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With such a common pathology as edema, most pregnant women face. They occur due to excessive accumulation of fluid in the tissues and are considered the first symptom of diseases of various categories, including:
cardiological,
exchange,
kidney disease,
allergy
and others. All these are numerous failures that occur in the body of the expectant mother. Often the cause of their appearance is the course of natural, physiological processes that are standard for the female body. There are many factors that contribute to the occurrence of the corresponding symptoms. All of them bring expectant mothers discomfort, including psychological. These causes are identified as early as possible, and the stage of dealing with symptoms immediately begins.
Causes of edema during pregnancy
The development of edema during pregnancy is based on changes in water-salt metabolism. They also appear due to disruptions in the outflow of blood, which is carried out in the veins of the legs and captures the lymph, and changes in the composition of blood cells and the vascular wall.
There are 4 stages in the development of this phenomenon:
Puffiness formation in the lower parts of the leg – feet and lower leg.
In the lower extremities, lower abdomen and lumbosacral region.
The formation of tumors on the hands, “puffiness.”
Edema of a general type.
It is not difficult to identify the fact of the presence of this health disorder. To do this, just press on the skin with your finger. If after that the skin almost immediately rose, then most likely there are no problems. But if a hole remains, then this is an alarm signal. He says that the skin suffers from edema.
Swelling of the legs during pregnancy
There are cases when only the legs swell, or rather, the feet and ankles. This is a fairly natural phenomenon associated with a lack of fluid in the body. In this state, a woman experiences a constant feeling of thirst – after all, the needs of the body increase markedly.
Often a number of others are connected to this problem:
swelling of the fingers (it becomes impossible to wear the ring),
swelling on the legs turns into a permanent phenomenon (shoes no longer fit in size),
the face also suffers from edema, and often this turns out to be a warning about the onset of a very serious disease – preeclampsia (that is, such a complication of pregnancy as late toxicosis).
How do leg swelling occur during pregnancy?
In a standard situation, from the 20th week, varieties of edema may appear, which are considered alarming. In this case, the patient will need examinations that can determine the causes of edema. At the same time, one should not forget: not always edema is the result of preeclampsia. If the pregnancy is late, then the cause is most often a disturbed outflow of urine, which occurs due to the growth of the uterus and compression of the ureters.
Outflows occur for certain reasons. Among them are not only the origin of changes in the body of the observed patient, but also all kinds of pathologies.
Among the physiological problems are the following:
Edema of a pathological nature.
Pathologies and diseases of the kidneys.
Disorders of the cardiovascular resource of the body.
Varicose veins.
Consider the physiological disorders that cause swelling of the legs during pregnancy, in more detail:
The fetus grows in the womb, and at the same time the uterus grows. Thus, pressure begins to be exerted on the surrounding organs and vessels of various sizes, which in some cases are large. Because of this, it becomes difficult to remove the fluid that has not been processed by the body. Edema of this category most often manifests itself after 20 weeks, and first of all – in those who abuse salty foods. With such problems resort to outpatient methods.
Pathological varieties of edema (preeclampsia) are a dangerous phenomenon. With it, edema captures the entire body, resulting in weight gain with an increase in pressure in the vessels that carry blood. The reason for this condition lies in the spasms of blood vessels, the deterioration of fluidity and the disturbed movement of human blood. Thus begins the process of tissue death. Preeclampsia is little more than a physiological effect, when a doctor’s supervision is required.
In addition to physiology, edema has become widespread in the pathology of such an organ as the kidneys. More precisely, they develop due to glomerulonephritis. As a rule, such diseases are known in advance. This greatly simplifies the diagnosis. But it is not uncommon for a woman in her condition to know for the first time that she is ill. If edema occurs with such a pathology, this does not say much about the duration of pregnancy. First, at any stage of the condition, the face begins to swell, then the arms and legs.
When the functionality of the kidneys is impaired, and the natural exchange of liquid matter between the vessels and tissues is knocked down, it is time for the development of pathologies of the cardiovascular organs. Her manifestations look a certain way. In order for the fluid to leave the vessels, the heart must function within the normal range, and if its work is disrupted, problems arise. A characteristic accompaniment of edema is pain in the heart, difficulty breathing, bouts of weakness. When the corresponding symptoms are diagnosed, hospitalization is required.
