The following factors can also affect edema during pregnancy:

• Varicose disease
• Summer heat
• Standing for a long time
• Prolonged physical activity
• Low potassium diet
• High caffeine intake
• High sodium intake

Moderate swelling occurs during normal pregnancy, however, if you feel a sudden swelling of the hands and face, this may be a sign of preeclampsia.

Pregnancy and thrombosis

Severe swelling of the distal lower extremities may be due to thrombosis. In these cases of sudden swelling, it is important to see a doctor immediately.

What can I do to get rid of swelling during pregnancy?

Swelling during pregnancy can be reduced by eating high potassium foods such as bananas, dried apricots, prunes and by limiting caffeine.
Here are some more helpful tips for managing swelling during pregnancy:

• Avoid prolonged standing.
• Minimize your time outside in hot weather.
• Rest with your legs elevated.
• Wear comfortable shoes, avoiding high heels if possible.
• Wear special compression stockings or stockings.

Pregnancy Compression Stockings

• Avoid clothing that is tight around your wrists or ankles.
• Relax or take a dip in the pool.
• Use cold compresses on swollen areas.
• Drink water that stimulates the kidneys and helps reduce water retention.
• Minimize sodium (salt) intake and avoid adding salt to food.

Pregnancy Swelling Prevention

These simple guidelines will help reduce swelling during pregnancy and make this period more comfortable and safe.

Questions from patients about edema and pregnancy

What to do with swelling of the legs during pregnancy?

Edema during pregnancy is most often a physiological phenomenon, but often a sign of serious clinical situations. It is important to tell your doctor, a gynecologist, about the edema that bothers you. It makes sense to consult a phlebologist in order to exclude the pathology of the veins of the lower extremities.

How to deal with swelling during pregnancy?

Combating edema during pregnancy will help adhere to a certain regimen, indicated above. It is also necessary to follow the recommendations of your obstetrician-gynecologist and phlebologist.

Can swelling be avoided during pregnancy?

It is almost impossible to completely avoid swelling during pregnancy. You should pay attention to the regimen and follow the recommendations of your doctor. Also, it is useful to pay attention to the dynamics of edema, its symmetry. If in doubt, voice them to the doctor.

Which doctor should I go to if swelling occurs during pregnancy?

If edema occurs during pregnancy, you need to contact an obstetrician-gynecologist, as well as a phlebologist.

Are swelling during pregnancy dangerous?

Physiological swelling is inevitable during pregnancy. However, swelling should be kept under control and if in doubt seek medical attention.

Edema during pregnancy | Nutriclub

What you need to know about edema: why they appear, how to deal with them, how to distinguish ordinary physiological edema from a symptom of a serious illness

It is believed that edema inevitably accompanies pregnancy for most women - you just have to endure their unaesthetic appearance. However, swelling can be a signal of health problems and pose a danger to both the expectant mother and the development of the fetus. Nutriclub understands when to worry if you have swelling.

• Edema - excessive accumulation of fluid in the interstitial space - occurs quite often in pregnant women. Swelling can occur at any time and in different parts of the body.
• Edema on the face (especially bags under the eyes and severe swelling of the eyelids) are especially noticeable and cause maximum dissatisfaction, because they directly affect the appearance.
• Very often, pregnant women have swollen legs, especially after a long walk. That is why it is so important to get comfortable shoes for the entire period of pregnancy.
• Hands tend to swell in women who work at a computer or do needlework. Rings begin to press, fingers look like “sausages”. In such cases, you need to temporarily abandon jewelry.
• Pregnant women often mistake swelling of the nasal mucosa for a runny nose or allergies. The latter is more likely because allergic reactions tend to get worse during pregnancy. Also in pregnant women, due to changes in hormonal levels, a condition called rhinitis of pregnancy can develop, which is accompanied by severe nasal congestion. It is better to take tests and be sure to discuss the situation with a doctor who will prescribe a drug that is allowed during pregnancy. Ignoring nasal congestion is not recommended - breathing problems in the mother can make it difficult for oxygen to reach the child.

All these edemas can be both physiological and pathological.

Physiological edema of pregnant women

Physiological usually do not cause complications. They are explained by natural changes in the body of the expectant mother: the uterus puts pressure on neighboring organs, slowing down blood circulation, and sodium accumulates in the blood - it slows down the excretion of fluid from the body. At the same time, during pregnancy, the total amount of fluid circulating throughout the body almost doubles (part of it is contained in the amniotic fluid and placenta).

