Pregnancy is a period of gestation of children by a woman, during which significant hormonal and physical changes occur in the body of the expectant mother. Unfortunately, earache during pregnancy is relatively common. As a rule, it is accompanied by many unpleasant symptoms.
Does the ear hurt during pregnancy? What to do? Let us consider in detail how to treat this pathology, how it can be caused, and which doctor should be consulted in this condition.
Causes
Most often, ear pain occurs for similar circumstances during pregnancy:
- It blew out the ear.
- Infectious lesion of the auricular shell of a pregnant woman.
- Auricular sulfur accumulation.
- An allergic reaction that gave a complication in the ear.
- Excessive pressure on the ear
- Untreated flu, sinusitis or sinusitis in a pregnant woman, which provoked complications in the form of inflammation of the ear.
- Damage to the ear by various enterobacterial microorganisms and fungi.
- Damage to the ear with pneumococci and a hemophilic bacillus can provoke acute inflammation.
- The ear was blown out during pregnancy.
Important! Some believe that the ears are aching directly after pregnancy, but this fiction should be dispelled, since the period of gestation of children is not able to directly affect the formation of ear diseases.
What pathologies can occur?
The ears of a person are most affected by the following diseases:
- Otitis media average. During pregnancy, it causes many complications. It is a difficult infectious disease, which is accompanied by an intense inflammatory process in the auricular shell. Symptoms of such a disease will be a sharp, shooting pain in the ear, migraine, burning and partial hearing loss. In the most serious cases, there is a violation of the patient’s sound perception.
- Acute suppurative otitis media. It develops due to infection. With such an ailment, a pregnant woman can be monitored for fever, an increase in lymph nodes, tinnitus, their congestion and severe weakness. In addition, a mandatory indicator of such a disease will be severe pain in the head and ears. With a lack of surgical treatment, purulent otitis media will provoke the progress of infection and the appearance of pus from the ears. This, in turn, leads to major intoxication of the body, which is especially risky for a pregnant woman.
- Exudative otitis media. This is a non-purulent model of inflammation that is limited to the patient’s auditory tube. In this condition, the occurrence of a special secret in the ear, its congestion and hearing loss are traced. There is almost no pain sign.
- The chronic form of otitis media during pregnancy, unfortunately, is no exception. This disease is formed as a result of untreated acute otitis media. It has a wave-like course and is able to intensify several times a year, initiating painful pains in a pregnant woman.
Chronic otitis media is dangerous because it can hopelessly damage the mucous membrane of the ear and cause significant pathologies.
Which doctor to go to?
If your ears hurt during pregnancy, then you should immediately consult an experienced otolaryngologist. In addition, it will not be amiss to inform your therapist and gynecologist about the condition of your own.
Diagnostic Methods
Traditional diagnosis, if the ears hurt during pregnancy, includes:
- Initial examination and history.
- Taking a smear.
- Carrying out otoscopy.
- Taking inoculation from the ear in order to detect the causative agent of infection.
- X-ray of the temporal bone is provided in exceptional cases.
How to treat otitis media during pregnancy?
Depending on the form of the lesion, treatment of otitis media can be conservative or surgical. The need for surgical treatment is extremely rare and is necessary mainly with the appearance of mastoiditis or with the ineffectiveness of the treatment of internal otitis media, because of the great likelihood of intracranial complications.
It is difficult to treat otitis media during pregnancy, since treatment is carried out mainly without the support of antibacterial substances, which is very preferable at the time of expectation of a baby. Therapy without prescribing drugs is more acceptable with external otitis media, if the infection has not affected the eardrum, as well as with normal otitis media, if there is no discharge from the ears, the general position of the mother is far from serious, that is, the general intoxication is insufficient or not at all , the usual temperature is either elevated to 38 ° C, there are no chronic diseases of the ENT system or other organs.
A wait-and-see strategy involves monitoring the expectant mother and therapy without prescribing antibacterial agents for two to three days. In the event that the situation is not aggravated and positive dynamics are noted, it is acceptable to continue this kind of therapy under the supervision of an ENT doctor. It should be noted that the issue of using antibacterial agents is decided only by the ENT doctor after examination. Self-medication is absolutely unacceptable.
If the inflammation concerns the inner ear, then medications are prescribed instantly, since there is a huge risk of intracranial complications. For this reason, with the appearance of pain in the ear, fever and other manifestations of the disease, you should immediately go to the doctor, notifying him of his own situation. In the healing process, if there is a temperature and intoxication phenomena, it is necessary to adhere to bed rest. It is also necessary to use a sufficient amount of water in order to wash out viruses from the body (in case there are no contraindications).
Severe Therapy
In case of any symptoms, you should immediately go to the ENT specialist. It is forbidden to be treated independently, since only a specialist, with a thorough examination and with the use of diagnostic measures, can determine the exact conclusion and start timely therapy. Self-medication can most negatively affect the health status of both the mother and her unborn baby. Each disease will require close attention of a specialist, especially in a pregnant girl.
With exudative otitis media and tubootitis, as a rule, purging is performed. Olive (an oval-shaped iron fixture) is inserted from the edge of the nose. A tube with a rubber bulb is attached to it. With a sudden pressure, air enters the pear through one half of the nose (the second is covered with a doctor’s finger), and due to the increase in pressure, the auditory tube opens. It is also possible to do pneumatic massage of the eardrum by thickening and diluting the air in the external auditory canal. This operation can be performed using a special unit, or the patient can do this on his own by squeezing the tragus into the external auditory canal. Typically, such procedures over a period of seven to fourteen days make it possible to achieve an absolute resumption of patency of the auditory tube, and consequently, the exit of water from the middle ear and improve hearing.
