Diseases during pregnancy

Pregnancy is quite often accompanied by various diseases. They all occur for a specific reason and have different symptoms. It is very important to identify diseases early to reduce their impact on the future baby.

Pregnancy is a very important period for both the mother and the future baby. You need to know what diseases may occur during pregnancy, their symptoms and causes of occurrence. Timely visit to the doctor also plays a role, which helps to prevent the further development of the disease and reduces the risk of critical situations.

The most frequent diseases

Many diseases during pregnancy arise due to the strong stress on the female body. In addition, there is an increase in the symptoms and effects of already existing diseases. Thus, the greatest impact during pregnancy occurs on the endocrine and genitourinary systems, cardiovascular organs.

During pregnancy, the woman is also highly susceptible to infectious diseases, kidney and liver problems. Optimally, detect all ailments in the early stages of fetal development, then it is possible to reduce their impact on the body to a minimum.

Characteristic diseases of pregnancy

Throughout the entire period of pregnancy, women should give up bad habits and lead a healthy lifestyle. If you carefully monitor your health and regularly consult with your doctor, many problems can be avoided.

In this case, the ailments can be different – infectious, congenital pathologies, acquired diseases. It should be borne in mind that disease during pregnancy is harmful not only to the woman, but also to the baby.

Anemia

Anemia is one of the most common diseases during pregnancy. It is caused by low hemoglobin levels. It should be diagnosed as early as possible to minimize the risk to the fetus. The main symptoms of the disease are:

• Increased fatigue and weakness;
• insomnia;
• palpitations;
• hair loss and brittle nails;
• Inflammation and bleeding gums.

The main reason for anemia is a lack of iron and folic acid.

Skin diseases

Skin diseases in pregnancy also occur quite often. We are talking about various dermatoses: acne, autoimmune diseases, urticaria, herpes, fungal infections. During pregnancy, a woman goes through certain physiological changes, some of which affect the skin. So, changes in the condition of the hair, nails, changes in the glands.

The main symptoms of skin diseases are immediately reflected in the skin – there are rashes, it becomes less elastic, there is a dullness. Changes also affect the condition of the hair: it falls out more often and more actively, it loses its natural shine, and sometimes hair becomes greasy much faster than usual.

Varicose veins

Varicose ve ins during pregnancy is a problem for every three women. The hormone progesterone is produced during pregnancy. And if it is good for the fetus, it also reduces the tone of the muscle walls and blood vessels. If you add to this the pressure of the growing fetus on the deep vessels, then this is the reason for the impaired blood circulation in the legs.

Not only marked bruises in the form of protruding veins, but also edema, cramps, itching and fever in the legs may signal an illness. During pregnancy, the disease will only progress if good blood circulation is not ensured. To do this, you should walk more, do yoga, visit the swimming pool periodically.

Urolithiasis

Urolithiasis or in other words kidney stones occur in about 1% of pregnant women. The main reason for the disease is associated with dehydration or the presence of urinary infection. The most common symptom of urolithiasis is the occurrence of renal colic.

The pain is intolerable, localized in the lower back, and may also extend to the groin and hips. In addition to severe pain syndrome, nausea, vomiting, stool and urinary disorders occur.

You can also trace the appearance of urolithiasis in pregnancy with a high body temperature, as well as changes in the urine characteristic of the inflammatory process.

Kidney disease

Kidney disease most often occurs in pregnant women with insufficiently controlled high blood pressure. If a woman is diagnosed with kidney disease early in pregnancy, it directly affects the development of the fetus.

Given the fact that during pregnancy, a woman’s body is under additional strain, her health needs to be monitored with double care. Most often pregnant women face cystitis and pyelonephritis. The main symptoms of these diseases:

• Severe pain in the back, abdomen, or side;
• Frequent nausea and vomiting in the late term;
• Frequent and painful urination.

The cause of kidney disease during pregnancy can be associated with both ingestion of infections and prolonged stress, prolonged fatigue, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, weakened immunity.

Liver disease

Some diseases of the mother during pregnancy can only begin to develop. This category includes all liver diseases, which in most cases are caused by strong hormonal changes. Because of this, viral hepatitis is quite common, as well as cholestasis.

The main symptoms of these diseases: nausea, vomiting, severe weakness, headaches, moderate arterial hypertension. Confirm the disease in pregnancy can only be done by taking tests and clinical examinations.

Thyroid disease

During pregnancy, thyroid disease can also occur. Certain diseases have no effect on the foetus, only medications that are used in treatment have an impact. Most often they arise from overactive or hypoactive thyroid gland.

Due to the more active blood supply to the thyroid tissue and the increase in its mass, the size of the thyroid gland increases. Because of this increases the need for iodine. If a woman’s body does not receive the proper amount of iodine, it will lead to thyroid disease in the child.

Asthma in a pregnant woman

The impact of asthma as a disease in pregnancy can vary. Most often, women with bronchial asthma are more susceptible to severe toxemia, and increased blood pressure is also possible. Many pregnant women are diagnosed with bronchial asthma at a late stage.

Women during pregnancy should avoid all factors that provoke an exacerbation of the disease as much as possible:

• Smoking – active and passive;
• Pungent smells;
• emotional stress;
• Food allergies;
• Allergic rhinitis.

It is not possible to cure the disease completely during pregnancy, so the main task is to stop the attacks as much as possible. This makes it possible to normalize the well-being of the woman and the development of the fetus.

Infectious diseases

Infectious diseases during pregnancy also cause some harm to both the expectant mother and her baby. Among the most frequent diseases of an infectious nature are highlighted:

• Measles. This disease occurs very rarely and in most cases in early pregnancy. Symptoms of the disease: a slight increase in body temperature, a runny nose, throat rash, swelling and watery eyes gradually appear.
• Chicken pox or chickenpox. Characteristic signs of chicken pox: nausea, malaise, loss of appetite, blister rash on the body, muscle and joint pain, and fever.
• Herpes. Caused by direct contact with an infected person, much less often the infection occurs at the household level. Susceptibility to the virus increases with vitamin deficiency, overcooling or overheating of the body, physical overexertion. Symptoms of the disease: blisters and itching around the mouth or on the mucous membranes, aching joints, chills, fever.
• Bacterial infections of the vagina. Most often, female illness and pregnancy is associated with psycho-emotional stress, frequent douches, and excessive sexual activity. The disease is manifested by the following symptoms: burning when urinating, characteristic discharge, vaginal itching, hyperemia of the uterine mucosa.

It is very important to detect the disease during pregnancy as early as possible. This will avoid many side effects that will adversely affect both the health of the woman and the development of the fetus.

Important timely visits to the doctor

It is very important for a woman to register at the antenatal clinic as early as possible. This will allow for timely implementation of all necessary diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive measures that will allow to bear and give birth to a healthy child. Therefore, in the early stages of pregnancy there is an examination to collect a full medical history.

This allows us to identify which diseases during pregnancy already have, and which may develop. To this end, the expectant mother takes a full range of tests, such as complete blood count, urinalysis, and so on. Regular examinations are required not only by a gynecologist, but also by an endocrinologist, an ophthalmologist, and a number of other specialists.

Pregnancy is a physiological condition that puts a great strain on a woman’s body. Quite often, for certain reasons, a woman develops diseases of various organs, which risk the normal development of the fetus. That’s why you should visit your doctor regularly from the early stages of pregnancy and undergo all the necessary examinations.