Convulsions in pregnant women. Convulsions in pregnant women: why they occur, and how to deal with it? How to get rid of leg cramps during pregnancy

convulsions are involuntary muscle contractions. Pregnant women most often have cramps in the calf muscles (calf muscles), less often other muscles of the legs, arms, and neck can spasm. With a cramp, a woman feels a strong sharp pain in the muscle, mainly occurring at night during sleep or in the morning at the time of awakening.

Information The most severe muscle spasms during pregnancy appear from the second trimester, when the fetus is actively growing and its nutrient requirements increase.

Causes of seizures during pregnancy

Main reasons the appearance of muscle spasms in pregnant women are:

1. Decreased micronutrient levels in the mother's body (, potassium, magnesium) and vitamins(mainly vitamin B);
2. Decreased glucose levels(sugar) in the blood. Glucose is the main energy source for the body; during pregnancy, it is intensively consumed for the needs of the mother and the growing fetus. A pronounced lack of glucose occurs with a rare and plentiful meal, therefore, pregnant women are advised to eat often, but in small portions;
3. Decreased hemoglobin level in blood;
4. Varicose veins. During pregnancy, increased blood flow in the pelvis increases the load on the veins of the lower extremities. Due to the deterioration of blood circulation in the veins, muscle nutrition is disturbed, which is a favorable background for the development of seizures;
5. inferior vena cava syndrome(observed only in the third trimester). When a woman is in a supine position for a long time, the large uterus compresses the inferior vena cava. In this regard, there is a violation of venous circulation and, consequently, a violation of the nutrition of the calf muscles;
6. . When smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day, chronic oxygen deficiency develops, which has a negative effect on the condition of the muscles;
7. Eating more and other caffeinated drinks (causes muscle tension and cramps).

First aid for seizures

When a seizure occurs, it is necessary:

1. Try not to panic breathe deeply and calmly;
2. Pull your toes towards you several times (repeat until muscle pain decreases);
3. Carefully massage a muscle from the periphery to the center, so as not to provoke a new attack;
4. Lie down with your legs up to improve blood circulation in the calf muscle.

Treating seizures in pregnancy

If seizures occur, you must immediately inform the obstetrician-gynecologist leading the pregnancy. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe additional diagnostic measures (biochemical blood test, blood glucose test, general blood test, etc.) and consultations of narrow specialists (therapist, surgeon).

Treatment for seizures depends on the underlying cause. Yes, at lack of trace elements and vitamins in the body, therapy will consist in normalizing nutrition and taking a complex of multivitamins to normalize their deficiency:

1. Normalization of potassium levels in the body. The most rich in potassium, bananas, potatoes, broccoli, beef liver. With insufficient intake of potassium from food, drug treatment is prescribed: Asparkam,;
2. Replenishment of calcium deficiency. This trace element is found in greater quantities in dairy products, green vegetables (cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli), beans, eggs, nuts. Of the drugs most often used during pregnancy;
3. Increasing the amount of magnesium in the body. Magnesium is found in many foods (seeds, nuts, legumes, greens, carrots, buckwheat porridge). Medical treatment includes taking.

For supporting adequate levels of glucose in the body pregnant women are prescribed fractional meals. The basis of the daily diet should be complex carbohydrates (black bread, cereals, pasta, fruits and vegetables). You should avoid taking simple carbohydrates (candy, cake), because. with a large intake of sugar from the outside, the level of glucose in the blood falls, which leads to severe convulsions.

With severe anemia treatment consists of taking iron supplements (for example,), which normalize the level of hemoglobin in the blood. light stroking from the feet to the thigh;

Pregnancy and childbirth are physiological processes conceived by nature. But, despite this, the woman's body during the entire period of bearing a child is faced with increased stress. Leg cramps during pregnancy are a fairly common problem.

Periodically, almost every woman who is expecting a child faces them. Why do leg cramps occur in pregnant women? There can be several reasons - ranging from a lack of vitamins and trace elements in the body, ending with a sedentary lifestyle and stagnation of blood flow in the legs.

First of all, considering the problem of leg cramps in pregnant women, you need to pay attention to the quality of nutrition of the expectant mother. A chronic lack of certain vitamins and microelements most often causes the development of cramps in the calf muscles during pregnancy.