With a sharp purulent otitis media in pregnant women in the preperforative period, it is possible to use turundas with boric alcohol, Candibiotic, Sofradeks. Already after the appearance of perforation, a thorough daily toilet of the ear (removal of pus) is performed, turundas with twenty percent "Sulfacyl-sodium", "Candibiotics" can be introduced. As a rule, after the appearance of perforation and pus out, the procedure will be canceled over time, and the cure will begin.
Sulfur cramp pain
In some cases, severe pain in the ear causes an ordinary sulfur plug. If water gets into your ears, it swells and begins to put pressure on the eardrum. In this case, a three percent solution of hydrogen peroxide or "Remo-Vax" - completely harmless ear drops for pregnant women and small children can help to instantly solve the problem. The structure of Remo-Vax includes:
- mink oil as a base;
- relaxing element lanolin;
- anti-inflammatory allantoin;
- purifying sorbic acid.
There are practically no chemicals in these drops. They simply soften the sulfuric plug, it stops pressing the eardrum, and sulfur eventually gets out through the ear canal.
Tinnitus during pregnancy
As a rule, it is not considered a significant problem if the expectant mother does not suffer from diseases of the endocrine and cardiovascular systems. In order to get rid of such discomfort that is not considered an indicator of pathology, it is recommended to reduce the use of salt, maintain normal blood pressure, spend more time in the fresh air, outside the city, if the major city is a permanent residence.
You should protect yourself from psychological stress. If a pregnant woman feels a ringing or tinnitus, you can try plugging them with cotton wool - this will slightly ease the situation.
At such moments, it is recommended to distract so as not to focus on the problem. You can read, do adored business. An unpleasant manifestation, as a rule, proceeds without any treatment. After childbirth, it weakens, after a week or two, the girl completely forgets about such a negative pregnancy partner. Thus, you do not need to panic in advance and tune yourself into the serious causes of noise. Go to the doctor. When he convinces that there is no cause for concern, then just be patient.
Ear congestion during pregnancy
When you think that ear plugging during pregnancy is caused by pressure surges, then, of course, you need to try to restore it. Each pregnant woman has her own reliable method. Try a cup of coffee, tea, chocolate, take an intensive walk or use your own method. It happens that the ears suddenly became very short, and then also suddenly the difficulty disappeared on its own - and that’s all. However, more often than not, ears are laid over and over again during pregnancy. For a while, certain tricks and methods can help improve the situation:
- Swallow saliva or drink some water.
- Open your mouth wide, as if about to yawn.
- Pinch the nose and exhale sharply (or swallow).
- Chewing gum may help some.
- Lie down and take a nap, or simply lie down for at least a couple of minutes.
- If the stuffy ears are caused by the formation of sulfur plugs, then drip hydrogen peroxide - two drops in each ear.
- In a horizontal state, stuffy ears in many pass.
- Eat something.
Drops of pain
The most well-known substances than treating the ear during pregnancy are drops. They have the necessary local effects on the body and are not addictive. Thus, they have a minimal amount of side effects.
Drops against otitis media
What drops in the ears are possible during pregnancy? It certainly depends on the active substance. The following is a list of drugs whose effect has been confirmed in practice. These ear drops during pregnancy are considered quite harmless. The active substance of this agent is indicated in parentheses:
- Otipax (xylocaine, phenazone);
- "Candibiotic" (chloramphenicol, beclomethasone);
- Normax (norfloxacin);
- Combinil-Duo (ciprofloxacin);
- Uniflox (ofloxacin).
In addition, ear drops can achieve the following effects:
- antibacterial (Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin, etc.);
- anti-inflammatory ("beclomethasone", "fexamethasone", "phenazone", etc.);
- anesthetizing ("Xylocaine", etc.).
Otofa
Instructions for use of Otofa (ear drops) states that it is an antibiotic from the rifamycin category for local use in otolaryngology. It is active in the relationship of many gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms that cause the formation of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the middle ear.
Contraindication - increased susceptibility to rifamycin.
According to the instructions for the use of Otofa ear drops, during pregnancy they should be used with extreme caution and only after the doctor’s recommendations.
Adults instill five drops in the ears three times a day or pour the drug into the ears for several minutes twice a day. The drug can be used to rinse the tympanic cavity through an attic cannula.
The duration of treatment is no more than seven days. Before using ear drops, it is recommended to warm the vial by holding it in your hand, in order to avoid unpleasant feelings associated with cool water entering your ears.
Preventive actions
To reduce the risk of ear pain, a pregnant woman must certainly follow the doctor's advice:
- Avoid getting water in your ears. This is especially important when swimming in open ponds. In general, doctors do not recommend visiting untreated ponds during the expectation of a child.
- Keep your head warm. In windy weather, it is necessary to always put on a tight hat and scarf in order to cover your ears as much as possible from frost and drafts.
- Avoid visiting crowded areas. Especially with outbreaks of acute respiratory illness.
- Consult a professional. When the first symptoms of ear pain occur, immediately consult a doctor and do not start your condition.
- Timely treat viral and bacterial diseases. Including flu, sinusitis and others.
- Proper hygiene of the ears. But bypassing fanaticism. It will be sufficient to wash the outer shell of the ear, without using cotton buds or other sharp objects.
- Avoid getting sick. Do not have contact with people with viral ailments (this is especially true for children, as often they directly become a source of infection).
- Strengthen your own immunity. To do this, it is important to have a good sleep and rest, to spend more time in the fresh air, take vitamins (only after the appointment of a doctor) and competently eat food. It is recommended to include fresh vegetables and fruits, freshly squeezed juices, boiled meat and not very fatty fish in the daily diet.
- Eliminate bad habits, such as smoking and drinking, which negatively affect the course of pregnancy.