During the bearing of a child, women often encounter problems and complications, one of which is uterine hypertonicity. It causes not only discomfort and discomfort, but also serious disorders in the body.
Regardless of the reasons that provoke this condition, a mandatory measure is observation by the attending physician. Only a specialist, given the condition of a pregnant woman, will be able to choose the right method of therapy and prescribe the appropriate drugs for tonus of the uterus during pregnancy in the second trimester.
What it is?
Uterine muscle tension is called tone. Strong pressure on the muscle fibers of the organ causes tension and pain. If the pregnancy proceeds without complications, the uterus is at rest until childbirth.
Of course, this is a muscular organ, and it contracts during laughter, coughing, sneezing, or abrupt movements. But such reductions pass quickly without causing pain and harm. The tone of the uterus can be normal, decreased or increased.
For example, if a woman is subjected to stress, emotional or physical stress, the uterine muscles contract, causing increased tone.
The second trimester of pregnancy begins at 14 weeks and ends at 27 weeks. Occurring during this period, the tone of the uterus can cause oxygen starvation of the child, in the worst case, a miscarriage. Therefore, at the first pain symptoms and suspicions of a tone, you immediately need to inform the obstetrician-gynecologist who leads the pregnancy.
The main causes of tonus in the second trimester
Doctors distinguish two types of causes that provoke a tone: physiological and psychosomatic. More on this will be discussed below.
Physiological
The physiological causes of uterine tone in the second trimester of pregnancy are directly related to the lifestyle and health of the expectant mother. If a woman at work experiences heavy physical exertion, spends a large amount of time “on her feet,” this will certainly affect her well-being.
Household loads, lifting objects heavier than 3 kg can provoke a tone. Bad sleep and fatigue will negatively affect a woman’s health and may harm a child. Therefore, you should abandon the hard work and devote more time to rest, walks in the fresh air and positive emotions.
The woman's age, nutrition, alcohol and smoking, the general condition of the body, past and existing diseases directly affect the pathology. Physiological reasons include miscarriages, abortions, a hereditary factor, the number and course of previous pregnancies.
Inflammatory and viral diseases, such as fibroids, pyelonephritis, tonsillitis or influenza, can also cause uterine tone. A common cause of pathology is the mismatch of the Rh factor of the child and the mother. In this case, the body perceives the fetus as a foreign body and reacts to it with tension of the uterine muscles.
Incorrect bowel function also provokes an increased tone of the uterus. Frequent constipation is the cause.
Psychosomatic
The psychosomatic causes of tonus in the second trimester of pregnancy are at the subconscious level, and it is often difficult to cope with. These include stress, emotional stress, anxiety and phobias associated with childbearing and childbirth.
Fear of childbirth is a powerful factor provoking mood swings, constant stress and insomnia. An unstable emotional background can cause uterine tone.
Very often, several factors affect the development of tone. This can be a poor nutrition of a pregnant woman combined with workloads and untimely rest. Stress, stress, which are exacerbated by diseases or complications during pregnancy, affect.
Symptoms indicating uterine tone
For women, the following symptoms are characteristic with uterine tone in the second trimester of pregnancy:
- Pain in the lower back during movement, it may be muffled or pronounced.
- Sensations of increased hardness of the lower abdomen. It is associated with the compaction of the walls of the vagina.
- General weakness of the body, dizziness, possible loss of consciousness.
- Nausea or vomiting that is not characteristic in the second trimester, as toxicosis is most often observed in the initial weeks of pregnancy.
- Pain in the lower abdomen of a pulling nature, which may be accompanied by bloody discharge.
- Frequent and painful cramping of the uterus is also a characteristic sign of uterine tone in the second trimester of pregnancy.
The child also reacts to the disease, he may begin to behave too actively or, conversely, his movements will become less and less.
Ways to identify increased tone
A woman at home can conduct a small test to determine the tone of the uterus. You must lie on your back or left side, but not on a soft surface. An elastic and hard sofa is ideal. After you need to carefully examine the lower abdomen. If during the examination the lower abdomen is soft and painless, there is no tone. If compaction is felt, the lower abdomen is firm and elastic, this may indicate a pathology.
Greater results can be achieved by visiting a doctor. He initially examines a pregnant woman for a seal on the anterior abdominal wall. This is called palpation.
After the doctor can prescribe an ultrasound, it helps to more accurately assess the severity of the pathology. The tone can extend to the entire organ or pass along its specific part: along the front or back wall. It is impossible to independently determine on which wall the increased tone is.
Disease treatment
Therapy can be prescribed only by a doctor, based on the condition of the woman and the fetus, the severity of the pathology. If the disease is not severe, outpatient treatment with antispasmodics is prescribed. Popular and effective drugs are “Papaverine”, “Spazmoton”, “Droverin” or “No-Shpa”.
The latter effectively relieves muscle tension and eliminates pain. The drug "Papaverine" is available in the form of suppositories and directly affects the body without passing through the body and liver. Candles are good because the liver does not suffer from compounds of a foreign nature.
