Hemorrhoids

During pregnancy, the production of progesterone has a relaxing effect on the vessel walls, after which increased pressure in the vessels can arise. With constipation, a blockage of your intestines, stool can sometimes be difficult to release. During this time, your intestines also work more slowly, so you have less bowel movements. In addition, the enlargement of your uterus can push your intestines away, again creating a risk of constipation.

Tips

Our advice is that you do not use too much pressure when you are on the toilet releasing stool. You can also prefer to rinse with cold water instead of warm water or take a shower afterwards. A cold compress or a frozen tampon between your buttocks sometimes works wonders too! And if this does not work, you can always use an ointment to make the area more flexible.

Vaginal discharge

Increased blood flow to the glands in the vagina and cervix allows you to have more vaginal discharge. This is usually odorless and ‘watery’ thick. With a vaginal infection or STD you can also experience more discharge. Due to estrogen production, Candida albicans can cause a yeast infection, so it is wise to monitor your discharge.

Tips

This is quite normal if you are pregnant (and do not have a vaginal infection or STD), so there is unfortunately nothing you can do about it. However, try not to use pantyliners for a while, because this can sometimes cause even more discharge.

Pelvic girdle pain

Pelvic girdle pain is caused by the tension placed on the “bands” that hold your uterus in place. You will feel this as a sharp pain in the lower abdomen or on the sides of your uterus, which can extend to the pubic bone and into the vagina.

Tips

Pay attention to good posture; stand upright without a hollow back and tighten your abdominal muscles. If you are in pain, lie down for a while and possibly hold something warm such as a water bottle to your stomach. You can also support your belly by wearing a pregnancy belly band if you have frequent girdle pains. If the complaints persist, make an appointment with a physical therapist.

Pelvic instability, bone pains

Many women experience pelvic instability and/or bone pains during pregnancy. This can be caused by poor posture, sometimes in combination with overweight, or by softening of the ligaments. This allows for greater mobility of the joints due to hormones.
Pelvic instability can be painful and you may feel tired and sore around or around the pubis, vagina, hips or lower back. Sometimes this is described as a bruise feeling or “activation pain” at the start of an action or movement. Unexpected movements can be very painful, as can climbing stairs, bending over, lifting the legs, turning over in bed, getting in and out of bed and other movements.

Tips

Make sure you are in good shape before and during pregnancy. The stronger your muscles around the pelvis, the better you can support the pelvis.
Change attitude a lot. Sitting for a long time is stressful for the lower back and pelvis and can cause complaints, moving in the right way is very important. Many women benefit from walking, but the complaints often disappear when walking. Do not try to lift during your pregnancy and if you cannot figure it out, ask the physical therapist for advice.

Extra tips

If you have an administrative profession, it may be good to walk away from your workplace every half hour; walking around for a few minutes can be enough. Working from home? Adjusting your office chair properly also works wonders; tilt the seat slightly forward with good support in the lower back.

Bleeding gums

Increased blood flow and softening of gums can cause this to bleed more often.

Tips

Only use a soft toothbrush and keep brushing well and often. Visit a dental hygienist (more often) during pregnancy, because your teeth will now have to endure even more.

Painful breasts

Increased blood flow to the breast tissue and an increase in glandular tissue (due to estrogens) can make your breasts very sensitive and painful. In addition, you retain moisture during your pregnancy, which can make them heavier.

Tip

Make sure you have a good, sturdy bra at all times, so that this discomfort is reduced as much as possible.

Heartburn

Progesterone relaxes the sphincter of the stomach and physical changes make it easier for stomach acid to flow back. As the pregnancy progresses, the pressure of the uterus on the stomach can also cause heartburn. You usually suffer from this in the evening and at night and it can feel like a painful irritation behind the breastbone. And sometimes it is painful in the middle of the back or between the shoulder blades.

Tips

Try to sit upright as much as possible if you have heartburn, as this creates space in the abdominal cavity. It may help to slightly lift the head of the bed and avoid spicy or fatty foods. It is also best to avoid carbonated drinks, coffee, alcohol and cigarettes during pregnancy.
Sometimes it works if you eat in small portions and do not lie down immediately after eating. For example, you can divide your meal into a piece of bread, custard, yogurt, quark. Rennies and Antagel can do no harm during your pregnancy, so you can take them. Avoid dairy products, because that actually makes you more acidic.

Pregnancy Mask (Chloasma gravidarum)

Some women get a pregnancy mask during their pregnancy. The cause of this is increased production of Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH) and this creates more melanocytes, so that you can tan more quickly and freckles and pigmentation spots become darker.

