Hot Flashes During Pregnancy
Contents:
- Hot Flashes During the Course of Pregnancy: Reasons
- Hot Flashes on the Early Stages of Pregnancy
- Hot Flashes on the Late Stages of Pregnancy
- Hot Flashes During the Course of Pregnancy at Night
Hot Flashes in Pregnancy
Even very young girls have heard that during the period of menopause hot flashes may occur. This happens because the hormonal balance of the organism is changing during this period. Some young women have learnt this from their own experience if, for some reasons, they, for example, have undergone a hormonal therapy while planning and getting ready for pregnancy.
However, once they start experiencing hot flashes, they feel unsure as to whether this is normal. What if these flashes during the course of pregnancy are dangerous and, normally, they shouldn’t occur? Many women want to find answers on all questions connected with hot flashes. We say that the main reason for them is quite obvious.
Hot Flashes During the Course of Pregnancy: Reasons
Already from what has been said earlier in this article it is possible to guess that the flashes occur because there is a change of hormonal balance going in the organism of a woman. The same happens during the period of menopause. The functioning of ovaries is disabled during the course of pregnancy. There is only one difference: in case of pregnancy, the functioning is disabled temporary. When it is menopause it is for the rest of a woman’s life. However the symptoms that occur in both cases may be quite similar. One of the symptoms is flashes when you go hot all over during the course of pregnancy.
In the organism of a future mother there is an increased sexual hormones production level going. These hormones are estrogen and progesterone. On different stages of pregnancy, either one or the other hormone is being active. Such like fluctuations above all the rest can cause the sensation of being hot. Especially, this refers to the upper part of your body – to face, head, breast and neck.
Under the influence of the hormones lots of various changes occur in the organism of a future mother. Whether they are functioning together or on their own, they can cause these “attacks” when you feel hot during the course of pregnancy. If the feeling occurs, it means that your uterus is getting bigger, blood circulations starts going faster, the processes of metabolism are being boosted, the work of your perspiratory glands is being stimulated, the thermal transfer of your organism is being activated etc. By the way, speaking of the thermal transfer…
This is one more reason why a pregnant woman may suddenly feel hot all over. The body temperature of many future mothers increases due to physiology. In other words, it is considered to be normal during the course of pregnancy and there is no danger here. Apart from this, a woman doesn’t notice the occurrence of other painful sensations such as vomiting, diarrhea, pains in the throat, running nose or aching pains all over the body.
The normal temperature during the course of pregnancy is the one that’s not higher than what is considered to be a low-grade fewer (36,9-37,5 °C). Keep in mind that the temperature shouldn’t be accompanied by symptoms of any illnesses. Remember that if the organism is dehydrated, the temperature rises. You shouldn’t let that happen. Since a pregnant woman sweats a lot and goes to the toilet more often, you need to make up for this higher water loss more than before.
Because of a physical hyperemia, pregnant women often experience hot flashes. However, if the temperature increases up to 38C or even more and you notice other symptoms that occur together with the temperature, you need to consult your doctor so that to find the cause of this. If you experience hot flashes during the course of pregnancy simultaneously with your arterial pressure getting increased, you need to call an ambulance. Most often, such like cases occur on the late stages of pregnancy.
Hot Flashes on the Early Stages of Pregnancy
You may notice a slight change of temperature starting from the very first days of pregnancy. It is not rare when a low-grade fever temperature, that’s accompanied on the early stages of pregnancy with other symptoms, servers as a clue to a woman. This may mean that conceiving has happened during this cycle.
A woman that has got pregnant recently may get hot and cold in turns. This is a consequence of a hormonal change in the organism that has started recently. Soon perspiratory glands start working more actively and both these processes – hot flashes and a higher level of sweating will accompany each other. Of course this doesn’t occur in 100 % of cases but, still, it happens very often. Approximately, each 5th woman complains that she experiences hot flashes and sweats heavily during the course of pregnancy. According to some data, hot flashes occur in 4 cases out of 5.
An increased temperature accompanied by hot flashes occurs more often on the early courses of pregnancy. As the course of pregnancy goes on, the temperature, as a rule, gets back to normal. Therefore, hot flashes on the late stages of pregnancy shouldn’t occur.
Hot Flashes on the Late Stages of Pregnancy
Most often, hot flashes occur during the 2nd trimester and, in particular, during the 3rd one (after the 30th week). Many future mothers describe being in this condition the following way: suddenly, you get very hot and stuffy, you lack oxygen, your heartbeat increases and it becomes harder to breathe, your face gets red and you start sweating more heavily, your head may ache and you may feel giddy, you feel sick and become worried. This state may go on for several seconds or for several minutes. It is very rare for the flash to last long.
Gynecologists and therapists calm down the women that experience this by stating that after the labor, this feeling is most likely to go away. However, this often so happens that the cases of hot flashes may also occur during the period when a mother is breastfeeding her baby. During this time, the hormonal processes are going on actively as well.
Hot Flashes During the Course of Pregnancy at Night
The cases of hot flashes may occur not only during any stage of pregnancy, but also at any time of a day. Very often, women wake up in the middle of a night because they suddenly feel hot either all over the body or in the upper part of it. They open the windows and wash their face with cold water in order to feel better. All these measures help rather well. However, you need to be careful so that not to get cold. Even a small gulp of cold air or a not so strong blow of a cold air towards your sweated body is enough to catch a cold. In your case, this is rather unwanted now.
If you experience hot flashes during the course of pregnancy and you want to make yourself feel better, doctors suggest you wearing only those clothes that are made of natural materials or put on several items of clothes. You may put on several thin jerseys instead of one to get warm. This way, it will be easy for you to put off or put on a jersey when needed.
Before you go to bed, you need to thoroughly air your bedroom. Alternatively, you may go to sleep with a small window being open but it is important that there is no draught. It may be rather comfortable if you always have a fan with you. Try not to be on the sun very often during summer time. Also, you should necessarily put on a headwear. Do not forget to drink necessary amounts of water. You may experience hot flashes because your organism is dehydrated.
If you put on a cold compress on the area of your forehead and neck and wipe your face with ice blocks, you may decrease the feeling of heat during a flash. In order to make ice blocks you may freeze toning up herbal decoctions in a shaping mold. It will also help if you put your wrists under a cold water.
If there are no contradictions, you may not decrease the level of your physical activity once you get pregnant. You may start doing fitness or go to special gymnastic classes for pregnant women. It will make your muscles and cardiovascular system stronger and will be a great preparation for the labor.
If you experience hot flashes during the course of pregnancy, you need to necessarily tell your doctor about it. As a rule, as doctors say, the occurrence of these flashes during pregnancy is normal and there is no danger in it, only a slight discomfort on the part of a woman. All you can do is decrease the intensity of the flashes and get through them. You can’t “cure” them. That’s why, you shouldn’t take any drugs under any condition. Even if these drugs are made of natural components, you shouldn’t start taking them if you haven’t yet consulted your doctor. Many of such like drugs, above all, cause tachycardia and an increase of an arterial pressure. This, in turn, may make a mother and her child feel worse.