To prevent swelling

According to statistics, edema in the second half of pregnancy occurs in 10-15% of women. What is this - normal or pathological, and how to prevent their occurrence? I will try to answer these questions in this article.

Edema that occurs during pregnancy is usually a manifestation of preeclampsia, or, as it was previously called, late toxicosis of pregnancy.

Preeclampsia is a series of pathological manifestations (edema, increased blood pressure, changes in urine), which most often develop in the second half of pregnancy and are characterized by disturbances in the functioning of the vascular and nervous systems, changes in kidney function, placenta, and metabolic disorders.

Preeclampsia is the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, one of the main causes of illness for mother and child and, sadly, mortality. Every year, it kills 65,000 women worldwide.

Preeclampsia and eclampsia (its most severe manifestation, characterized by seizures) are fraught with such serious consequences for the mother and fetus as cerebral hemorrhage, renal, liver and heart failure, placental abruption, premature birth, fetal development delay (hypotrophy) and intrauterine death. .

In our country, according to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the incidence of preeclampsia over many years is 5-6%.

Its leading manifestations develop as a result of changes in the walls of blood vessels. An increase in vascular tone entails an increase in blood pressure (BP). There is also a difference in pressure numbers on the left and right hands. This difference usually exceeds 10 mmHg.

In second place in frequency among the manifestations of preeclampsia, as I have already noted, is edema. The reasons for their occurrence are multifactorial, primarily they are associated with changes in calcium metabolism - depletion of the walls of blood vessels and a decrease in its level in the tissues of the pregnant woman’s body.

And kidney damage leads to the appearance of protein in the urine, and this is already a formidable warning that the pregnant woman’s body cannot fight on its own (and that is the only reason why the doctor requires a urine test before each visit).

It should be noted that recently one of its manifestations has been observed more often: either the woman is only worried about swelling, or traces of protein are found in the urine, or the pressure rises. The general health of the pregnant woman is not affected, and it can be difficult to convince her to undergo treatment.

But the treatment of this pregnancy complication is the responsibility of doctors at antenatal clinics and maternity wards. And I want to talk about those measures that will help prevent and stop the development of preeclampsia.

These measures include: normal working conditions for a pregnant woman, proper rest, elimination of negative emotions and stress in the family and at work, fresh air, moderate physical activity, rational and balanced nutrition, vitamins, herbal medicine (medicinal herbs). And now more details about each.

The leading place, of course, is occupied by rational nutrition. The daily calorie content of food should be 2800-3500 kcal. Your diet should include 120 g of protein, 350 g of carbohydrates and up to 80 g of fat every day. The amount of liquid should not exceed 1-1.5 liters, table salt - 3-5 g. Smoked meats, spices and seasonings should be avoided. Fasting days are prescribed 1-2 times a week: apple days (1.5 kg of unsweetened apples), cottage cheese days (500 g of cottage cheese), apple-curd days (1 kg of apples and 250 g of cottage cheese). The diet should be rich in magnesium, potassium, calcium salts and vitamins. That is, it is necessary to take multivitamin complexes for pregnant women, for example “Pregnavit”. Also very useful are medical food products “Polysol” or “Antihypoxin”, which are prepared on the basis of corn-malt extract and sprouted grains of oats and wheat and enriched with microelements and vitamins in doses necessary for pregnant women. Special teas with the following composition are also recommended:

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