Health Solutions
Sinus Alert during Pregnancy
Have you ever wondered why during your pregnancy you tend to sneeze more? How about the fact that you get more headaches and runny noses? Or worse, you get a cold that does not seem to go away?
Well, it is no secret that a lot of changes happen during pregnancy and part of those changes affect your nose. During pregnancy, the hormones responsible for thickening your uterus are also responsible in thickening your nasal passages. Thus, making you feel stuffy most of the time.
The increase of estrogen during pregnancy increase mucus production in the mucous membranes lining your nose. The increase of blood supply in your body also makes your blood vessels expand during pregnancy. This leads to swollen nasal membranes.
20 to 30 percent of pregnant women experience nasal congestion without having allergies or a viral infection like the common cold.
This is called pregnancy rhinitis that can start as early as your second month and last until you have your baby or even a few weeks afterward.
With these facts in mind, if you plan on getting pregnant, make sure to eat health foods to boost your immune system. Or if you have always experienced sinusitis before then it is best to treat it now that you are not yet pregnant.
If ever you catch a cold during your pregnancy, make sure to treat it early also. Better yet, make yourself flu-proof as an ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure.
If during your pregnancy, you find yourself always sneezing, coughing, and is also experiencing a sore throat, mild aches and pains, or possibly swollen glands or a fever, you probably do have a cold or another infection like sinusitis. However, if your sneezing is accompanied by itchy eyes, nose, throat, or ears then it can be allergies.
Your allergies can become worse during pregnancy. If you have never been allergic before, your pregnancy can cause you to be sensitive to allergens and other irritants.
To help relieve you of nasal congestion, take some tried and tested home remedies. But always remember, before taking any medication it is best to tell your health care provider about your symptoms for proper diagnosis.
Taking in any medications during your first trimester is best avoided because this is the time your baby's organs are forming.
