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What to do in the event of dyspnea during pregnancy? Is Dyspnoea During Pregnancy? Should you be concerned? How can I cope with dyspnea in pregnancy? What additional tests are worth doing? The question is answered by the drug. Katarzyna Darecka.
What to do when dyspnoea appears in pregnancy?
Hello, I am 33 years old and I am six months pregnant. All the tests are fine, I’m fine, but I have problem with breathlessness in pregnancywhich have been appearing for me for about 2 weeks. I have never had such problems before, so it is an additional stress for me. Dyspnea in pregnancy They appeared earlier, but usually after some effort, I felt breathlessness, e.g. after going to the upper floor, but then I blamed the heavier body and fatigue for it. Now, however, my pregnant shortness of breath also appears when I’m just at home and I’m not doing anything heavy.
I’ve heard that it’s normal to be breathless in pregnancy, but I’d rather get some confirmation if it’s really true, because this problem makes me a bit stressful. I did a fairly thorough examination before getting pregnant and I had no cardiological problems, so shortness of breath in pregnancy probably should not be related to it. How to deal with dyspnea in pregnancy? Can I change my lifestyle to make my breathlessness in pregnancy less bothersome? Or maybe my dyspnea during pregnancy requires some additional tests? I am asking for information on how to deal with the problem of dyspnea in pregnancy, because they are more and more problematic for me.
The doctor advises on how to deal with dyspnea in pregnancy
Dyspnea or difficulties with breathing are a common symptom during pregnancy. As many as 60-70% report a feeling of dyspnea during a healthy pregnancy, most often it begins in the first or second trimester, its frequency increases in the second trimester, and stabilizes in the third. It is most often the result of physiological changes in the pregnant woman’s body, but it can also be caused by underlying cardiovascular or pulmonary disease.
Throughout pregnancy, there is an increase in the volume of circulating blood, especially plasma, and the amount of red blood cells increases more slowly than the volume of plasma, which may result in the occurrence of physiological anemia in pregnancy. The lower presence of hemoglobin can cause shortness of breath. Hyperventilation caused by high levels of progesterone also plays an important role. In turn, in the respiratory system there is an increase in ventilation and respiratory drive, the minute tidal volume increases by almost 50%. These changes may result in mild respiratory alkalosis. Nevertheless, the mechanism of dyspnea in pregnancy is not fully understood.
Cardiac output (or cardiac output), i.e. the volume of blood that the heart travels to the blood vessels within one minute, increases by 30-50% between weeks 20-32 of pregnancy, which in the third trimester is the result of an increase in heart rate .
However, if dyspnea is bothersome, the most common underlying respiratory diseases causing dyspnea in pregnancy are asthma, and cardiovascular diseases are congenital heart defects or valvular diseases. Physiological dyspnea in pregnancy is mild, increasing gradually. However, if dyspnoea is acute, contact the Hospital Emergency Department as soon as possible, as the cause of dyspnea may be pulmonary embolism, ischemic or arrhythmic heart disease, obstruction of the upper respiratory tract due to anaphylaxis, or spontaneous emphysema.
– Lek. Katarzyna Darecka
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