What is hypotension during pregnancy? Is this a simple malaise or a serious pathology requiring immediate medical attention? That's what we’ll talk about today.
During the period of carrying the baby, every woman is faced with various ailments, because the body works "in three shifts", and it gets tired in order. At this time, chronic diseases are exacerbated, as well as "sleeping" ailments, which could not have been suspected before pregnancy.
What is hypotension?
This is a decrease in blood pressure, which occurs against a background of a decrease in blood circulation in the body. Hypotension during pregnancy can be minor, and a woman often does not notice the ailment at all, she feels quite normal. But it happens that the pressure drops by more than 20 percent of the norm, and then all the symptoms appear, which we will discuss further.
Talking about the norms of pressure during pregnancy is quite difficult, because before pregnancy, the pressure in each woman is individual. For some, the norm is 120/80, for others 100/60 or 140/90. The norm for pressure for pregnant women is considered to be a mark that deviates from the norm of pressure before pregnancy by no more than ten up or down. That is, if the norm was 120/80, then a slight deviation will be considered normal - 110/70 or 130/90.
Types of Hypotension
The disease is of two types:
- Primary hypotension is a hereditary predisposition. Also, the disease develops against a background of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- Secondary hypotension is an acquired disease that occurs due to other illnesses.
The following diseases can be the cause of secondary hypotension:
- anemia;
- hepatitis;
- infections of various types;
- hypothyroidism;
- hypoglycemia;
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- Addison's disease.
Also, a significant decrease in pressure can be a side effect on medications or occur against the background of an overdose of some drugs.
Symptoms of hypotension during pregnancy
About twelve percent of women in an “interesting position” suffer from low blood pressure. Hypotension during pregnancy in the first trimester occurs extremely rarely. The disease can be detected in the first weeks of bearing a baby, but mostly symptoms appear much later. Most often, hypotension occurs during pregnancy in the 2nd trimester - after the third month.
Symptoms indicating hypotension are as follows:
- drowsiness;
- decreased appetite;
- severe tiredness, fatigue;
- apathy, indifference;
- general weakness;
- distraction;
- decreased attention;
- Dizziness
- fainting
- hands and feet “freeze” and become wet - violation of thermoregulation;
- frequent headaches;
- weather dependence;
- trouble sleeping
- pain in the heart;
- annoying reaction to loud sounds and bright light;
- dyspnea;
- vomiting and nausea;
- weakened pulse;
- pallor of the skin;
- varicose veins;
- joint pain.
The presence of early toxicosis indicates hypotension during pregnancy in the early stages. If nausea has begun from the first days of pregnancy, then in no case do not leave this symptom without the attention of a doctor, as this may be a previous manifestation of hypotension.
None of the above signs of a disease dangerous to the mother and fetus can be attributed to mild malaise during pregnancy. If one or more symptoms appear, you should contact your gynecologist as soon as possible. The medical task will be a complete examination of the patient, the appointment of an adequate treatment that will not harm the new life developing in the womb.
Causes of hypotension in women in position
Hypotension during pregnancy develops against the background of a sharp jump in hormones in the body of a woman. Progesterone relaxes all the muscles of the organs, including the vascular, which leads to a slowdown in blood flow. The same effect is exerted on the uterus, and it does not allow it to contract, preventing premature birth, while preserving the baby. If pregnancy is proceeding normally, then soon the condition itself will begin to improve. If the jumps in pressure were before pregnancy, then the condition may worsen.
Arterial hypotension during pregnancy can develop for other reasons. A decrease in pressure is affected by a malfunction in the adrenal glands. It is the kidneys during pregnancy that suffer more than all other organs, working for two.
Hypotension also occurs as a result of the appearance of another circulatory system - the placental.
Guilt for the occurrence of hypotension may be on the pregnant woman herself. Pressure reduction often occurs when:
- starvation - a woman does not eat properly, or doesn’t specially eat too much, so as not to get much worse during the period of bearing a child;
- lack of good rest;
- excessive physical or mental stress;
- stress;
- nervous excitement;
- bad habits (for example, smoking causes oxygen starvation, which causes low blood pressure);
- taking hot baths.
What is dangerous for pregnant and fetus hypotension?
