Fainting during pregnancy - causes, first aid

Fainting - a sudden short-term loss of consciousness. It lasts from 4 - 5 seconds to 2 - 3 minutes. At the same time, the sensitivity is lost, the pulse weakens and slows down, blood pressure drops, and breathing becomes rare. Syncope during pregnancy happens quite often.

The main reason for the loss of consciousness of a pregnant woman is the sudden onset of cerebral blood flow insufficiency. There is a spasm of cerebral vessels and the flow of blood stops, which provokes a faint. At the same time, the person feels weakness, skin pale, the pulse is practically not probed on the peripheral arteries, breathing becomes rare and superficial. Perhaps the appearance of cold sweat, because of insufficient blood supply, the limb to the touch become cool. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy and young girls in the first days of menstruation especially suffer from such dysfunctions. Fainting in pregnancy often happens in the heat or in stress.

Very often a pregnant woman learns about her situation precisely by fainting. This is due to certain changes in the hormonal background and the formation of an additional circle of blood circulation in the future. When a woman is on her feet for a long time, in a stuffy room or she is hungry, blood pressure may go down, which leads to an unconscious condition. Another reason may be a sharp change in mood or overwork. Therefore, pregnant women prone to hypotension should be extremely attentive to their state of health and take timely measures to normalize the condition.

Fainting during pregnancy is dangerous because of the suddenness - falling, a woman can get injured.

Other causes of syncope

Loss of consciousness is often in people with cardiovascular pathologies, including hypertension, hypotension, atherosclerosis, heart disease. In elderly people, the cause of syncope is age-related heart and vascular disease, in which sudden collapse can occur.

In healthy people, syncope can occur with oxygen starvation (for example, in a stuffy room). It can not be excluded from the causes of this state of sudden fright, excitement, fear of pain (especially if a person has a low threshold of pain sensitivity), solar or heat stroke.

It is very important to remember that some serious diseases can cause loss of consciousness. For example, diabetes, epilepsy, heart attack, stroke, perforation of an ulcer of the duodenum or stomach, concussion. Even if it is a syncope in pregnancy, such acute conditions can not be ruled out.

First aid

Regardless of the cause that caused fainting during pregnancy, it is necessary to call a doctor and begin to provide first aid.

First, the victim must be placed on a sofa or a bed without a pillow. The legs should be at the level of the head. Ensure the arrival of fresh air, unfastening tight clothes and opening the window. Ammonia alcohol or harsh perfume helps to quickly remove a person from a faint. To do this, soak cotton wool in one of the above liquids and bring it for a few seconds to the nose.

As soon as the victim is conscious, you can give her hot sweet tea, a few drops of valocordin or valerian, diluted in a small amount of water (with caution, as during pregnancy sensitivity to many drugs increases).

In any case, it is necessary to find out the true cause of loss of consciousness, since this can be a symptom of a serious disease.

If this is a syncope with menstruation, in the coming days it is advisable to visit a gynecologist for examination.

Prevention

To prevent fainting, pregnant women with low blood pressure should follow the following recommendations. Food should be full, fractional, with increased protein content. Strong green tea is useful in the morning and in the afternoon. Walking, gymnastics, swimming pool are also necessary. And, whenever possible, situations that can lead to fainting - queues, trips in crowded public transport, stays in a stuffy room should be avoided.