Runny nose during pregnancy: treatment with medicines and folk remedies

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

Rhinitis during pregnancy is not uncommon, many expectant mothers are also worried about nasal congestion. At first glance, complications of this kind should not cause concern. Only in relation to pregnant women, a runny nose causes a lot of trouble and discomfort. This is mainly due to the fact that many drops are contraindicated for pregnant women, as, indeed, almost any medication.

Therefore, every mother tries with all her might to protect herself from any disease, so that neither the infection itself nor the course of treatment cause irreparable harm to the baby. Unfortunately, this is very rarely possible, especially when the season changes. Thus, the risk of catching rhinitis increases if pregnancy occurs in the autumn or spring months. It is believed that inhalation during pregnancy from a runny nose helps as much as possible.by the way. But let's not get too far ahead.

And if a woman is allergic to flowers, then allergic rhinitis can worsen in the summer. In June, it is full of poplar fluff, and in August, ragweed pollen is the causative agent of allergies.

Every woman should not only try to protect herself from rhinitis (but this is an almost impossible mission), it is much more important to know what can be done from a runny nose during pregnancy. And most effectively and without harm to the child.

What is it, rhinitis?

In pregnant women, a runny nose can manifest itself in different ways. In total, several types of it can be distinguished:

• colds (infectious);
• allergic;
• vasomotor (hormonal).

At the same time, each type of rhinitis has its own peculiarity of treatment.

Infectious rhinitis

Pregnant women most often experience a cold in the first trimester. Indeed, during this period, cardinal hormonal changes begin in the mother's body, due to which the immune system weakens. In this case, the woman is most vulnerable to various kinds of infections. In addition to a runny nose, the expectant mother may have an increase in body temperature, a headache appears, and her voice becomes hoarse.

Often, a runny nose during pregnancy causes other respiratory manifestations such as cough and sore throat against the background of generally accepted symptoms (weakness, lethargy, etc.).

Allergic manifestation of disease

Allergic rhinitis, in fact, is a responseorganism to contact with the allergen. And since in pregnant women the sensations become aggravated, the sensitivity to allergenic pathogens also changes. As a rule, women who are already in adulthood know what they are allergic to, and therefore, during childbearing, such mothers try to avoid contact with the allergen.

Vasomotor or hormonal runny nose

This is a kind of a separate characteristic of rhinitis, which is associated with the effect of hormones that are released from a woman only during pregnancy, on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. For example, due to the hormone estrogen, the mucous membranes swell, and the effect of progesterone helps to evade the secretion of cells. As a result, nasal congestion occurs, accompanied by copious discharge.

As a rule, this kind of runny nose during pregnancy occurs with the advent of the second trimester and can last until the third period, until the very birth of the child. But as soon as the baby is born, after 1-2 weeks the runny nose goes away on its own.

Hormonal or vasomotor rhinitis differs from infectious rhinitis in that it occurs without fever, and there is no purulent nasal discharge.

Dangerous Consequences

Is a runny nose dangerous for a pregnant woman and her baby? The answer is unequivocal - without a doubt! However, do not immediately panic, you need to take control of the situation. Rhinitis is a symptom that appears with almost every cold. Often, a runny nose during pregnancy manifests itself in the following form:

• nasal congestion;
• difficulty breathing through the nose;
• formation and secretion of a liquid or viscous secret;
• mucosal itching.

As for the threat, it is as follows. Nasal congestion occurs due to swelling of its mucous membrane, which leads to impaired oxygen circulation. As a result, hypoxia of the nasal tissues appears, which in turn provokes the creation of pathogenic microflora. As a result, rhinosinusitis develops. And it requires a thorough and long course of treatment.

If you do not use remedies for the common cold during pregnancy, then due to hypoxia, the process of supplying oxygen to the brain is disrupted, which causes headaches, dizziness, lethargy, and fatigue. But in addition, neurotic symptoms may begin to develop. This is expressed in the form of irritability, tearfulness, sleep disorders. In particular, these signs appear during the course of severe rhinitis in pregnant women.

When the nose is stuffed up, you have to breathe through your mouth, as a result of which the lower respiratory tract is attacked due to the unhindered spread of infection such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis and other similar diseases.

For this reason, it is necessary not to dismiss the common cold during pregnancy. What to do? Timely treatment. Moreover, it should be comprehensive, operational, and most importantly, safe!

Current I trimester

Consider now,what danger can be fraught with a runny nose in each of the three trimesters of pregnancy. And let's start with the first one. It is from this period that the global restructuring of the female body begins. And again, due to weakened immunity, the appearance of any viral disease poses a dangerous threat to mother and child.

It is during this period that the laying of many internal organs in the fetus occurs. And as statistics show, the main cause of miscarriages is precisely the presence of an infectious disease. In this regard, as soon as the first signs of a runny nose appear during pregnancy in the 1st trimester, you should immediately consult a doctor:

• The body temperature rises.
• Cough.
• Tickle.
• Sore throat.