The blood flow slows down, which leads to oxygen starvation not only of the organs of the woman, but also of the fetus, because the placental blood flow also slows down. The body of both women and the baby ceases to receive the necessary amount of substances necessary for life, which leads to disruption of all organs, and the baby also slows down in development. What else is fraught with hypotension during pregnancy?
- One of the most unpleasant moments for all pregnant women is toxicosis. Someone does not have it at all, while others suffer from it from the first days of pregnancy. And the cause of this is often precisely hypotension, which leads to early toxicosis.
- Due to oxygen starvation, the fetus may die in utero.
- Early birth or miscarriage.
- The development of fetal hypoxia syndrome in utero.
- Hypotonic dysfunction of the uterus during childbirth.
It should be understood that steadily low blood pressure is hypotension, this is not at all a joke and not an easy ailment during pregnancy. This is a dangerous pathology that jeopardizes the health of a woman and the life of a future baby. At the first symptoms of hypotension, you should consult a doctor.
To minimize the likelihood of the onset and development of hypotension, you need to regularly visit your doctor according to the schedule, strictly follow all recommendations and treatments.
What specialists need to go through with hypotension?
In the case of a predisposition to hypotension or with the first symptoms of pathology, pregnant women need to undergo an examination with narrow-profile specialists, these are:
- neuropathologist;
- cardiologist;
- endocrinologist;
- therapist;
- ophthalmologist.
Diagnostics
Often a woman is mistakenly diagnosed. The reason for this may be incorrect measurement of blood pressure. For example, the patient was measured while lying down, or the cuff on the tonometer was poorly inflated. All these nuances affect the accuracy of measurement. That is why with the suspicion of hypotension, a larger examination is prescribed:
- Checking the kidneys is performed by ultrasound.
- It is necessary to do an ultrasound of the heart, this procedure is called echocardiography.
- ECG.
- Identification of pathological processes in the brain - an electroencephalogram.
- Differential study.
- Checking for changes in the fundus - for this you need to go through an ophthalmologist.
Treatment of hypotension in pregnancy
The most important thing when making a diagnosis is not to panic, because hypotension is not a sentence, but a common pathology that needs to be eliminated. Treatment can only be homeopathic, that is, based on the intake of infusions, teas and decoctions of medicinal herbs. This method is applicable for mild hypotension.
For the treatment of severe hypotension in pregnant women, complex therapy is used, only useful herbs will not help here, you will need to take medications.
In the case of secondary hypotension, that is, one that arose due to another disease, treatment should be directed first to eliminating the cause.
In no case should one engage in self-medication, because you can only harm yourself and your baby. Not only many medications, but also herbs are contraindicated for pregnant women, so you can’t take any decoctions without talking to your doctor.
What will help pregnant women increase blood pressure?
With hypotension, pregnant women are recommended:
- Use rosemary, laurel and basil essential oils in your room.
- Visit a physician-prescribed physiotherapy.
- Take tonic - the doctor may prescribe "Pantocrine", ginseng infusions, Eleutherococcus extract, infusion of Chinese magnolia vine.
- Do not give up herbal medicine. Pregnant infants can safely increase blood pressure with infusions of beneficial herbs - leaves of wild strawberries, currants, raspberries and mint, St. John's wort, sage, millennia and others.
The article provides examples of herbs and medicines for reference only. The intake of any drugs, both medicinal and based on herbs, must be agreed with the attending physician and carried out under his control.
Prevention of hypotension
Severe hypotension during pregnancy not only torments the woman, but also threatens with premature birth - the loss of the baby. To improve the condition or completely prevent the development of pathology, a pregnant woman is recommended:
- eat well, preferably by the hour;
- sleep at least 9 hours at night, several times for 30 minutes to rest during the day;
- Do not overload physically;
- walk at a slow pace for at least an hour, preferably in a park area where there are no cars;
- eliminate the causes of stress;
- at least during pregnancy, give up smoking and other bad habits;
- avoid stuffy rooms, a long stay on the street in hot weather;
- refuse to take a bath, preferring the soul.
These simple rules will significantly improve the condition for hypotension. If you observe those from the first days of pregnancy, then a dangerous pathology may not develop at all, even with a hereditary predisposition.