Pregnant women with edema
Release time : 08/23/2025 09:30:04
Pregnant women often experience swelling, with their legs and even the whole body becoming swollen like balloons that have been blown up.
Causes of edema in pregnant women: due to increased pressure on the blood vessels in the legs, the growing baby compresses the great veins at the sacral region, leading to water retention and making edema more likely.
What should a pregnant woman eat for edema? If you don't want to be a "fat paper", pregnant mothers should try their best to avoid gaining too much weight. Don't put everything nutritious in their mouths. Eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of water, eat more celery, apples and citrus fruits and other foods that help maintain normal kidney function and have a diuretic effect.
If the edema is serious, you should also take diuretic treatment if necessary! What is edema in pregnant women? Edema in pregnant women refers to the edema that occurs in women during pregnancy. Edema usually occurs in the lower limbs or other parts of the body, but most of the lower limbs are edema.
Pregnant mothers may develop physical edema due to uterine pressure on the inferior vena cava and changes in body hormones. At this time, some active measures need to be taken to deal with it. Even in severe cases, they need to seek medical treatment in time to rule out major diseases such as pregnancy hypertension.
The reason for edema in pregnant women. Edema in pregnant women brings trouble to the life of pregnant women. How is this edema caused? In fact, there are many reasons for edema in pregnant women. During pregnancy, the uterus will compress the inferior vena cava, blocking the return of venous blood, causing edema.
In addition, the increase in hormones secreted by the placenta and aldosterone secreted by the adrenal glands will also cause sodium and water retention in the body, and the body will naturally become swollen.
The causes of these edema are unavoidable for expectant mothers during pregnancy, but don't worry. Generally, after giving birth to the baby, the water retained in the body will gradually drain out, and the edema of pregnant mothers will disappear.
Symptoms of edema in pregnant women. The main symptom of edema in pregnant women is varying degrees of edema in the body. Which parts do they usually appear in? Edema in pregnant women generally occurs in the neck, feet, legs, abdominal wall, vulva and other parts, but the most prone area to edema is still in the lower limbs. Many pregnant mothers have edema in the lower body and even cannot fit into shoes.
It is important to note that some expectant mothers may also experience internal edema, causing discomfort in the body. In such cases, it is advisable to go for a prenatal check-up at the hospital.
Generally, one can determine whether they have edema by observing if their body is noticeably swollen compared to usual. When pressing down on the skin at the area just below the patella of the shinbone with your thumb, if the skin appears significantly retracted and does not quickly return to its original shape, it indicates that you are experiencing edema.
What should pregnant women do when they experience swelling? How can pregnant women alleviate swelling? First and foremost, the best approach is to ensure ample rest. This is because during rest, the burden on the liver decreases, thereby alleviating swelling.
Edema is the accumulation of fluids. In pregnant women, it is important to maintain blood circulation, so it is necessary to keep warm and avoid wearing tight clothes, ensuring proper breathing.
Pregnant women experiencing edema should reduce their salt intake. Incorporating less salt into their diet can help alleviate swelling.
Edema in the lower limbs is the most common. expectant mothers can raise their legs for about 20 minutes before going to bed. This can accelerate blood reflux, reduce venous pressure, and relieve edema.
In addition to the above solutions, pregnant mothers should also pay attention to the problem of sleeping position and try to choose a sleeping position on the left side. This can avoid compression on the veins of the lower limbs, reduce the resistance to blood backflow, reduce compression on the heart, and also relieve edema. One method.
What should a pregnant woman eat for edema? Edema is a common phenomenon in pregnant women, so don't panic too much, you can improve it through your daily diet. Let's take a look at what it's best to eat for pregnant women with edema.
1. Vegetables and fruits Fresh vegetables and fruits contain a variety of vitamins and trace elements essential to the human body. They can help expectant mothers improve their body's resistance and speed up metabolism. Eating some vegetables and fruits that detoxify and diuretic can effectively improve edema. It is recommended that expectant mothers eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day! 2. Low-salt and high-protein foods are edema because salt cannot be drained out, so pregnant mothers should eat less high-salt foods and adjust their daily diet to eat more poultry, livestock, meat, fish, seafood, shellfish, eggs, milk and dairy products and other protein-containing foods. If you feel that the taste is not enough, you can eat more onions, mushrooms, cilantro and other foods to reduce the amount of salt used.
3. Foods rich in B vitamins can help pregnant women improve symptoms of edema. Yeast, liver, whole grains (such as brown rice), soybeans, legumes, and wheat germ contain vitamin B1, which can be consumed in appropriate amounts.
Pregnant women's edema is a common phenomenon, but its dangers should not be overlooked.
Pregnancy-induced edema may be caused by diseases, and the first step is to rule out gestational hypertension syndrome. Edema is a symptom that appears in the earliest stages of gestational hypertension, with its onset progressively worsening. It can lead to hypertension and proteinuria. These syndromes cause organ ischemia and hypoxia in the mother, posing significant damage to both her and the fetus. For example, pregnant women may experience oliguria, renal failure, edema, cerebral hemorrhage, embolism, and coagulation disorders. The fetus may develop intrauterine growth restriction, distress, stillbirth, and an increased rate of premature birth. The mortality rate of the fetus is relatively higher.
Additionally, pregnant women with edema may experience subcutaneous layer metabolism malnutrition, which directly affects fetal growth and development, and the skin of the infants can also be affected.
In summary, edema in pregnant women is an issue that cannot be ignored. If you notice it to be severe, it is important to seek timely prenatal examinations to prevent the occurrence of such conditions.
The medical information provided in this text is for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on the medical examination conducted in person.