What changes does the body undergo during pregnancy? Here are some tips to prevent ailments like hypertension and diabetes
Changes in the heart during pregnancy
During pregnancy the heart undergoes a constant increase in work, both due to the increased heart rate and to the increase in the volume of circulating blood.
For these reasons, it is common for pregnant women to feel tired. Even blood pressure changes; in the first months it tends to be lower than normal, while later, usually starting from the twentieth week, hypertension may arise.
Furthermore, the enlarged uterus negatively affects the venous return of the lower limbs, sometimes causing swelling of the legs and ankles, which occurs more frequently in the third trimester and may persist throughout the pregnancy.
Gestational hypertension
In pregnancy a minimum increase in pressure compared to normal values is allowed because the heart, as just mentioned, is subjected to more work; the problem arises when certain limits are exceeded.
A too high pressure during pregnancy can, in fact, cause serious consequences for the fetus, including neonatal mortality and growth arrest; it is therefore important to monitor blood pressure, especially starting from the twentieth week.
To prevent gestational hypertension it is important to follow a correct diet and avoid an excessive increase in body weight.
Women suffering from hypertension before pregnancy must obviously pay special attention. In any case, if you notice an increase in blood pressure, contact your doctor immediately and avoid both self-diagnosis and do-it-yourself .
What are the herbal remedies for hypertension?
Gestational diabetes
Another quite common problem in pregnancy is the so-called gestational diabetes. It can have serious consequences for the child and this is why blood glucose control is so frequent over the nine months.
The best way to prevent and treat gestational diabetes is to follow a correct diet, to guarantee the mother and fetus all the nutrition they need, while controlling their blood sugar. The diet plan of the mother with gestational diabetes should not be left to chance; in fact, the doctor must set up a diet suitable for the woman concerned.
Women who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes should carry out a daily self-control of their blood sugar and keep a diary on which to record both their blood sugar levels and what they have eaten, to give the diabetologist all the tools necessary to assess the situation at each visit control.
Pregnancy and high cholesterol
When it comes to cardiovascular health, cholesterolemia immediately comes to mind. In pregnancy, however, cholesterol control is not included in routine examinations because an increase is absolutely normal and physiological .
In fact, cholesterol is used by the body for the construction of the membranes that surround cells; it goes without saying, therefore, that in the gestational period a significant increase in cholesterol may be considered normal.
In general, to safeguard your cardiovascular health and your child's development it is important not to smoke, drink alcohol or hydrate yourself well during the nine months of pregnancy.
It is also essential to eat well, to control body weight so that the increase does not exceed 10/12 kilos and, when the course of pregnancy allows it, to perform a moderate physical activity.