Tip

Avoid direct sunlight and always protect yourself with sunscreen when you go out into the sun. In addition, you can use a parasol or hat and it is wise to limit the use of tanning beds or just not use them at all.

Dizziness

Occasionally, insufficient venous return or low blood pressure or Hb can cause dizziness. Other causes can be; hyperventilation or Vena Cava Syndrome, where the inferior vena cava is closed by the uterus when you lie down. This causes too little blood to flow in the left half of the heart and causes dizziness, pallor and low blood pressure.

Tips

Be careful with getting up suddenly, getting up quietly is much better. With Vena Cava syndrome: (first) lie down on your (left) side before getting up.

Thick ankles (Edema)

Perhaps one of the most common ailments during pregnancy is the experience of swollen ankles. You soon notice this when you suddenly cannot close or put on your shoes properly. The cause is pressure, mechanical and hemodynamic pressure, either from fluid outflow or blood accumulation.

Tips

It may help to massage the legs or to hold them up. You can also go hiking or cycling. Sometimes a cold shower (or change bath) and/or compression stockings helps.

Hair growth

Estrogen make hair grow faster and androgens increase hair follicle size. Hair loss is reduced during pregnancy, but the hair falls out extra during the first months post-partum.

Tip

If you notice extra hair growth on your stomach or face, try not to shave! These hairs will fall out again on their own, shaving promotes hair growth even more and then the problem has even worsened…

Braxton-Hicks contractions

The so-called “Braxton-Hicks contractions” arise because the muscles of the uterus contract. This feels uncomfortable, but should not hurt. These type of contractions can develop early in the pregnancy. This phenomenon is not harmful to the baby or yourself.

Tips 

Some women suffer from this more often because they are a bit too busy and in that case taking it easy can help. In addition, you can apply the breathing exercises you learned during pregnancy classes or lie down with a warm water bottle against your stomach. A shower or bath can also provide some relief.

Do pay attention if …

• you have these contractions several times an hour (6 to 7x) and ..

• you are not yet ready to give birth and …

• the symptoms do not diminish when you relax (lie down for an hour with a hot water bottle or after a bath or shower);

• and/or your hard stomachs start to hurt.

In that case, we advise you to contact your midwife or an OB/GYN.

Palpitations

With little exertion or sitting quietly, you can get palpitations during your pregnancy. This is due to an increase in circulating volume and an increase in heart-minute volume.

Tip

We recommend that you sit down and watch your breath. If all goes well, the palpitations will disappear again.

Headache

Headaches during pregnancy can be caused by a number of things, such as tension, psychological causes, more pressure on the spine, postural tension, altered hormone levels, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, low blood sugars, low Hb.

If the headache persists for a long time, you can suffer from high blood pressure. In that case, it is wise to contact your midwife. Even if you notice that your headache is accompanied by other complaints such as tingling fingers, dizziness, seeing stars, nausea, feeling less movement of life.

Tips

A head massage can work wonders. In addition, we recommend a nice warm bath or warm compresses, taking relaxation courses or applying what you have learned in this and the old-fashioned solution: aspirine.

Incontinence

The uterus grows, causing the pressure on your bladder to increase. This causes you to urinate more often and can cause unwanted urine leakage. You can discuss these complaints with your midwife or gynecologist. Sometimes it is wise to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist. It teaches you exercises for the muscles of your pelvic floor so that you can better hold the urine. In some cases it can also be a sign of a bladder infection. Sometimes this is accompanied by more Braxton-Hicks contractions and/or small amounts of urination. The burning sensation during urination in a bladder infection is usually absent during pregnancy.

Pregnancy itch

This so-called “pregnancy itch” can be caused by an increase in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Itching can develop at any time during pregnancy, but usually in the last 3 months to determine the salts in the blood.

The liver also works less well under the influence of the changing hormones, causing “bile acid salts” to enter the bloodstream. This can lead to the itching feeling.

Tips

It helps to drink enough water, at least 2 liters per day and try to not to consume coffee, tea or alcohol. Also do not use tobacco and cocoa-containing products. It is good at this time to limit the use of sugar, salt and fat in your diet. We also recommend wearing cotton clothing and washing it with a PH-neutral detergent.

If the possible treatments do not work, depending on how far along the pregnancy is and the level of bile acid salts in the blood, a decision may be made to induce labor.

Shortness of breath, hyperventilation

You can sometimes experience (physiological) hyperventilation and shortness of breath. One reason for this may be the increasing sensitivity of the respiratory center at low pCO2.