Often, convulsions appear in response to. Repeated vomiting and salivation lead to excessive excretion of essential nutrients from the body, which are important for the full functional activity of the muscular system.

Venous diseases cause leg cramps during pregnancy not too often, however, they should not be discounted. After carrying out diagnostic manipulations, the gynecologist usually prescribes medications that are safe for the developing fetus and life-saving for the expectant mother.

The lack of calcium, like magnesium, negatively affects all metabolic processes in the body. These trace elements closely interact with each other. Caffeine and many medications impair calcium absorption.

Together with magnesium and calcium preparations, foods such as milk, hard cheese, cottage cheese, nuts, herbs, eggs and fish are recommended for the expectant mother to prevent calf cramps during pregnancy.

Potassium deficiency causes inhibition of the functional activity of the nervous system, since this trace element is responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses to muscle fibers. Calf cramps during pregnancy are the first and quite understandable sign of a lack of potassium in the body. In addition to the convulsive syndrome, which appears at any time of the day, but mainly at night, a woman may note such accompanying symptoms as general weakness, drowsiness, slowing of the heart rate, and.

Hypokalemia often manifests itself already in the 2nd trimester, but more often expectant mothers experience this condition in the last weeks of pregnancy. In addition to potassium supplements, a woman is recommended to supplement her diet with dried apricots, nuts, legumes, seaweed and potatoes.

A lack of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) can also cause calf cramps during pregnancy. This microelement takes part in the synthesis of amino acids, which are important for the formation of protein compounds. In the body of the expectant mother, the amount of vitamin B6 should be increased by 30% compared to the level of its content before pregnancy.

The lack of pyridoxine causes increased irritability, disturbances in the digestive tract, the appearance of caries, the occurrence of early toxicosis and convulsive phenomena in the calf muscles. Nuts are rich in potassium, especially hazelnuts and cedar, sea buckthorn, chicken, fish and pomegranate.

Accompanied by swelling and slagging of the lumen of the venous vessels, it also leads to cramps in the legs during pregnancy at night. In addition, the pressure of the growing uterus on the inferior vena cava causes seizures in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

There are other provoking factors that affect the occurrence of leg cramps in expectant mothers:

• uncontrolled intake of diuretics;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• lack of glucose in the body;
• smoking;
• swelling;
• caffeine.

First aid for seizures

What to do if you experience leg cramps during pregnancy? First of all, you need warmth. A woman should relax her limbs and apply a heating pad or a bottle of warm water wrapped in a towel to them.

If there is no heat at hand - for example, a cramp caught the expectant mother on the road or late at night - you need to stretch the muscles of the legs, stretching the feet towards you, then relax and pull again. These manipulations must be repeated until the convulsions subside.

Often, leg cramps during pregnancy at night appear due to long lying on the right side or back, as the fetus puts additional pressure on the inferior vena cava. In this case, it is recommended to sleep only on the left side.

If the cramps are too intense and last for a long time, you can remove them with the help of a warm bath. Such cases should not be ignored; if they are repeated, consultation of such specialists as a gynecologist, phlebologist, gastroenterologist, etc. is necessary.

Treatment

Treatment of leg cramps during pregnancy depends entirely on the identified cause of this pathology.

The lack of individual trace elements in the body is replenished by taking multivitamin complexes, a properly selected diet and giving up bad habits. Walking in the fresh air helps to better absorb calcium and vitamin D.

Taking multivitamins and preventing their deficiency should be carried out at the stage of pregnancy planning, as well as throughout its entire duration. Do not neglect synthetic vitamin complexes. The fact is that not all nutrients and trace elements from food are absorbed in full, especially if there are problems with the digestive tract or metabolic disorders.

Anemia is eliminated with iron preparations, the course of treatment depends on the severity of the disease. There are situations when a woman is forced to fight anemia throughout her pregnancy and take these drugs.

Varicose veins require the appointment of venotonic drugs, the wearing of special stockings, the application of elastic bandages. All this is prescribed by a doctor, depending on the degree of varicose veins.

Adequately selected therapy leads to the elimination of convulsive phenomena in the legs, a decrease in the symptoms of toxicosis, and the normalization of the nervous system. Thanks to this, the unborn child receives a sufficient amount of trace elements necessary for its normal growth and development.

