevention of diseases that provoke unwanted disorders in the level of protective structural units is as follows:
- you need to stop playing sports, avoid stressful situations, emotional shocks, feelings of malaise;
- use only those medicines that have been prescribed by the attending specialist, and in the prescribed dosage;
- less likely to go to crowded places during a period of exacerbation of viral diseases;
- more often walk in the fresh air;
- rest more, get enough sleep;
- stop eating food with food additives and substitutes, replacing it with natural products containing vitamins and nutrients.
The content standards in a child and an adult
Normally, the blood should contain from 3 to 11 percent of monocytes (in a child the number of such cells varies from 2 to 12 percent) of the total number of leukocyte elements in the biological.
Most often, experts identify the relative number of such elements (for this, a general blood test is performed). But if serious problems with the work of the bone marrow are suspected, an analysis is carried out on the absolute content of monocytes, the poor results of which should alert each person.
In women (especially during the bearing of a child), the blood always has much more white blood cells than in men, in addition, this value can vary depending on age (a child may have more).
Why know the level of monocytes?
When monocytes are elevated during pregnancy, the rules for passing an analysis are as follows:
- protect yourself from physical and emotional stress in 12 hours;
- do not eat sweet, fatty, fried and salty foods, do not drink coffee and energy drinks;
- it is forbidden to eat for four hours before testing.
Monocytes are important components of the leukocyte formula that help a specialist determine the exact health status of a patient. The increase and decrease of these structural units, which occur in children and adults, indicate that there are disorders in the body. It is important to pay special attention to the importance of monocytes in pregnant women, because at this time their immunity directs the main forces to maintaining the health of the fetus.
The value of monocytes
Doctors give monocytes the definition of “body wipers,” since they cleanse the blood of pathogens and parasites, absorb dead cells and restore the functions of the circulatory system. Sometimes the increase and decrease in the level of protective cells occurs due to stress, overstrain, physical exertion, illiterate use of medications. When monocytes are increased during pregnancy, the consequences are not as dangerous for a woman as for the development of an unborn baby.