Pregnancy is the most wonderful time in the life of any woman, however, it is associated with a lot of difficulties and inconveniences. During the period of gestation, the expectant mother may feel discomfort in the abdomen, unpleasant pain in the legs, a sharp drop in blood pressure and much more. As experts recommend, at the first manifestation of any ailment, you should seek help from a qualified specialist. Remember, at the time of gestation, you are responsible not only for your health, but also for the baby.
A very common manifestation in expectant mothers is swelling of the legs. What to do in this case, because girls are already difficult to move around, and a similar problem only exacerbates the situation. You need to be prepared for everything. Let's try to understand this issue in more detail and find out what is dangerous leg swelling during pregnancy, why they occur, and how to deal with this symptom.
general information
Swelling of the legs is a clinical manifestation in which the lower extremities noticeably increase in circumference. In this case, other symptoms of various etiologies may be present. The reason for this is the excessive accumulation of fluid in the soft tissues, which penetrates them through the walls of blood vessels. As a result of this, it becomes difficult for expectant mothers to move around, and their feet are constantly sore.
Classification
Edema during pregnancy can be divided into the following types:
- hydrostatic - obstructed outflow of blood from internal organs caused by weakness of the heart muscle or poor patency of blood vessels and capillaries;
- hypoproteinemic - fluid accumulates in the tissues due to increased osmotic pressure caused by a low protein content in the blood;
- membranogenic - microscopic cracks formed on the walls of blood vessels through which fluid penetrates into tissues and accumulates in them;
- neurogenic - a malfunction in the functioning of the nervous system led to disturbances in the circulatory system;
- inflammatory processes - symptoms may be associated with the presence of an infectious disease or with an allergic reaction.
In addition to all of the above, swelling of the ankles of the legs during pregnancy can be associated with previous injuries, such as a fracture.
Causes of swelling
Swelling of the legs during pregnancy is far from rare. The causes of this symptom can be very diverse, but they are directly related to an increase in a woman’s body weight, a violation of the water balance in the body, and a malfunction in metabolic processes. All this is due to the fact that the expectant mother daily needs an increased amount of water. Thus, the body does not have time to remove all the fluid and it accumulates in the soft tissues.
The problem of puffiness can also be associated with the presence of chronic diseases that were previously in a latent form and made themselves felt due to a decrease in immunity, which is quite common in pregnant women. Most often, this problem is faced by people over 35 years old, suffering from varicose veins or various heart diseases. In this case, it is very important to treat not the edema itself, but to identify and eliminate the reason why it develops. Therefore, doctors recommend seeking qualified help in medical institutions, because the expectant mother is responsible not only for her health, but also for the unborn baby.
It is worth noting that swelling of the legs during pregnancy in the later stages of bearing a child can gradually spread to the upper limbs, and in the absence of proper treatment throughout the body. As a result of this, the expectant mother begins to gain weight very quickly. In this case, in addition to treatment, a woman should monitor her diet, trying to adhere to proper nutrition.
Among the ordinary factors that can cause swelling, we can distinguish:
- greater mobility;
- increased fluid intake;
- flat feet;
- excess weight;
- prolonged sitting on low objects;
- uncomfortable shoes.
All this leads to a violation of the normal blood flow of the lower extremities, as a result of which they begin to swell.
Treatment of swelling of the lower extremities
Every woman who has a baby is interested in the question of how to remove swelling of the legs during pregnancy. A universal solution does not exist, because the treatment program depends on what is the reason behind this problem.
First you need to establish what exactly caused the swelling, which is quite problematic to do in the early stages. The best way out in this situation is to go to the doctor, who will prescribe all the necessary tests, and based on the results you can determine the essence of the problem. The thing is that pregnancy (leg swelling, treatment can be carried out with both drug therapy and folk remedies) is accompanied by a change in the hormonal background and many processes in the body, therefore it is not recommended to self-medicate, because it can be dangerous to health.
How to relieve well-being with swelling of the legs?
There is a set of exercises with which you can reduce discomfort and pain.
Here are the most effective ones:
- in a sitting or standing position, lift the heel and toe one at a time several times a day;
- with your toes, try to lift a pen or other small objects from the floor;
- rotate the feet of the lower extremities clockwise and against it;
- walk for a few minutes at your fingertips;
- do tiptoe jumping.
At first glance, these exercises may seem primitive, but they are very effective and can improve the health of pregnant women.
Drug treatment
There are a number of medications that are prescribed by specialized specialists to expectant mothers with swelling of various parts of the body, however you should understand that any pills and ointments should be taken only after consulting your doctor. This is due to the fact that edema, by itself, poses absolutely no threat to the life and health of the mother and her baby, which cannot be said about the reasons behind it. In addition, if the etiology of the symptom is not determined, then medical treatment aimed only at relieving puffiness will not be effective.
Among the drugs, the most common are the following:
- Essaven is a gel that promotes the healing and strengthening of the blood vessels of the lower extremities.
- Heparin ointment - normalizes blood circulation, relieves inflammation and helps to thin the blood clots.
- “Venitan” - has a similar effect as “Essaven”, but it costs much cheaper.
- "Troxevasin" - relieves pain and strengthens blood vessels and capillaries.