Prevention

With the help of timely preventive measures, you can avoid the occurrence of cramps in the legs in the future.

convulsions- this is an involuntary and rather painful muscle contraction caused by a violation of blood circulation in this part of the body.

Quite often, for the first time, women experience leg cramps during pregnancy. “To reduce legs”, as they say in the common people, can be for a lot of reasons, the main ones are described below.

Why do pregnant women have cramps in their legs?

Most often, seizures are not an independent disease. Cramps of the lower extremities are rather a symptom of a certain disease, a sign of circulatory disorders or excessive muscle loads.

It can reduce legs due to:

• predisposition or presence of varicose veins (because this disease leads to circulatory disorders in the limbs);
• muscle fatigue;
• improperly selected shoes or wearing high heels;
• an uncomfortable posture or a long stay without movement during sleep (at the same time, the legs become numb and cramp them);
• swelling of the legs of various origins;
• cold feet syndrome;
• metabolic disorders (deficiency of potassium, calcium and magnesium), which leads to muscle weakness and spasms;
• the presence of inflammatory processes in the muscles or ligaments;
• diabetes mellitus (because this disease disrupts the peripheral circulation of the legs);
• neurological problems, in particular, diseases of the lower spine;
• hormonal failure (but then the pregnant woman was diagnosed with a "threat of miscarriage" and she is undergoing hormonal therapy), if nothing threatens the pregnancy, then convulsions can occur due to changes in hormonal status (when the body has not yet had time to adapt).

But as a rule, leg cramps are observed in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. The reason for this is an increased load on the muscles and ligamentous apparatus of the legs, because the pregnant tummy is constantly increasing in size and weight. In addition, the enlarged uterus often compresses the large blood vessels of the pelvis, which disrupts the venous outflow and cramps the legs.

It is also worth saying that during pregnancy, the need for trace elements increases, because the baby takes a certain part of them from the mother's body. With a deficiency of such important nutrients as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, a spasm of calves and toes can be observed. Therefore, if a woman has not yet started taking a special complex of vitamins for pregnant women, it is worth thinking about it.

Why does the leg cramp more often at night?

This may be due to:

• uncomfortable position of the body or prolonged immobility during sleep. At the same time, blood circulation in the legs is disturbed and the legs cramp.
• increased muscle excitability due to excessive intake of coffee or tea during the day. These drinks are muscle stimulants due to the presence of caffeine in them, so excessive intake of coffee or tea does not allow the legs to relax even during a night's rest.
• in most women, swelling of the legs increases in the evening due to the transferred load during the day. The appearance of edema causes leg cramps.

Nocturnal cramps may be longer and more painful than daytime cramps. You need to know how to make the muscles relax and stop the development of painful sensations.

What to do during a seizure?

It is necessary to remember the sequence of actions for cramps of various muscle groups of the legs and to practice in advance to quickly and accurately perform them. This will help relieve spasm without too much fuss in a minimum amount of time.

General procedure:

1. Straighten your leg.
2. Engage antagonist muscles (see below for explanations).
3. Activate blood circulation by rubbing the painful area.

Detailed procedure for different muscles

1. With a spasm of the muscles of the foot and calves, the first step is to pull the sock towards you with an effort (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Method of getting rid of cramps in the foot and calves

Thus, antagonist muscles will be involved, which do the opposite work. And if they tense up, then the cramped muscles should relax on their own. This is provided by the structure of the body of each person.

With the other hand, it is necessary to carefully and quickly rub, knead, pinch the cramped muscle.

Such actions will reduce spasm and increase blood flow in the spasmodic muscle.

Also, painful contractions in the calf muscles can be stopped by pressing on certain points. Sharply, quickly and forcefully press the thumb into the center of the popliteal fossa of the reduced leg. Next, you need to press on a point 5-6 cm above the heel, and leading your hand up, press the calf three times at intervals of several centimeters.

2. With a spasm of the front of the thigh, bend the leg at the knee, pulling it with your hands to your chest (see Figure 2). If the period no longer allows this, then it is necessary to pull the leg as close to the stomach as possible, but without squeezing it.

Rub the contracted muscle and repeat all over again.

