Ears hurt during pregnancy: causes and treatments

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pregnancy is a period of childbearing by a woman, during which significant hormonal and physical changes occur in the body of the expectant mother. Ear pain during pregnancy, unfortunately, is relatively common. As a rule, it is accompanied by many unpleasant signs.

Does your ear hurt during pregnancy? What to do? Let us consider in detail how to treat this pathology, how it can be caused and which doctor should be consulted in this condition.

Reasons

Most common cause of ear pain due to similar circumstances during pregnancy:

1. Blown out ear.
2. Infection of the auricular concha of a pregnant woman.
3. Auricular sulfur accumulation.
4. Allergic reaction that gave a complication in the ear.
5. Excessive pressure on the ear
6. Untreated flu, sinusitis or sinusitis in a pregnant woman, which provoked complications in the form of ear inflammation.
7. Ear damage by various enterobacterial microorganisms and fungi.
8. Ear damage by pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae can provoke acute purulentinflammation.
9. The ear was blown out during pregnancy.

Important! Some believe that the ears ache directly on the fact of pregnancy, but this fiction should be dispelled, since the period of bearing children is not able to directly influence the formation of ear diseases.

What pathologies can manifest?

Human ears are most exposed to subsequent diseases:

1. Otitis media. It causes many complications during pregnancy. It is a difficult infectious disease, which is accompanied by an intense inflammatory process in the auricular concha. Symptoms of such a disease will be a sharp, shooting pain in the ear, migraine, burning sensation and partial hearing loss. In the most serious cases, there is a violation of the patient's sound perception.
2. Acute purulent otitis. Develops due to infection. With such an ailment, a pregnant woman can have fever, swollen lymph nodes, tinnitus, their congestion and severe weakness. In addition, a mandatory indicator of such a disease will be severe pain in the head and ears. With a lack of surgical treatment, purulent otitis media will provoke the promotion of infection and the appearance of pus from the ears. This, in turn, leads to major intoxication of the body, which is especially risky for a pregnant woman.
3. Exudative otitis. This is a non-purulent model of inflammation that is confined to the patient's auditory tube. In this state, the appearance of a special secret in the ear, its congestion and hearing loss can be traced. painfulthere is almost no sign.
4. Chronic otitis during pregnancy, unfortunately, is no exception. This disease is formed as a result of untreated acute otitis media. It has an undulating course and is able to intensify several times a year, initiating painful pains in a pregnant woman.

Chronic otitis media is dangerous because it can hopelessly damage the ear mucosa and cause significant pathologies.

Which doctor should I go to?

If your ears hurt during pregnancy, in this case, you should immediately contact an experienced otolaryngologist. In addition, it will not be superfluous to inform your therapist and gynecologist about your own condition.

Diagnostic Methods

Traditional diagnosis for earache during pregnancy includes:

• Initial examination and history taking.
• Pap test.
• Otoscopy performed.
• Taking a culture from the ear to detect the causative agent of the infection.
• X-ray of the temporal bone is provided in exceptional cases.

How to treat otitis during pregnancy?

Depending on the form of the lesion, otitis media therapy can be conservative or operational. The need for surgical treatment appears extremely rarely and is necessary mainly when mastoiditis appears or when the treatment of internal otitis media is ineffective, due to the high likelihood of intracranial complications.

It is difficult to treat otitis during pregnancy,since the treatment is carried out mainly without the support of antibacterial substances, which is very preferable at the time of expectation of the child. Therapy without prescribing drugs is more acceptable with external otitis media, if the infection has not affected the eardrum, as well as with ordinary otitis media, if there is no discharge from the ears, the general condition of the mother is far from serious, that is, general intoxication is insufficiently manifested or not present at all, the temperature is normal or increased to 38 ° C, there are no chronic diseases of the ENT system or other organs.

Expectant strategy involves monitoring the expectant mother and therapy without prescribing antibacterial agents for two to three days. If the situation is not aggravated and positive dynamics are noticed, it is permissible to continue this kind of therapy under the supervision of an ENT doctor. It should be noted that the issue of using antibacterial agents is decided only by an ENT doctor after the examination. Self-medication is absolutely unacceptable.

If the inflammation concerns the inner ear, then medications are prescribed instantly, since the risk of intracranial complications is huge. For this reason, with the appearance of pain in the ear, an increase in temperature and other manifestations of the disease, you should immediately go to the doctor, informing him of your own situation. In the process of healing, if there is a temperature and symptoms of intoxication, it is necessary to adhere to bed rest. It is also necessary to drink enough water to flush out viruses from the body (if there are no contraindications).

Therapy for severe cases

In case of any symptoms, you should immediately go to the otolaryngologist. It is forbidden to be treated independently, because only a specialist, with a thorough examination and the use of diagnostic measures, is able to establish an accurate conclusion and begin timely therapy. Self-medication can have the most negative impact on the he alth of both the mother and her unborn baby. Each disease will require the close attention of a specialist, especially in a pregnant girl.

With exudative otitis media and tubo-otitis, as a rule, blowing is performed. An olive (an oval-shaped iron fixture) is inserted from the edge of the nose. A tube with a rubber pear is attached to it. With the help of a sudden pressure, air enters the pear through one half of the nose (the second is covered by the doctor's finger), and due to the increase in pressure, the auditory tube opens. It is also possible to do pneumomassage of the tympanic membrane by thickening and rarefying the air in the external auditory canal. This operation can be performed using a special unit, or the patient can perform it on her own by pressing the tragus into the external auditory canal. As a rule, such procedures for seven to fourteen days make it possible to achieve an absolute renewal of the patency of the auditory tube, and consequently, the exit of water from the middle ear and improve hearing.