The consequences of varicose veins can be very dangerous. Their appearance is associated with the pressure that is exerted on the vessels by the enlarged uterus. A pregnant woman has a feeling of heaviness in the legs, venous nodes may form. There are cases when these symptoms are recognized as one-sided.
The degree of danger of edema is quite large. This is especially true in cases where they are not treated. Then the doctor conducts an additional examination. Neither his methods nor the prescribed treatment should harm either the mother or the fetus. Otherwise, unforeseen complications may occur. There are cases when a hospital is appointed. With exacerbations, self-medication is unacceptable.
We have already listed a number of reasons due to which edema occurs. Most often, they develop due to liquid substances that are not excreted from the body. They linger in areas called the lower limbs. The uterus, which grows naturally, compresses the veins. They become a factor due to which the veins that carry out the outflow of blood are compressed.
In addition to the growth of body weight, because of this, an increase in hydrostatic pressure occurs, which brings the venous vessels into working condition, and the liquid component of the blood plasma enters the tissues. If there is a predisposition, then due to prolonged exposure to the venous wall, a change in structure occurs. With the development of varicose veins, blood vessels cease to be elastic, their expansion and deformation begin. This leads to even more aggravation of the situation.
In particular, this is due to the following phenomena:
Violations of water-salt metabolism.
Deficiency in the intake of protein from food.
Growing burden on the kidneys.
Compression of the renal vessels.
If edema during pregnancy becomes pathological, this may be evidence of decompensation of chronic diseases of organs such as the heart or kidneys.
With its prevalence, swelling of the legs during pregnancy has not ceased to be a painful phenomenon. It’s not that hard to make sure they’re there. When your favorite shoes turn into a squeezing tool for torture, and the weight exceeds 300 grams. per week, despite the apparent accuracy of the symptoms, sometimes swelling is confused with the natural weight gain in this case.
If a pregnant woman does not have kidney and heart diseases, then swelling of the legs can be observed only in the second half of pregnancy. The development of the phenomenon is different. There are frequent cases when the legs swell first, and then the arms, stomach and face. In the morning, the picture does not seem deplorable, but by evening, fluid accumulations again appear in the legs.
Not always swelling of the legs during pregnancy is considered a pathology. The body of a pregnant woman readily accumulates compounds such as sodium. It has the ability to attract water, and the liquid cannot leave the body. But usually the process is exacerbated by facts such as eating salty and fried foods. And an additional negative factor is the heat. Meanwhile, it is believed that the edema itself does not pose a threat to health and is, in fact, a kind of natural consequence of this condition.
How to treat leg swelling during pregnancy?
In mild cases, it will take little to relieve symptoms – just lie on your side, giving the body the opportunity to rest, take a course of diuretic tea, and also minimize salt intake with food. Swollen legs during pregnancy can be complications – in particular, when a woman gains more weight than it should. Then this formation becomes massive, capturing the arms, face and lower back. There is practically no state of rest. This condition is called “gestosis”. Close monitoring and possibly hospitalization is required. When a severe form of preeclampsia sets in, a noticeable increase in pressure begins, protein is excreted in the urine, and the fetus and the mother’s health are at risk.
There are complications:
High blood pressure.
Excretion of protein in the urine
Hand swelling during pregnancy
Often during pregnancy, hands and fingers begin to swell. This is excess fluid in areas such as the wrists and fingers. When the mass of liquid becomes large, it blocks the nerves that are naturally formed in the hands, which deprives them of sensitivity, and the expectant mother feels severe discomfort from this.
When the time comes for the third trimester, doctors do not advise wearing rings on your hands. For many, puffiness occurs in the second trimester – then the jewelry is removed earlier. If you do not remove them in time, they will dig into the skin. And when the stage of constant swelling comes, they cannot be removed.
The appearance of such swelling occurs for certain reasons:
Change in hormonal background. When the time of pregnancy comes, the hormone progesterone begins to be produced in the body of the expectant mother, due to which severe changes occur. In addition to an unreasonable change in mood, water begins to linger in the body in large quantities.
The body becomes open to infection. Edema is often a natural reaction to some viral diseases.
Often this turns out to be an allergic reaction to food or household chemicals; Bad quality.
