The words “pregnancy” and “toxicosis” in the minds of most people are inextricably linked. And just as strongly, toxicosis itself is associated with the first trimester of pregnancy, dizziness and nausea in the morning. And even throughout the day. It is because of this stereotype that women are so surprised when they are told about the late toxicosis of pregnant women. Of course, because a woman, most often, does not experience nausea at this time. However, preeclampsia, which is what this disease has been called since 1996, has a slightly different nature and symptoms than early toxicosis.
Unfortunately, toxicosis of the second half of pregnancy often does not occur noticeably for a woman, while it can simply have disastrous consequences and flow into a very serious form. There are 4 forms of gestosis:
Swelling. They can be explicit and hidden. Hidden are called edema of the internal organs, they can be detected only at a doctor's appointment. The cause of edema is fluid retention in the body. Limbs begin to swell later. However, it is not at all necessary that edema is indicative of gestosis, a consultation with a gynecologist is necessary.
The next stage is called nephropathy. At this stage, kidney damage begins . This is expressed in three symptoms: edema, increased blood pressure and the appearance of protein in the urine. Nephropathy can be mild, moderate, and severe.
The next stage, preeclampsia, develops in only 5% of pregnant women. For this stage, in addition to the already indicated symptoms, disorders of the nervous system are manifested, manifested in pain in the occipital part, nausea, dizziness, sometimes even psychological changes and inappropriate behavior.
The most severe stage is called eclampsia. At this stage, late toxicosis has very unpleasant manifestations, the most characteristic of which are skeletal muscle spasms of the whole body. Such an attack can result in a stroke. In addition, there is a possibility of detachment of the placenta, and this can lead to fetal death.
The reasons for the development of late toxicosis have not yet been identified; there are many theories. However, most scientists believe that it is impossible to single out any one reason for the development of gestosis. But the processes that occur in the body of pregnant women during gestosis are well studied. First of all, preeclampsia is a spasm of blood vessels that leads to a decrease in blood volume and its dilution. All this negatively affects the blood supply to organs and tissues. Tissue degeneration occurs, sometimes leading to their death. Lack of oxygen affects the brain, liver, and circulatory system especially strongly. In addition, gestosis can lead to fetal hypoxia.
In parallel with these processes, tissue permeability increases, as a result of which the accumulation of fluid in the body begins. This is the cause of edema characteristic of late toxicosis. And the reason for the increase in blood pressure in spasm of blood vessels.
As can be seen from the above, late toxicosis is a serious disease that requires timely treatment. However, it is rather difficult to diagnose gestosis in time. First of all, every woman should know if she is one of the risk groups. Unfortunately, late toxicosis can also develop in a perfectly healthy woman, however, in women suffering from certain diseases, the risk of developing gestosis is much higher.
Such diseases include hypertension, chronic diseases of the stomach, kidneys, biliary tract, thyroid disease, and obesity. Women suffering from these diseases need to take care of themselves and the child before conception. It is necessary to undergo a course of treatment, and during pregnancy, carefully monitor your condition, and in particular, changes in weight and pressure.
In addition, you need to be registered in the antenatal clinic on time and regularly visit your doctor. In the first half of pregnancy, at least once every two weeks, and in the last trimester, every week. With the normal development of pregnancy, the weekly weight gain should be about 500 g.
In case of suspicion of late toxicosis of pregnant women, the woman will be asked to take a series of tests and, possibly, be hospitalized. Refuse is not worth it, since gestosis sometimes develops very quickly and the consequences can be irreversible.
But now, a woman has confirmed late toxicosis of pregnant women. Treatment in this case is simply necessary. Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely cure gestosis, however, it is quite possible to monitor the condition of a woman with this diagnosis. To do this, you must follow the diet and fluid intake, perhaps take sedatives. In addition, with the help of medications, the work of internal organs is normalized.
Usually, they try not to carry out stimulation with gestosis. A woman is observed before the start of an independent birth. However, if there is a threat to the life and health of the woman in labor or the child, it may be necessary to induce labor through stimulation.