What is the danger of a runny nose for a fetus during pregnancy

The increased sensitivity of a pregnant woman to colds is due to a decrease in immune reactivity. This physiological feature of this period allows you to maintain pregnancy and prevent spontaneous abortion. Frequent rhinitis can be a consequence of temporary immunodeficiency. In the article we will look at how a runny nose affects the fetus during pregnancy, how to protect yourself from unwanted consequences.

Nasal congestion is not always the result of infectious rhinitis, as hormonal fluctuations predispose to dilated blood vessels and swelling of the nasal mucosa. Usually, a runny nose of pregnant women develops from the second trimester.

In order to choose the right medications, you need to understand what caused the runny nose. It can be:

• hormonal fluctuations;
• infectious diseases (viral, bacterial);
• allergic reactions.

With the onset of pregnancy, a woman becomes more susceptible not only to colds, but also to stress factors. Hypothermia, contact with a sick person, poor nutrition - all this in combination can lead to the appearance of symptoms such as:

1. rhinorrhea (nasal discharge may be watery, viscous, clear, or yellowish);
2. nasal congestion, which leads to difficulty in nasal breathing;
3. hyperthermia (observed with an infectious origin of rhinitis);
4. headache, dizziness, poor appetite and drowsiness can result from intoxication and hypoxia;
5. pain in the paranasal region, which indicates the development of sinusitis;
6. sneezing, coughing, itching, and signs of conjunctivitis can be troubling with allergic rhinitis.

What is the danger for a pregnant woman?

The "pregnant" period for a woman is one of the most important in her life, but a common cold can darken its course. Against the background of the onset of symptoms of the disease, a woman feels constant fatigue, blood pressure may increase and toxicosis may develop.

The formation of an inflammatory focus in the nasopharynx leads to an increased risk of complications associated with the spread of inflammation to surrounding organs. Thus, it is possible:

1. the development of laryngopathy, when the swelling spreads to the mucous membrane of the oropharynx. Symptomatically, this condition is manifested by sore throat, hoarseness and coughing;

Coughing during pregnancy is dangerous with the risk of premature birth or miscarriage, because the increased intra-abdominal pressure leads to an increase in the tone of the uterus.

1. hearing loss - due to swelling of the mucous membrane of the Eustachian tube and a violation of its airway function. A woman can notice how her ears are "pawing";
2. development of tonsillitis, pharyngitis. Difficulty nasal breathing makes a woman breathe through her mouth, so cold, uncleaned air comes into contact with the mucous membrane of the oropharynx and damages it;
3. the occurrence of sinusitis (frontal sinusitis, sinusitis). The risk of disease is increased if a woman has had chronic sinusitis before pregnancy. The complication is due to the activation of bacterial microbes or the addition of new pathogenic pathogens;
4. the appearance of an attack of bronchospasm, if the cause of the disease is an allergic factor.

Danger to the fetus

What is the danger of a runny nose during pregnancy for the embryo?

If the cause of nasal congestion in a pregnant woman is an infectious disease, there is a risk of intrauterine infection of the embryo.

This is observed if the infection from the nasopharynx begins to spread through the bloodstream throughout the body.

What else is rhinitis dangerous?

• nasal congestion leads to impaired gas exchange in the lungs. This is due to two factors. First, as the uterus enlarges, the diaphragm rises higher and higher, thereby supporting the lungs and reducing their respiratory capacity. On the other hand, less oxygen is supplied to the lungs due to nasal congestion, which leads to fetal hypoxia. The most sensitive to oxygen starvation is the nervous tissue, therefore, the risk of mental retardation in the embryo increases;
• hyperthermia is a physiological feature of the body, indicating the fight of immunity against infection. The greatest danger occurs in the first trimester. The severity of complications of fever depends on its level, cause, duration, and gestational age. Hyperthermia disrupts protein synthesis, which can lead to the formation of malformations of the nervous, cardiovascular systems, facial skeleton and muscles. In addition, high prolonged fever is fraught with intrauterine embryo death, increased uterine tone, impaired blood circulation in the placenta and fetal hypoxia.

Thus, the combination of the symptoms of the disease increases the risk of:

1. spontaneous abortion;
2. the appearance of malformations;
3. intrauterine fetal freezing;
4. premature rupture of amniotic fluid;
5. intrauterine infection;
6. development of placental insufficiency, due to which the placenta loses its ability to fully provide the fetus with nutrients and oxygen.

What medications are allowed during pregnancy?

Complications of the common cold can be caused by inappropriate treatment.

Today, there are many medications that can help relieve the symptoms of a cold. Every woman needs to know that during pregnancy one should be extremely careful in the choice of medicines. Their therapeutic effect in rhinitis can be detrimental to the embryo.

Often, when rhinorrhea appears, we tend to drip the nose with vasoconstrictor drops. This helps to temporarily eliminate a runny nose and restore nasal breathing. The action of the drug is to reduce the secretion and swelling of the mucous membrane due to the narrowing of local blood vessels.

If you use large dosages, there is a possibility of developing systemic vasospasm, which is very dangerous during pregnancy. Why should vasoconstrictor drops be used with caution during pregnancy?

1. drugs quickly penetrate the placenta into the body of the embryo, which is fraught with mutations and death;
2. constriction of blood vessels reduces the delivery of food and oxygen to the embryo, which leads to its hypoxia;
3. deterioration of blood supply is also observed due to contraction of the myometrium.

With the development of allergic rhinitis, you need to know which antihistamines are safe and which can harm the unborn child.

The danger of using drugs increases if they are used in high dosages and for a long course.In addition to the negative effect on the embryo, vasoconstrictor drugs lead to dryness of the nasal mucosa in a pregnant woman, addiction and chronic atrophic rhinitis.

Do not forget that the duration of treatment can be shortened if you follow some of the recommendations:

1. the drinking regime should be 1.5-2 liters per day. Its volume must be controlled by a doctor in order to avoid increased puffiness. A pregnant woman needs to drink fruit drinks, warm milk, still water, fruit drinks or tea;
2. bed rest is necessary to restore the body's strength;
3. aloe juice is useful for instilling the nasal passages;
4. washing of the oropharynx and nasal passages is carried out with herbal decoctions (sage, chamomile) or saline solutions;
5. vitamin nutrition is shown;
6. it is necessary to ventilate the room, wet cleaning and humidify the air.

Prophylaxis

The frequency of colds can be reduced by avoiding hypothermia, long-term contact with sick people, eating healthy food and spending enough time in the fresh air. In addition, sleep and protection from stress are important for a pregnant woman. Comprehensive prevention will not only strengthen the immune system, but also improve the mood of the expectant mother.

Is a runny nose dangerous during pregnancy? It all depends on its cause and treatment tactics. If you start rinsing the nose on time, increase the drinking regime and take vitamins, the disease will quickly recede, without giving a chance for complications. The main thing is to notice the symptoms in time and consult a doctor.