If you’ve just found out that you’re pregnant (congratulations!) or you’re planning on trying for a baby, then you need to know some of the potential issues coming your way. You already know that pregnancy is no walk in the park. Your body undergoes loads of changes, and these changes can lead to other health issues during this time. If you’re aware of what lies around the corner, then you can better prepare for it! Likewise, if you’ve already started experiencing any of these problems, then you should hopefully find some guidance on how to deal with them. Don’t be afraid to seek professional medical guidance if you’re concerned at any point, you can find support at a variety of places including private healthcare such as Guys & St Thomas who offer a full range of support services for all aspects of your fertility and maternity journey.
Constipation
There are a couple of reasons you may struggle with constipation during pregnancy. Firstly, it’s down to some of the major hormonal changes that happen. Your body adapts and alters, which can lead to issues in your digestive system. As a result, you start feeling constipated quite regularly.
Now, the problem is made worse due to the pregnancy cravings that can force you to eat some pretty bad foods. You tend to crave foods that aren’t really going to help your digestive system – like sweet treats and food with basically no nutritional benefits at all! As such, you miss out on foods that will help you go to the toilet – like ones rich in fibre. Start adding fibrous foods to your diet, drink plenty of water, and you should see an improvement. If all else fails, you can find many constipation medications to take, just be cautious of taking too many or you’ll end up with the opposite problem!
Migraines
Anyone that says a migraine is a bad headache has never had a migraine! It’s way more than a sore head; you feel like your head is being cleaved in half, you’re dizzy, and it makes you feel sick. Again, your hormones are usually guilty of causing these migraines. However, it could also be because you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re stressed, and so on.
You can do two things to deal with this health problem. To start, figure out if something else triggers the migraines – like stress, lack of sleep, etc. If you treat these issues and see the migraines go away, then that’s perfect. Secondly, try something like sumatriptan for migraines to treat the main symptoms. This will help you deal with your migraines if they persist throughout your pregnancy.
Muscle Cramps
You’re pretty much guaranteed to suffer from muscle cramps during pregnancy. This is where your muscles kind of bunch up and spasm, causing varying amounts of main. You can experience them anywhere, but most pregnant women suffer from calf cramps. It stems from all the added weight your calves have to bear. It makes the muscles work twice as hard as usual, which causes added tension in the muscles, leading to cramps.
Thankfully, there are lots of ways you can treat muscle cramps at home. The best course of action is to stretch your calves as often as possible. This lengthens the muscles that get very short when you walk around. As such, they start to relax and cramps will ease. Check out the video below for a demonstration of how to do this.
Varicose Veins
Alongside muscle cramps, you can also suffer from varicose veins. In fact, your cramps may be a symptom of this issue. Effectively, varicose veins are swollen veins – and they’re usually found in your lower legs. They can occur due to standing for too long, sitting with your legs crossed, and just generally being pregnant. It’s something that’s hard to avoid, but you can reverse the problem.
Varicose veins aren’t very nice to look at, and they can sometimes be a bit painful. But, they tend to fade away after pregnancy, once your body has returned to normal. In the meantime, try and avoid standing for long periods as this can really exacerbate the problem. Put your feet up and rest from time to time, but avoid crossing your legs as this can restrict the blood flow. Sometimes, if the problem is really bad, you may need to wear compression stockings. Leave that decision up to your doctor, they will tell you if treatment is necessary.
The fact is that you will suffer from health problems during pregnancy. Thankfully, none of these issues is particularly severe. If you know what lies ahead, then you can maybe start preparing for them. If you already suffer from these health problems while you’re pregnant, then take some of the advice on board that I’ve laid out for you!
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