Wrong mode of life, overwork. During a condition such as pregnancy, even an absolutely healthy body begins to suffer from changes, among which is the deterioration of the skin, and the usual state of fatigue causes poor skin condition and swelling.
It is not always possible to independently understand why edema occurred during pregnancy. It is necessary to promptly pass laboratory tests, constant monitoring by a doctor, and then it will be possible to minimize the harm of such a phenomenon.
How dangerous is swelling of the hands during pregnancy?
Swelling of the hands and fingers is a standard condition for the gestation period.
The symptoms of swelling of the hands are as follows:
Numbness of the hands.
Discomfort in the wrists.
Constant feeling that something tingles in the fingers.
Usually swelling of the hands occurs under certain conditions – for example, in women engaged in knitting or modeling. In addition, the symptom manifests itself in those working at the computer, when the same actions are constantly performed. So, these include working with knitting needles, pressing the keyboard. In addition to these manifestations, many begin to suffer from the so-called “tunnel syndrome”. This is a constant pain in the wrists.
These troubles are easy to avoid if you do gymnastics and warm-up for your hands. There are cases when the sacrum, abdomen, back join the edema in the hands. Then it is recommended to immediately contact a specialist.
Facial swelling during pregnancy
Puffiness of the face during pregnancy is a phenomenon that is caused by certain reasons:
There is less salt and protein left in the blood cells than in other tissues, and the blood becomes dehydrated as the water leaves it.
When the last weeks of pregnancy come, the uterus literally compresses the veins and the system of lymphatic vessels coming from the legs.
To understand why edema appeared, you need to learn how to understand the stages of such a phenomenon as pregnancy.
There are only 4 of them:
On the first – the areas of the feet and legs swell.
In the second, edema captures the lower limbs, the part of the abdomen closest to them and the lumbosacral region.
With the third – hands swell, there is a feeling of puffiness of the face.
The fourth is the stage of general edema.
By external signs, a swollen face is easily distinguished: it begins to appear rounded, and when pressed with fingers, a hole remains in the place of pressure. When these symptoms are established, it is necessary to consult a doctor, and then take measures aimed at preventing serious complications. Most often, diet and medication are recommended.
Puffiness of the face during pregnancy is associated with certain mechanisms. First of all, there is a connection with a change in water-salt metabolism. Due to a violation in the outflow of lymph and blood through the veins, the arms, face and legs swell. This should not be ignored.
How to distinguish swelling of the face?
Edema of the face is not difficult to distinguish visually. It has an unpleasant roundness. In addition, we have already mentioned such a method as pressure. Do not press hard – even if it’s just fingers, then bruising may remain when squeezing, and the condition will worsen.
A woman, convinced of the presence of such symptoms, tends to visit a doctor as soon as possible. He can more precisely establish why such a state has come. Accordingly, the establishment of treatment follows.
This condition is quite common, and because of this, a number of signs even appeared. So, there is a belief that you can’t touch your face – if you do it often, then the child will be born with birthmarks on the face. We can say that the connection with reality is rather unsteady here. If you touch your face with your hands, the pores of the skin become dirty, and given the changes in the body, the pollution can get to the fetus and cause similar consequences. Such cases are rare, and, as a rule, frequent touching is harmful to the mother.
Edema during pregnancy – what to do?
Each appointment is accompanied by an examination of a pregnant woman. This is especially true for the face and legs, as this allows you to reveal pastosity. You need to constantly carry out procedures such as weighing. This is the best way to detect excess weight gain. Edema during pregnancy is a certain phenomenon associated with an increase in human weight. On the legs, they may be slightly pronounced. If they are not expressed at all, then this signals hidden, internal, edema.
Before each examination, a gynecologist is required to do a urine test. With the help of its results, kidney function is established and “normal” edema is differentiated. They should not be confused with preeclampsia or kidney problems.
The causes of edema can be quite difficult to establish. The gynecologist will need the result of an additional examination (ultrasound of the kidneys, blood tests). The patient needs to consider diuresis (for this, the volume of fluid consumed and the mass of urine excreted are determined). If the mass of urine is not enough, then it makes sense to start therapy.
First steps
The best way out is to drink clean water. You can add lemon. And from such a drink as coffee, you have to give up.