Tip

The only thing that helps against this is rest, sit down and keep breathing. The hyperventilation will eventually disappear.

Nausea

Due to hormonal changes and the rapid rise in hCG and estrogens, there is a high risk of nausea during your pregnancy. So much so that 70-85% of all pregnant women suffer from this and half of these suffer from vomiting, especially in the morning.

This nausea usually starts around 6 weeks of pregnancy and is strongest at 8-9 weeks. Fortunately, in most women, the nausea disappears after about 14 weeks.

Tips

Try to eat light, small meals and eat light breakfasts on a regular basis. Then get up slowly and avoid an empty stomach during the day. For many women, it is good to avoid highly spicy or fatty foods during this time. If this does not help, the doctor can prescribe Emesafene.

Do not worry that it is bothering the baby, it is especially unpleasant for yourself in this time of change and ailments. If you have to vomit very often and a lot, please contact your midwife or obstetrician.

Decreased or increased libido

A common “ailment” during pregnancy is a changing sex drive for women. In general you can say that:
0-16 weeks: women often have a lower libido tired due to tiredness, but sometimes also because of fear of hurting the growing baby.
16-32 weeks: women often have a higher libido due to better blood flow to the genital area.
34-40 weeks: due to physical inconveniences, sometimes combined with pain and changing partner’s sense of purpose, sometimes causing the libido to drop.

Do you suffer from blood loss, broken membranes, advanced dilation or an existing placenta? Then we advise you to refrain from sexual intercourse.

Snoring

Increased blood flow can cause your mucous membranes to swell, which causes snoring.

Tips

We recommend lying on your side while sleeping, using a physiological saline solution. And maybe earplugs for your partner.

Poor sleep quality

Poor sleep quality during pregnancy can be caused by psychological causes, posture problems, snoring, frequent urination, child movements, leg cramps and so on.

Tips

Take a nice warm bath or shower before going to sleep, take an evening walk, drink a cup of warm milk and provide plenty of pillows in bed for a nice posture. In short, make it cozy and comfortable at home! It can also help to talk about fears or concerns with your partner, family or friends.

Muscle Cramps (Restless Legs)

During your pregnancy you can suffer from muscle cramps, for example nocturnal calf cramps. The cause of this is probably reduced blood circulation in the legs.

Tips

Try stretching/stretching the muscle, massaging your legs or feet (or asking your partner to do this for you), this ritual can also be nice and soothing before going to bed.

Tingling fingers (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)

Due to fluid retention or high blood pressure, nerves can be pinched and this can cause numbness or tingling in the hands or fingers.

Tips

Try to keep your arms and hands up and move them, if necessary. Splints (by wearing a wrist protector). Unfortunately, there is no treatment that will make the complaints disappear completely, but rest assured, because after your pregnancy this will disappear again.

Varices (Varicose Veins)

Varicose veins are blue, twisting thickened veins that can develop on your legs as well as on the labia. Varicose veins can cause painful and swollen legs. During pregnancy, they are caused by the hormone progesterone, which causes the walls of the blood vessels to become weaker. As a result, the valves in the veins work less well, so that the blood flows back to the heart less well. The enlarging uterus and the greater amount of blood to be pumped during pregnancy also put more pressure on the blood vessels.

Tips

With varicose veins you can regularly raise your legs so that the blood can flow back better. Alternating showers (alternating cold and warm water) and exercise stimulate the circulation. A washcloth with ice cubes on your leg will soothe the pain.

Compression stockings can also help if you suffer from varicose veins. You must request this through your doctor. Compression stockings are made to measure. Your size keeps changing during your pregnancy. Tight, thick tights (with a high denier content) are often sufficient.
Varicose veins usually disappear after the birth of the baby.

Prevention is always better, so try to stick to this:

• do not lie in a hot bath for too long;

• avoid heat sources on your legs (water bottle, electric blanket);

• that is why we do not recommend sunbathing and a sauna visit;

• do not wear tight stockings or socks;

• avoid standing and sitting for long periods of time;

• do not sit with your legs crossed;

• exercise enough; walk or do gymnastic exercises;

• sleep with your legs slightly up (pillow under the legs) so that the blood can flow back to the heart more easily;

Sweating

Due to increased blood flow in the sweat glands, there is an increased secretion. You can suffer from this especially at night, because then the rest of the metabolism stops.

Tips

Wear cotton clothing in particular and change it often so that you can feel as fresh as possible.