When does pregnancy rhinitis occur and how long does it last?

Most often, pathology occurs:

• up to and including the 20th week of pregnancy - in this case, rhinitis usually resolves on its own (after about a month or two) and does not manifest itself in the later stages;
• after the 20th week of pregnancy - this condition can continue until childbirth and after them (after 2-3 weeks).

If the symptoms last longer than two months and are not relieved by any independent action (vasoconstrictor sprays are prohibited!), then the cause may be hiding in a chronic disease.

Symptoms of pregnancy rhinitis

• Difficult nasal breathing, nasal congestion;
• Nasal discomfort, sneezing;
• Presence of clear mucous discharge;
• Feeling of constriction in the region of the nose and sinuses;
• Mild headaches.

Difficulty in nasal breathing in the mother leads to sleep disturbance and hypoxia, which is also felt by the fetus.

Causes of pregnancy rhinitis

The pathogenesis of the disease is still a controversial issue. Most doctors are inclined to believe that it is of a hormonal nature and is associated with an increased level of estrogen and acetylcholine in the blood serum (as a result), which leads to hyperemia of the nasal mucosa and swelling. The concentration of estradiol, estrone, estriol in the bloodstream of pregnant women increases, in some future mothers, for this reason, the shape of the nose may change, it may increase in size.

There is evidence that pregnant women with symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis have elevated serum placental hormone levels. Another reason that can cause long-term nasal obstruction is the tone of smooth muscle cells under the influence of the inhibitory action of the steroid hormone progesterone. It causes fluid retention in the body and has such a side effect on the nasal mucosa.

Histochemical studies have shown that nasal congestion may occur due to plethora due to hyperactivity of the parasympathetic nervous system in pregnant women.

How to distinguish the symptoms of pregnancy rhinitis from other pathologies?

Symptoms of rhinitis during pregnancy are really similar to manifestations of other diseases, for example, viral infections, sinusitis. It is difficult for a future mother to distinguish a pathology by external signs, therefore a doctor's consultation is necessary. Our clinic employs specialists with extensive experience who will quickly diagnose and prescribe treatment.

If the symptoms are accompanied by a sore throat, fever, then this indicates the presence of a bacterial and/or viral infection or other inflammatory process.

With sinusitis, mucous discharge may have a yellowish or greenish tinge. When pressing in the area of ​​the maxillary and frontal sinuses, there are painful sensations, when the head is tilted, the pain may intensify. Also, sinusitis often causes an increase in temperature, while with nasal obstruction, such symptoms are not observed.

Sometimes rhinitis of pregnancy is confused with allergic rhinitis, which may worsen, there may be sensitization to allergens to which patients have not previously reported sensitivity.

Treatment of pregnancy rhinitis

In our clinic, a thorough diagnosis is carried out in order to exclude diseases similar to rhinitis in terms of symptoms. After the examination, individual treatment is prescribed depending on the severity, severity and indications.

Treatment is complicated by the fact that many drugs can cause contraction of the myometrium and fetal circulation or vasoconstriction with impaired placental function. Therefore, a doctor should prescribe drug therapy, you can not use drugs on your own - they can cause a violation of the development of the fetus.

General advice for pregnant women with symptoms of rhinitis

1. Washing the nose with mild saline solution (2 teaspoons of sea salt per glass of water). Salt solution improves the discharge of nasal mucus and reduces the feeling of congestion.
2. Nasal douches (nose washers) are very helpful. You can use regular saline for them.
3. Ventilate the room before going to bed, use humidifiers. Dry air can exacerbate unpleasant symptoms.
4. Use a high pillow (or multiple pillows) to sleep with your head well above your torso.
5. Walking in the fresh air before going to bed is useful.
6. Do morning exercises and breathing exercises several times a day to reduce the symptoms of hypoxia.
7. Do not wear perfume and stay away from smokers.

Do not use vasoconstrictor nasal drops during pregnancy as they may cause vasomotor rhinitis.

Preparations for the treatment of rhinitis

Preparations for use during pregnancy are selected with great care and individually. Pregnant women are not given oral systemic corticosteroids, although their effect on the fetus is not fully understood. In some cases, the doctor prescribes corticosteroids in the form of aerosols. Oral antihistamines are also not prescribed due to the increased risk of embryopathies. The choice of physiotherapy is also limited, because most methods negatively affect the development of the fetus.

