The occurrence of painful sensations in the throat during pregnancy is a situation that cannot be called rare. The cause is usually respiratory infections. They are transmitted by airborne droplets and by household contact, so pregnant women are at risk of infection in the same way as women who are not carrying a child. However, pregnancy is a special condition of the body. Questions regarding the treatment of pregnant women are relevant for doctors of all specialties and are still not fully resolved. On the one hand, there is an insufficient amount of research data, on the other hand, a variety of drug reactions in pregnant patients. How to treat a throat during pregnancy and what should you pay attention to in this case?
How to proceed
Sore throat during pregnancy is a frightening symptom because women are afraid to take medications. At the same time, viral and bacterial infections are undesirable for pregnant women: not only the body of the expectant mother, but also the body of the child can suffer. Treatment is essential, but how can you make it as safe as possible? What will help best - pills, gargles, inhalation?
Pregnant women should not begin treatment for a sore throat without a clear understanding of the cause of the symptoms. Treating effectively does not mean using as many medications or traditional medicines as possible. On the contrary, during pregnancy it is better to limit as much as possible all means that are potentially dangerous to a woman or child. However, it is important to understand what exactly is the point of application of all treatment methods - pain when swallowing can be triggered by inflammation:
- Of a viral nature.
- Bacterial nature.
- Fungal nature.
Most often, a sore throat is a manifestation of an acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI). Moreover, the localization of inflammatory changes is diverse. The pharynx (pharyngitis), tonsils (tonsillitis), larynx (laryngitis) are affected. Bacterial infections are less common, of which the most common is angina (acute tonsillitis of streptococcal etiology). Fungal pharyngitis and laryngitis in adult women are rarely diagnosed, usually they have prerequisites in the form of long-term antibiotic therapy, persistent immunodeficiency, occupational hazards.
The main rule to remember is that it is not always advisable to treat a throat with antibiotics during pregnancy.
There are clear indications for the appointment of antibacterial drugs. Most of the infections that trigger symptoms are viral. SARS (except for influenza) rarely cause any complications during pregnancy. If the treatment is carried out correctly, the expectant mother will feel relief at the same time as a woman who is not carrying a child. However, there are situations when you should never give up antibiotics.
Virus and throat
An increase in the incidence of ARVI is observed, as a rule, in the cold season. A pregnant woman traveling on public transport who comes into contact with infected people is at risk of infection. What to do if your throat hurts during pregnancy?
- Observe bed rest.
The body needs strength to resist infection. During pregnancy, it is extremely important to stay in bed during fever and get enough rest and sleep.
- Stick to a diet.
This is not about restricting calorie intake. It is important to eat foods rich in vitamins, to refuse foods that irritate the mucous membrane. Foods that are too cold, hot, crumbly or spicy should not be eaten. When choosing a method for processing vegetables and meat, it is better to stop at cooking, baking in the oven or stewing.
- Monitor the volume of liquid.
You can drink water, fruit drinks, fruit drinks, tea without adding dyes - the consumed liquid should have a comfortable temperature. A warm drink moisturizes the mucous membrane, essential for fever.
It is also important to adjust the humidity and temperature in the room (50–70% and 19–20 ° C, respectively), dress warmly. You can rinse your nose with saline, use saline drops to moisturize the nasal mucosa. This procedure is not harmful to the child, it helps to eliminate unpleasant symptoms - if the mucus does not dry out, the pain becomes less intense.
In pregnancy, treatment often includes gargling. This is useful, but simple solutions such as salt and baking soda are best. The procedure should be repeated at least 8 times a day, after which there is nothing to eat for about half an hour. You need to prepare the product just before rinsing.
The rinse solution should be warm, but not hot.
How to heal your throat with home treatments? Steam inhalation is used to make the mucus more saturated with moisture. If the patient drinks enough, and the microclimate of the room where she is, avoids drying out of the mucous membrane, they are essentially unnecessary. At the same time, even frequent steam procedures are incapable of “correcting” the influence of dry hot air in the room. In a pregnant woman, as a result of inhalation, the cough softens, but the mucus becomes more - moisturized, it increases in volume. When the coughing of mucus is relieved, the sore throat is somewhat relieved. However, this method does not eliminate the cause of the disease.