"Spazmoton" is a drug for intramuscular administration. It is prescribed for inpatient treatment, in severe cases of pathology. When using it, constant monitoring of the course of pregnancy, the condition of the fetus and mother is necessary, since the drug has possible complications in the form of vomiting and nausea.
Initially, you need to determine the causes of the tone, then eliminate them. If the tone is associated with a lack of hormones, the doctor prescribes drugs with their content. Most often, the tone of the uterus is provoked by a lack of the hormone progesterone. You can replenish its contents with the drug "Dufaston".
It normalizes the condition of the uterus and eliminates other symptoms associated with a lack of hormone.
Sedatives
If the tone is associated with the emotional and mental stress of the pregnant woman, the doctor prescribes sedatives. These include motherwort, valerian infusion, and the homeopathic medicine Viburkol.
The last drug consists of plant components that relieve muscle tension and have a calming effect. "Viburkol" is allowed for pregnant women who do not experience frequent allergic reactions and tolerate all components of the drug.
Medicines that suppress uterine activity
Often, drugs that suppress its activity are prescribed to treat uterine tone. With symptoms of tone in the second trimester of pregnancy, according to reviews, the most effective are such drugs as Magnesia, Nifedipine, Magne B 6 .
Magne B 6 can be taken alone at home as a treatment or prophylactic drug. The tool relieves muscle tone, preventing its re-occurrence, and also improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
The drugs "Magnesia" and "Nifedepine" are used in inpatient treatment of women. The drugs are administered intravenously, by drip along with saline. Funds are not recommended for women with low pressure, as they contribute to its even greater decrease.
Recommendations
In addition to drugs, the doctor recommends bed rest for the patient or more time to relax. We need a clear daily routine, proper nutrition, walks in the fresh air, and if necessary, sexual activity is prohibited.
If you ignore this pathology and doctor's prescription, uterine tone can be dangerous for the health of women and children.
Consequences and dangers
Pain associated with an increased uterine tone can cause complications.
Toning at 20-21 weeks of pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage or arbitrary termination of pregnancy. At 24-27 weeks, it can cause premature birth or miscarriage. Blood circulation worsens, the fetus does not receive all the necessary vitamins, oxygen starvation sets in. These factors disrupt the development of the fetus and may be the cause of its death. At 12-16 weeks of gestation, tone can cause placental abruption, which also leads to miscarriage.
Of particular danger is the tone of the uterine wall to which the placenta is attached. The pathology is determined by ultrasound, a pregnant woman with a local tone needs urgent hospitalization. Refusal of the latter and treatment is dangerous by detachment of the placenta and the death of the child.
Preventive measures
The development of uterine tone can be prevented if you pay more attention to lifestyle.
For a healthy pregnancy, you need to spend more time resting, alternating physical activity with complete relaxation of the body and body muscles. It is possible and even necessary to do yoga and gymnastics for pregnant women, but after this a woman needs rest.
Fresh air is useful for both mom and baby, but walks should not tire, cause fatigue and stress. Housework should be easy, without lifting weights. House cleaning should be done in stages, alternating it with minutes of rest.
The tone of the uterus excludes the possibility of intimacy, it will need to be temporarily stopped or completely excluded, based on the recommendations of the doctor.
The pregnant woman's sleep should be full, in a well-ventilated room. For a comfortable posture during sleep, you can purchase a special pillow for pregnant women or put an ordinary pillow between your legs.
Stress and excitement are contraindicated, the emotional state of a pregnant woman should be treated carefully not only by the woman herself, but also by others. The expectant mother must learn to calmly respond to many unpleasant moments, remembering the child.
Exercises
Respiratory exercises help to focus and calm down. One of them is a slow and deep breath with a nose and a quick exhale with a mouth. With any negative emotions, you need to think about the upcoming meeting with the baby. This advice is simple, but very effective, since the psychological state of a woman directly affects the tone of the uterus.
Attention should be paid to pregnant gymnastics, which relieves tension from the muscles and organs of the small pelvis. Effective is the exercise "Cat". A woman should stand on all fours, making maximum support in the palm of her hand. After raising your head and bending your back as much as possible, stay in this position for 5 seconds. Then you need to return to the starting position and repeat the exercise 4-5 times. After doing this, a woman needs rest for an hour, you can just lie down, relaxing your body.
A good result in removing and preventing tone shows an exercise to relax the muscles of the face. No matter how strange it may sound, the muscles of the face and neck are closely connected with the muscles of the uterus. Relaxing them, the last state returns to normal. Performing the exercise, you need to lower your head, relax your face and breathe through your mouth.
Conclusion
Prevention of tone is the timely detection and treatment of inflammatory and viral diseases.
A woman should monitor the diet, follow a diet, and unload the body every 7 days. Food should be rich in vitamins and minerals, it is necessary to exclude harmful fatty, smoked and salty foods.
Self-medication in this situation is unacceptable, since it threatens the child with danger. In case of the onset of the first symptoms, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination and follow all recommendations for the treatment and prevention of pathology.