At the same time, a woman's hormonal background changes, which may be the cause of the legendary “salty” craving, which, in turn, provokes thirst and excessive fluid intake.

Summer heat or closeness in transport and premises, physical overload also affects health and appearance.

Physiological edema is considered natural at any stage of pregnancy - and does not pose a danger to the woman's health.

But at the first sign of swelling, you should definitely contact your obstetrician-gynecologist. The doctor will prescribe the necessary examinations and tests to exclude pathological edema, indicating health problems and complications of pregnancy.

Pathological edema during pregnancy

Pathological edema in the early stages can signal hypothyroidism - a condition in which there is a lack of thyroid hormones in the body. Doctors try to identify the disease before the appearance of swelling - pregnant women with a deficiency or excess body weight, with severe toxicosis, a blood test for thyroid hormones is prescribed. If the results are not normal, treatment is prescribed.

Also, starting from the first trimester, edema may appear due to problems with the kidneys. It is very important to take a urine test every two weeks, as recommended in the antenatal clinic. Erythrocytes, high leukocytes, a protein that should not be in the urine - a reason for referral to a urologist and ultrasound of the kidneys. It is important to exclude an infection in the kidneys, and if it is diagnosed, it should be treated qualitatively. Otherwise, premature obstructed labor or the birth of a child with a low weight are possible.

From the 20th week, swelling may indicate varicose veins. Circulatory disturbance due to uterine pressure leads to the formation of "knots" and pain in the legs. If you suspect varicose veins, you will be referred to a phlebologist who will give the necessary recommendations.

Edema also accompanies heart failure, which is considered a serious complication of pregnancy. In this case, the appearance of edema is preceded by shortness of breath and cyanosis of the mucous membranes.

However, most often, pathological swelling indicates late toxicosis - preeclampsia. This is a problem in the third trimester of pregnancy, but the first signs can begin to appear between the 18th and 20th weeks. Preeclampsia almost always requires the help of a doctor and the presence of a pregnant woman in a hospital.

What is gestosis and why is it dangerous?

However, gestosis, in addition to edema, has other symptoms: high blood pressure, protein in the sea (it is normally absent), nausea, vomiting, headaches, convulsions, fever, drowsiness, or, conversely, severe arousal.

There are four degrees of preeclampsia. The first degree is known as dropsy of pregnant women, it is mainly expressed in edema. The second degree is edema, protein in the urine, a violation of pressure. The third degree of preeclampsia is called preeclampsia. It is characterized by a decrease in cerebral circulation and even hemorrhage. In the most severe, fourth stage of the disease, convulsions (eclampsia) are observed. A pregnant woman may have a stroke or placental abruption.

Thus, even if everyone around them says that edema is completely natural, and they do not cause discomfort to the pregnant woman herself, it is very important to inform the doctor about the first appearance of swelling - precisely in order to make sure that the edema is physiological, and not pathological, and no complications for the development of the fetus and the process of childbirth will not entail.

When should a pregnant woman see a doctor immediately?

The following problems can be considered the reason for an urgent visit to a doctor:

• swelling visible already in the morning, immediately after getting up;
• edema accompanied by high blood pressure;
• edema becomes very severe: it is impossible to clench the hand into a fist, shoes are painful and uncomfortable to wear, it is difficult to open the eyes due to swelling;
• regular shortness of breath, palpitations;
• headaches do not go away for several days;
• regular nausea and vomiting after 12 weeks;
• Urges for small needs are rare and are accompanied by the excretion of urine of a dark color;
• there are pains in the upper part of the abdomen;
• painful convulsions appear;

What helps with swelling during pregnancy?

If, according to the results of the examination and analyzes, it is established that the edema is physiological, you can get rid of them (or at least reduce them) using the following methods.

• Avoid fried, smoked, spicy, pickled and sweet foods. Steam or bake, eat fruits and vegetables regularly.
• The use of salt should be limited - it contains sodium, it is he who retains fluid in the body.
• Many advise to limit the use of water, even in the form of broth. In fact, it threatens with dehydration. It is better to drink plain water in small sips - and consume most of the daily allowance of one and a half to two liters in the morning. Soda should be excluded.
• It is contraindicated to stay in heat or stuffy rooms for a long time.
• On the recommendation of a doctor, you can wear special compression underwear, while giving up tight tights, uncomfortable shoes and heels.
• Sleep should be at least 8-10 hours. It is also recommended to lie down every day for 15-20 minutes with legs raised up, do foot massage and foot baths with sea salt.

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