What can be used for inhalation? Most often, pregnant women are recommended to inhale steam, for which some additional component is added - lemon juice (1: 100), infusion of chamomile, calendula, mint, eucalyptus. The procedure is prohibited for fever.
Angina
Intense sore throat during pregnancy can be a sign of strep throat. This disease is much more dangerous than the classic ARVI. Since sore throat is a bacterial infection, antibacterial drugs are needed. The use of antibiotics during pregnancy is associated with many concerns, so the medicine is selected from the range of permitted groups:
- penicillins;
- cephalosporins;
- macrolides.
How do you treat your throat with antibiotics? The choice of a specific drug is made by the doctor, self-medication is unacceptable, since it can harm both the mother and the child. Among those drugs that are most often prescribed are Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Azithromycin.
The requirements for the daily regimen, diet and microclimate correction coincide with those for ARVI. In addition to antibacterial drugs, throat treatment during pregnancy includes:
- Local antiseptics.
- Local anesthetics.
- Local anti-inflammatory.
- Gargling.
If your throat hurts during pregnancy, topical therapy may help. Antiseptics and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually used in the form of combined drugs (Faringosept, Strepsils, Sebidin). Sometimes the composition includes an anesthetic (Strepsils Plus, Decatilen). The listed funds are available in the form of tablets and lozenges; there are also sprays (Tantum Verde). These medicines are intended to be absorbed in the mouth or sprayed onto the mucous membrane, and are permitted during pregnancy if the benefits outweigh the likelihood of the risk to the baby.
With angina, you can not carry out any inhalations.
Heat exposure in the presence of purulent inflammation in a pregnant woman is categorically contraindicated.The same applies to the application of warming compresses and other procedures during which the temperature rises, even in limited areas of the body.
Gargling is widely used during pregnancy as a way to cleanse and moisturize the mucous membrane. Antiseptics for rinsing are prescribed only by a doctor. The use of soda and saline solution is independently permissible.
To cure the disease, local treatment cannot be dispensed with. The dose of antibiotics should be sufficient - its intentional self-reduction, as well as stopping the intake earlier than the recommended time, does not contribute to recovery. Symptom relief is not a reason to stop taking the drug right away. Mandatory examination of the patient by a doctor is important - depending on the condition, different therapy may be recommended, and not always exclusively medicinal.
Infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis, also called monocytic angina, is a disease that is triggered by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is characterized by sore throat, headache, fever, general weakness, enlargement of the cervical and axillary lymph nodes. Sometimes a rash appears on the skin. Both erased and clearly manifested clinical forms can occur. How to treat a sore throat during pregnancy - what should a woman do if it hurts as a result of the development of infectious mononucleosis?
Self-medication is unacceptable, a mandatory examination by a doctor and confirmation of the diagnosis with the help of a comprehensive examination is required. No specific therapy has been developed. Pregnant women are recommended such drugs as:
- human recombinant alpha2b interferon (Viferon);
- folic acid;
- lipoic acid;
- vitamin E, etc.
Viferon is used in the form of rectal suppositories from 28 to 34 weeks of pregnancy. Antibiotics are only needed
in the case of a secondary bacterial infection.
In infectious mononucleosis, drugs belonging to aminopenicillins (Ampicillin, Amoxicillin) are contraindicated.
In the case of infectious mononucleosis, an itchy rash may occur. This can be either a manifestation of the infection itself, or the result of taking antibacterial drugs from the aminopenicillin group. "Ampicillin rash" occurs in the vast majority of patients, therefore, if it is necessary to prescribe antibiotic therapy, drugs from other groups are chosen.
What to do when your throat hurts during pregnancy? As additional methods of treatment, gargle, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen, Paracetamol) are used to lower body temperature and reduce the severity of pain. Recommendations regarding diet, drinking regimen and correction of microclimate characteristics described in the previous sections are relevant.
Treatment during pregnancy must be reasonable and safe. It is possible to eliminate sore throat in pregnant women only with complex therapy. If you experience pain during swallowing and other symptoms, you should consult your doctor. Treatment of infectious mononucleosis should be carried out under the supervision of an obstetrician-gynecologist.