With a sharp purulent otitis media in pregnant women in the preperforative period, it is possible to use turundas with boronalcohol, "Candibiotic", "Sofradex". Already after the appearance of perforation, a thorough everyday toilet of the ear is performed (elimination of pus), it is possible to introduce turundas with twenty percent Sulfacil-sodium, Candibiotic. As a rule, after the appearance of perforation and the release of pus, the procedure will be canceled over time, and healing will begin.

Pain from wax plug

In some cases, severe ear pain is caused by common cerumen. When water enters the ears, it swells and begins to put pressure on the eardrum. In this case, a three percent solution of hydrogen peroxide or "Remo-Vax" - completely harmless ear drops for pregnant women and young children, can instantly solve the issue. The structure of "Remo-Wax" includes:

• mink oil as base;
• relaxing element lanolin;
• anti-inflammatory allantoin;
• cleansing sorbic acid.

There are practically no chemicals in these drops. They simply soften the wax plug, it stops pressing on the eardrum, and the wax eventually crawls out through the ear canal.

Tinnitus during pregnancy

As a rule, it is not considered a significant problem if the expectant mother does not suffer from diseases of the endocrine and cardiovascular systems. In order to get rid of such discomfort, which is not considered an indicator of pathology, it is recommended to reduce the use of s alt, maintain normal blood pressure, spend more timein the fresh air, outside the city, if the permanent place of residence is a large city.

You should protect yourself from psychological stress. If a pregnant woman feels ringing or noise in her ears, you can try to plug them with cotton wool - this will make things a little easier.

At moments like this, it is recommended to be distracted so as not to focus on the problem. You can read, do what you love. An unpleasant manifestation, as a rule, proceeds without any treatment. Already after childbirth, it weakens, after a week or two the girl will completely forget about such a negative companion of pregnancy. Thus, there is no need to panic in advance and set yourself up for serious causes of noise. Go to the doctor. When he convinces that there is no cause for concern, then simply be patient.

Ear congestion during pregnancy

When you think that stuffy ears during pregnancy are caused by pressure surges, then, of course, you need to try to restore it. Every pregnant woman has her own reliable way. Try a cup of coffee, tea, a chocolate bar, take an intense walk, or use your own method. It happens that the ears are blocked unexpectedly for a very short time, and then, just as suddenly, the difficulty disappears on its own - and that's it. However, much more often during pregnancy, the ears are laid again and again. For a while, certain tricks and methods can help improve the situation:

• Swallow saliva or drink some water.
• Open your mouth wide as if about to yawn.
• Pinch your nose and exhale sharply (orswallow).
• Chewing gum may help for some.
• Lie down and take a nap, or just lie down for at least a couple of minutes.
• If ear congestion is caused by the formation of sulfur plugs, then drip hydrogen peroxide - two drops in each ear.
• In the horizontal state, ear congestion disappears for many.
• Eat something.

Drops for pain

Drops are considered the most famous substances than to treat the ear during pregnancy. They have the necessary local effect on the body and are not addictive. Thus, have a minimum number of side effects.

Drops against otitis media

What drops in the ears can be during pregnancy? It certainly depends on the active ingredient. The following is a list of drugs whose effects have been confirmed in practice. These ear drops during pregnancy are considered quite harmless. The active ingredient of this remedy is indicated in brackets:

• "Otipax" (xylocaine, phenazone);
• "Kandibiotic" (chloramphenicol, beclomethasone);
• "Normax" (norfloxacin);
• "Combinil-Duo" (ciprofloxacin);
• "Uniflox" (ofloxacin).

In addition, ear drops can achieve the following effects:

• antibacterial ("Ciprofloxacin", "Ofloxacin", etc.);
• anti-inflammatory ("Beclomethasone", "Fexamethasone", "Phenazon" andetc.);
• anesthetic ("Xylocaine", etc.).

Otofa

Instructions for the use of Otofa (ear drops) states that it is an antibiotic from the category of rifamycins for local use in otolaryngology. It is active in the relationship of many gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms that cause the formation of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the middle ear.

Contraindication - increased susceptibility to rifamycin.

According to the instructions for use of Otofa ear drops, during pregnancy they should be used with extreme caution and only after the doctor's recommendations.

Adults are instilled in the ears five drops three times a day, or the medication is poured into the ears for a few minutes twice a day. The drug can be used to flush the tympanic cavity through the attic cannula.

Duration of treatment - no more than seven days. Before using ear drops, it is recommended to warm the vial by holding it in your hand to avoid unpleasant feelings associated with cool water getting into your ears.

Prevention measures

To reduce the risk of ear pain, a pregnant woman must definitely follow the doctor's advice:

1. Keep water out of your ears. This is especially important when swimming in open ponds. In general, doctors do not recommend visiting untreated water bodies while you are expecting a baby.
2. Keep your head warm. In windy weather, you must constantly wear a thick hat and scarf in order to cover your ears as much as possible from frost and drafts.
3. Avoid visiting crowded areas. Especially during outbreaks of acute respiratory diseases.
4. Consult a professional. If the first symptoms of ear pain occur, immediately contact the doctor and do not start your condition.
5. Timely treat viral and bacterial diseases. Including influenza, sinusitis and others.
6. Proper ear hygiene. But bypassing fanaticism. It will be sufficient to wash the outer shell of the ear, without the use of cotton buds or third-party sharp objects.
7. Avoid sick people. Do not have contact with people who have become ill with viral illnesses (this is especially true for children, since they often become a direct source of infection).
8. Strengthen your own immunity. To do this, it is important to have good sleep and peace, to be in the fresh air more, to take vitamins (only after the appointment of a doctor) and to eat wisely. It is recommended to include fresh vegetables and fruits, freshly squeezed juices, boiled meat and not very fatty fish in the daily diet.
9. Exclude bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol, which negatively affect the course of pregnancy.