In addition to the drugs listed above, you can use any ointments and gels that contain chestnut extract. Since the syndrome is largely associated with the difficult withdrawal of fluid from the body, then along the way you can take any diuretics for swelling of the legs during pregnancy. They will normalize the water balance and improve the well-being of women.
Folk remedies
It is not necessary to take medications if you have swelling of the legs during pregnancy. Folk remedies can be a great substitute for all kinds of ointments, gels and tablets. They were tested on ourselves by our ancestors, who lived in a time when medicine did not yet exist as such, so there is no doubt in their effectiveness.
Here are a few folk recipes that can be used at home for swelling of the lower extremities:
- Mix turpentine and castor oil in a ratio of 1 to 2 and rub your feet with this product before bedtime, then put on wool socks and go to bed. In the morning you will notice a significant improvement.
- To prepare another good grind, you will need an egg yolk, one teaspoon of turpentine and two apple cider vinegar.
- Take 10 grams of astragalus and brew it in 200 milliliters of water. When the broth is well infused, strain it and take two tablespoons in the morning and evening for 14 days, after which take a short break. This tool not only removes puffiness well, but also favorably affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
- If you have swollen feet during pregnancy, then doctors recommend taking diuretics. However, herbal decoctions made from birch buds, knotweed, and horsetail extract will be an excellent substitute for medicines. Take two tablespoons of each herb and brew them in 200 ml of water in a steam bath, then let it brew a little and strain. The broth is taken three times a day after meals for three weeks.
In folk medicine, there are many other effective recipes to help deal with puffiness, so if you know other methods that were not mentioned in this article, then you can safely use them.
Massage and baths
If you have swollen legs, what should you do if medications are useless and you don’t trust traditional medicine? In this case, relaxing massage and therapeutic baths can help.
If you get very tired during the day due to a lot of everyday chores, then massage with ice cubes will help you relax in the evening. However, they must not be prepared from ordinary water. It is best to use herbal infusion for them, for example, from sage, eucalyptus or peppermint. Also, after water procedures, you can stretch the swollen areas of the limbs in the direction from the feet and up to the thigh.
Various baths showed themselves well. Type cold water in a basin and add sea salt. Hold your legs in it for a while, then massage the swollen places for several minutes. Another option is contrasting baths. Hold your feet in hot water for about 10 minutes, then dip them in cold water for 5 seconds. To enhance the effect, you can add herbs and salt to them. However, it is important to understand here that if the symptom is caused by varicose veins, then hot procedures are strictly prohibited. In this case, only a relaxing massage will help you with swelling of the legs during pregnancy.
General tips and tricks
Unfortunately, absolutely every woman is faced with swelling of the lower extremities during gestation. Therefore, the expectant mother should have an idea of how to reduce the discomfort with this syndrome.
Adhering to the following tips and recommendations, you can significantly improve your well-being:
- Try to drink as little fluid as possible before bedtime.
- Take diuretics and herbal decoctions to normalize the body's water balance.
- With varicose veins, apply steamed elderberry leaves to the nodes.
- Try not to overload yourself during the day and relax as much as possible to reduce the load on your legs.
- Do not eat foods after which you feel thirsty. These include sweet, spicy, fried and fatty foods, kefir, carbonated drinks and many others. Instead, include more fruits and vegetables in your diet.
- Try steaming food.
- Do not sit too long, try to move around the house to stretch your legs.
- To prevent stagnation of blood in your legs, before you get out of bed in the morning, wear high-waisted tights or leggings.
- Do not stay in a hot room for too long.
- Wear only comfortable shoes that do not obstruct the circulation of the lower extremities.
- When sleeping, put a pillow under your feet so that blood drains from them.
- After coming home from work, lie on your back and rest your feet on the wall. Lie in this position for about 10 minutes and you will notice how it will become much easier for you.
In addition to all of the above, do not handle all household chores at once. Distribute duties and do them gradually, so that there is time for rest, because bearing a fetus in itself is very tiring, and if at the same time you have a lot of responsibilities, then it will not be surprising that you will have swelling of the legs during pregnancy.
Why should you be afraid of this ailment?
Foreign experts consider swelling of the legs during pregnancy to be quite normal physiological changes that do not require any treatment if there is no high protein or high blood pressure in the urine.
Domestic doctors adhere to a completely opposite point of view, believing that this problem needs therapy. As medical practice shows, in 90 percent of cases, increased swelling of the lower extremities is a harbinger of gestosis, which complicates the course of pregnancy and can cause many negative consequences.
Therefore, do not take lightly at first glance, a completely harmless symptom. If you encounter a similar problem, it is recommended that you go to the hospital as soon as possible to undergo an examination and prescribe a course of therapy.
Conclusion
Leg swelling in early pregnancy is a common occurrence. But if the symptom does not disappear, but only worsens, then this may be a sign of various diseases and abnormalities in the body. In this case, going to the hospital will be the best solution. After all, if you fight only with puffiness, without doing any treatment of the reason behind it, then you will not achieve any effect.
As mentioned earlier, edema is the first stage of gestosis, which can lead to pregnancy complications, so therapy should be comprehensive. In this case, no ointments, gels and folk remedies can not help, since they have a short-term effect and only temporarily help to alleviate the symptom a little.
Do not neglect your health, because you are responsible not only for yourself, but also for your future baby, who is waiting for his time to be born. Remember, any disease is easier to cure in the early stages, so a lot depends on the timely visit to the hospital.