Fainting during pregnancy is often experienced by some pregnant women. This condition can certainly cause worry, both for pregnant women who experience it and others who see it. Actually, what the hell What causes frequent fainting during pregnancy? And is this condition dangerous?
Fainting during pregnancy is a condition when a pregnant woman loses consciousness suddenly, for a few seconds to a few minutes. Fainting can be experienced by pregnant women from the beginning of pregnancy until the time of delivery.
Causes of Fainting in Pregnant Women
Before fainting, pregnant women generally will feel sensations such as floating and spinning, dizziness, weakness, or nausea. After that, the voices around the pregnant woman will gradually drift away, until she finally faints.
Some of the causes of fainting in pregnant women are:
1. Hormonal changes
During pregnancy, pregnant women will experience changes in hormone levels in the body. Since the beginning of pregnancy, the hormone progesterone will increase and make pregnant women's blood vessels widen. This causes pregnant women's blood pressure to be lower than usual.
If the pregnant woman changes position suddenly, the pregnant woman's blood pressure will also decrease rapidly. Simultaneously, the blood flow to the brain suddenly decreases and makes pregnant women faint.
2. Lack of oxygen supply
Fainting can also occur when the brain is deprived of oxygen. One of the causes is anemia. Anemia, or lack of hemoglobin, is a problem that is often experienced by pregnant women. In fact, hemoglobin is needed to transport oxygen throughout the body.
3. Sleeping too long in the supine position
In the second and third trimesters, pregnant women's uterus gets bigger. If pregnant women sleep on their back, the pressure from the uterus will block the flow of blood from the lower body that should return to the heart. If this happens, the blood pumped by the heart is reduced and causes pregnant women's blood pressure to lower.
If blood pressure gets lower, blood flow to the brain can decrease. This is what makes pregnant women often feel dizzy and nauseous when sleeping on their back. If these symptoms are left unchecked, over time pregnant women can faint.
4. Dehydration
Lack of drinking during pregnancy can cause pregnant women to become dehydrated. This condition is characterized by excessive thirst, darker colored urine, dry mouth, and dizziness. In severe dehydration, fluid in the blood vessels will also be reduced, so blood pressure becomes low. This is what can cause fainting in pregnant women.
In addition to the causes above, pregnant women who have diabetes, anxiety disorders, and who do strenuous exercise also have a greater risk of fainting.
Tips to Reduce the Risk of Fainting During Pregnancy
To reduce the risk of pregnant women experiencing fainting, there are several things that can be done, including:
- Avoid standing for long periods of time. Also, try not to stand up immediately after sitting or lying down.
- Avoid lingering while taking a warm bath because it can trigger a drop in blood pressure and make pregnant women dizzy and then faint.
- Avoid sleeping on your back, especially when the pregnant woman's stomach is large. Pregnant women are recommended to lie down on their left side.
- Use loose and comfortable clothes so that blood circulation is not hampered.
- Adequate fluid needs by drinking at least 1.5 liters per day.
- Sufficient consumption of nutritious foods with small portions but often, to prevent low blood sugar.
- Do light exercise, such as walking, yoga, or swimming, to improve blood circulation.
Fainting during pregnancy is not always dangerous and generally the help needed is also quite simple. However, pregnant women need to be vigilant if this happens frequently, accompanied by blurred vision, shortness of breath, lower abdominal pain, or bleeding. These conditions need to be checked by a doctor immediately for treatment.