If you suffer from rhinitis, headaches or other unpleasant symptoms, we advise you to see a doctor immediately. Timely treatment is the key to the quality of life of the mother, which is very important for bearing the fetus. And also allows you not to miss other more serious diseases that can adversely affect the health of the mother and child.

Important! Do not use drugs that were prescribed to you by a doctor before pregnancy, or drugs prescribed to someone else.

Rhinitis during pregnancy usually does not pose a threat to either the fetus or the mother, but improper treatment can lead to unpredictable consequences.

Seeing a doctor early can help keep you healthy.
Don't delay treatment, call now. We work around the clock in Moscow.

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Prolonged nasal congestion (rhinitis) in pregnant women

Article rating

3.62 (Votes: 13)

Contents

• Causes of prolonged nasal congestion and rhinitis in pregnant women
• The frequency of occurrence of rhinitis of pregnant women
• What are we afraid of in pregnancy rhinitis?
• What to do if you are pregnant and you are suffering from a persistent runny nose and nasal congestion?

One of the most common distressing problems of pregnant women is rhinitis of pregnancy (swelling of the nasal mucosa, accompanied by difficulty in nasal breathing, in some cases with increased mucus production or without it).

Causes of prolonged nasal congestion and rhinitis in pregnant women

• Increased hormonal levels of progesterone, estrogen.
• Emotional stress (which is pregnancy itself)
• An increase in the volume of circulating blood, which increases the blood supply, including the lower turbinates.
• Gastroesophageal reflux - reflux of acidic contents of the stomach into the esophagus and nasopharynx due to an increase in the volume of the uterus (change in acidity causes the development of swelling of the nasal mucosa.)

The incidence of rhinitis in pregnant women more or less pronounced symptoms of prolonged (more than 6 weeks) nasal congestion, which can develop at any period of pregnancy, but most often in the II-III trimesters of pregnancy (from 12 to 38 weeks), which is understandable, based on the listed reasons for its occurrence.

A feature of rhinitis of pregnancy is that its symptoms completely disappear 2 weeks after delivery.

What are we afraid of in pregnancy rhinitis?

Despite the fact that prolonged nasal congestion and rhinitis in pregnant women accompanies a large number of women, unfortunately, if left unattended, these symptoms can lead to serious complications:

• Firstly, it is very easy to get naphthyzinum if a woman independently and uncontrollably uses vasoconstrictor drops, and this is highly undesirable during pregnancy, since the part of the drug that enters the bloodstream causes vasoconstriction and the entire vascular system and internal organs, including placental vessels, especially this it is dangerous if a pregnant woman has high blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat, these indicators may worsen while taking drops.
• Secondly: against the background of a pronounced prolonged edema and blockage of the fistulas of the paranasal sinuses, with hypothermia or contact with an infection, it is possible to develop inflammation in the sinuses: sinusitis, sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, which will entail serious treatment, antibiotic therapy and infectious intoxication of the mother and fetus.
• Thirdly: prolonged obstruction of nasal breathing naturally entails the formation of moderate hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the blood) from which both the woman herself suffers (headaches, fatigue, mood depression) and the fetus.

What to do if you are pregnant and you suffer from persistent runny nose and nasal congestion?

Be sure to contact a specialized ENT clinic or ENT office, an otorhinolaryngologist, who, first of all, will conduct a safe and permitted diagnosis during pregnancy.

For example, in the ENT clinic plus 1, you will have an endoscopy of the ENT organs, including the deep sections of the nose and nasopharynx; to exclude inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, an ultrasound of the paranasal sinuses will be done; if necessary, laboratory diagnostic methods will be carried out. All these methods are absolutely painless, do not require any preparation and have no contraindications at any stage of pregnancy.

After making a diagnosis and prescribing (if necessary) drug therapy, you will be offered methods of hardware treatment, which are also allowed at any stage of pregnancy and are highly effective in removing nasal breathing blockage: UZOL-therapy, photochromotherapy.

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