Prevention measures are based on the exclusion of all provoking factors:
It is better to start the maximum decrease in salty consumption with sauerkraut – it is excluded first. Pickled cucumbers, herring, black bread, salted nuts, olives are then eliminated. Then cut food with spices, carbonated drinks, fried, smoked.
At least once a week, a fasting day is shown, when only apples and juices are consumed.
Hiking in the heat is prohibited.
Fatigue excluded.
Prolonged stay in one position is contraindicated.
Exercise is recommended.
All these measures are allowed if there are no contraindications. It is necessary to devote time to full walks, rest in the fresh air. When it’s time for sleep, it’s better to put your feet on a certain hill.
Swelling in the legs will help relieve:
cool baths,
foot massage,
a decoction of dried apricots.
In the latter case, you will need to pour boiling water over dried apricots and leave them overnight, and in the morning they drink compote 30-40 minutes before eating. Many other so-called traditional medicine recipes against puffiness can be cited as an example. It is dangerous to independently start treating such formations with medications such as diuretic tablets. These decisions need to be discussed with your doctor.
Above, we listed physiological edema. In such cases, a diet for pregnant women, as well as control of fluid intake, is sufficient. In the first situation, they refuse junk food – not only salty, but also fatty, fried, smoked. But it is salt that is the reason why the liquid cannot leave the body. All food needs to be slightly undersalted. Statistics say: the norm of salt during pregnancy is 8 g, and in the normal state – 14 g.
When there is a strong physiological edema, you can stick to a salt-free diet for some time. There are cases when diuretics are prescribed, but this measure is started only after consulting a specialist.
There are types of edema that cannot be treated with diet. Then they resort to a medical method of treatment under the strict supervision of a doctor. Of particular importance remains on the exclusion of the root cause.
The problem of preeclampsia is very complex. Despite swelling, expectant mothers suffer from dehydration almost without exception. That is, there can be no question of excluding water from the menu. In this case, resort to the help of a diet. She is quite strict. But it is not an absolute solution to the problem, but a small relief is guaranteed. Also, the doctor gives recommendations that must be followed, and conscientiously undergo a course of drug treatment.
How to relieve swelling during pregnancy?
At home, edema during pregnancy is treated quite successfully. As a rule, hospitalization is resorted to in extreme cases. In the implementation of long-term therapy, the result is guaranteed in most cases, but if it is imperceptible, a period of hospitalization begins. In severe cases, this is necessary in order to carry out additional conditions and identify the causes of the obvious pathology.
We want to pay attention to those tips in which the risk of harm to yourself and the fetus will be minimal.
To do this, follow a few simple recommendations:
You need to drink 1-1,2 liters of liquid per day (this amount includes soups, juices, fruits, etc.).
Stop eating salty foods and foods that provoke thirst.
Avoid carbonated drinks.
Regularly perform gymnastics and exercises for pregnant women.
Eat stewed, boiled, steamed foods, cereals, vegetables and fruits as often as possible.
If the edema is pronounced, diuretics are often used (only in agreement with the attending physician).
Lifestyle should be quite mobile, active.
It is not recommended to stay in closeness and heat for a long time.
As needed, cool foot baths are carried out.
Wearing uncomfortable shoes, shoes, flat-soled boots or excessively high heels is excluded.
Wear special anti-edematous underwear – tights or stockings.
Arrange rest for the legs, exclude being in a long standing or sitting position.
Treatment of pathological edema is usually based on the elimination of the manifestations of the disease that provoked their appearance. Despite the fact that in this state women sometimes take rash actions, you need to resort to any measures only after contacting specialists.
Diet for pregnant women against edema is one of the most common measures. It must be admitted that opinions differ here. Sometimes there are directly opposite statements. Many years ago, some recommendations were accepted, but now it turned out that they were not entirely correct, and they were finalized.
We fight swelling
Do not drink more than 1-1,2 liters of fluid per day. Don’t forget that this includes soups and fruits, not just water. If you drink more fluids, the swelling will increase.
Diet advice is much more effective. It gives the result most often, because it represents the right measure. A diet is not a rejection of the products the body needs, but certain recommendations. We also talked about them above. Recall that not only salt, but also protein contributes to fluid retention. Most often, it is recommended to switch to food of a dairy and vegetable nature.