Figure 2 - A way to get rid of cramps in the anterior thigh

3. For spasm of the hamstring and/or buttocks, lift the cramped leg and straighten it at the knee (see Figure 3). Rub the back of your thighs well with your hands. Do it all over again if necessary.

Figure 3 - Relief from hamstring cramp

It is useful to study this instruction for all pregnant women, regardless of whether they suffer from leg cramps or not, because no one is immune from its appearance.

Seizure Prevention

What can be done to avoid or reduce the frequency of seizures? The first step is to identify and try to eliminate the cause of their occurrence.

If the woman does not suffer from any of the diseases listed at the beginning of the article, then general recommendations should be followed.

1. Eat more greens, vegetables, fruits (dried fruits in winter, such as dried apricots, dates, prunes) and sesame seeds (a source of calcium). Increase the amount of dairy products in your diet. Avoid excessive consumption of tea and coffee, salty, spicy and pickled. Try to drink more clean water, and only 30% of the total amount of fluid consumed should be juices, fruit drinks, compotes.

Painful muscle contractions in the legs or arms are not uncommon during pregnancy. roll suddenly and especially often disturb the expectant mother during the holidays. What are the causes of cramps during pregnancy and how to deal with them?

Causes of seizures during pregnancy

Convulsions can overcome a pregnant woman for many reasons, while acting as a kind of symptom of possible disorders in the body, starting with a lack of certain microelements and ending with complications during pregnancy. The main causes of seizures during pregnancy:

1. Lack of trace elements such as potassium, magnesium, as well as vitamin B6, caused by:

• firstly, strong, in which the body loses many trace elements with vomit (usually in the early stages);
• secondly, an increase in the needs of the developing fetus (this is especially pronounced in the middle of pregnancy);
• thirdly, the uncontrolled use of diuretics;
• fourthly, unbalanced, in which too few substances she needs enter the woman's body.

3. Violation, which may occur due to the absence, when a pregnant woman eats rarely and in large portions, or “leans” too much on sweets.

4., especially if there is an increased load on the legs.

5. The use of drinks containing caffeine, which provokes dehydration of the muscles and their tension, leading to the development of seizures.

6. “Syndrome of compression of the inferior vena cava”, in which the enlarged uterus presses on the inferior vena cava and causes a violation of the venous outflow from the legs. In this case, convulsions begin to torment the pregnant woman, usually in the third trimester, when she lies on her back or right side.

7. Various diseases and complications of pregnancy.

How to help yourself during seizures

1. Try to slowly and gently, but at the same time, pull the toes of the foot, in which the muscle has been reduced, towards you. After that, also slowly relax the leg, and then pull again.
2. After the cramp is released, gently massage the muscle, warming it up. You can also use a heating pad or hot water to warm the muscle.
3. To restore blood circulation, you can walk around the room a little.
4. To avoid recurrence of cramps, lie down with your legs slightly elevated, for this you can use a pillow or a folded blanket.

Prevention and treatment of seizures during pregnancy

Cramps are only a symptom of certain disorders in the body, so when they appear, you should immediately contact your doctor, who can find out the cause of painful muscle contractions and prescribe treatment.

If the reason is a lack of trace elements and vitamins, then the treatment will be reduced to a revision of the diet and supplementing it with the necessary products. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe a vitamin-mineral complex.

By the way, in the diet of a pregnant woman, in any case, there should be the following: cereals (buckwheat and oatmeal), wholemeal bread and pasta, fermented milk products, hard cheeses, fish, low-fat, vegetables and fruits in fresh and dry form, and also a small amount of nuts. To maintain normal blood sugar levels, it is worth eating often and in small portions.

In order not to provoke leg cramps, it is important to follow these recommendations:

• wear comfortable shoes with a stable heel that does not exceed 5 cm;
• with varicose veins, wear special tights and stockings (the doctor will help you choose the right ones for you);
• starting from the third trimester, try to lie on your left side or put a small pillow under your right buttock to prevent manifestations of the “inferior vena cava syndrome”;
• try to avoid heavy loads on your legs, and if you have to stand for a long time, do unloading exercises that help restore blood circulation in the calf muscles (for example, rise on your toes and lower yourself on your foot several times);
• rest with legs slightly elevated;
• take relaxing warm foot baths before bed, using, for example, sea salt.

Especially for- Ksenia Dakhno