All this may indicate the development of a cold and SARS. In addition, every expectant mother should understand one thing - under no circumstances self-medicate! This is due to the fact that most of the medications are contraindicated for women who are in position. Otherwise, you can cause irreparable harm not only to yourself, but also to your unborn baby.

Features of a runny nose in the II trimester

Basically, this period is more calm for every woman. The child is sufficiently formed, his body is adapted to the environment and the immune system is a little stronger. And as noted above, it is at this time that a hormonal runny nose can occur. However, unlike a runny nose during pregnancy in the 1st trimester, there is no threat of miscarriage,because the uterine placenta not only provides the fetus with the necessary nutrition, but also reliably protects it from a number of adverse factors.

However, the appearance of rhinitis can still be fraught with a certain danger. This is mainly due to swelling of the mucosa, which occurs in conjunction with a change in the hormonal background of the female body.

As a result of hypoxia, fetoplacental insufficiency develops, in which the child receives a minimal amount of nutrients, including oxygen access. Ultimately, the child's nervous system is disrupted, and he cannot gain the necessary mass. In addition, the endocrine system of the fetus is also at risk, since its development begins during this period of pregnancy.

Typically, in the second trimester, it is allowed to use some drugs when there is a runny nose during pregnancy and a sore throat. But at the same time, only the minimum dosage is shown, and the intake should be carried out only under the supervision of the attending physician.

III trimester

Often, a runny nose accompanies a pregnant woman not only with the onset of pregnancy, but also occurs at a later date. During this period, the same side effect that is characteristic of rhinitis also persists - oxygen starvation due to mucosal edema.

A viral runny nose in the last weeks of pregnancy is fraught with many consequences:

• infection can get into the amniotic fluid;
• intrauterine infection of a child before childbirth;
• protective functions of the placenta are weakened;
• impairs a woman's milk production.

As you can understand, the runny nose in this period does not significantly affect the development of the child. At the same time, due to rhinitis, the baby can be born with pathologies. For this reason, when signs of rhinitis appear, it is necessary to consult a doctor to treat a runny nose during pregnancy in the 3rd trimester. Moreover, regardless of the nature of its manifestations.

Causes of rhinitis

Rhinitis among pregnant women is so common that many ladies simply do not pay attention to it, but they should. Such a large "popularity" of rhinitis is due to understandable reasons. And the main one lies in the weakened immunity of the expectant mother. After all, the female body devotes most of its forces to the development and protection of the child.

Another reason is the intense production of progesterone and estrogen. A side effect of this is swelling of the mucosa, which occurs against the background of a decrease in its thickness.

In addition, a runny nose can occur due to drying of the mucous membrane. This leads to an increasing volume of blood in the mother's body. But the mucosa itself dries up due to other factors. These can be various allergic processes or a low level of humidity in the surrounding air.

What can I do for a runny nose during pregnancy?

How to treat a runny nose for pregnant women, since it is so dangerous for both: mother and child? First of all, it is necessary to exclude, if possible,contact with allergens.

However, this is not always achieved, and then the treatment of allergic rhinitis is carried out with the use of antihistamines, which can relieve the symptoms of allergies.

Only due to pregnancy and to avoid any effect on the fetus, only the latest generation of these drugs are used. And at the lowest dosage. As for hormonal drops from a runny nose during pregnancy, they should be discarded during the I and III trimesters.

When you have a cold, you should mainly stay in bed for several days. But, in addition, it is necessary to rinse the nose with saline solutions. Drinking plenty of water is also indicated. Such actions allow the female body to cope with the infection on its own.

As for antiviral and antibacterial drugs, their use is categorically not recommended. In this regard, before dripping one or another remedy into the nose, the expectant mother needs to read the instructions and consult a doctor.

In the event that a runny nose becomes more pronounced and is accompanied by purulent discharge, pain in the paranasal sinuses or in the forehead, high fever, the doctor will be able to select the necessary drops from the common cold during pregnancy. In this case, special antibiotics will be prescribed, which have the most minimal effect on the fetus, affecting only the infection.

Treatment of vasomotor rhinitis begins with establishing itorigin, which should be done only by a doctor and no one else. Only he conducts the selection of the necessary preparations, which may include medicines on a plant or chemical basis, decides what physiotherapy can be performed, and prescribes general strengthening agents. In addition, his duties include drawing up the rules of nutrition and daily routine.

Something about vasoconstrictor drugs

Most people prefer to get rid of the annoying runny nose with drugs with a vasoconstrictor effect. Moreover, the use is uncontrolled. Unfortunately, many pregnant women do this. Only now, taking such remedies for the common cold during pregnancy is recommended only in the most extreme cases, in order to alleviate the symptoms of rhinitis.

If such a need cannot be avoided, such medicines should be used with extreme caution. Some part of the active substance is still able to penetrate the circulatory system of the female body, therefore, it is not difficult to reach the fetus.

Due to their action, small capillaries also narrow, which leads to oxygen starvation. In addition, vasoconstrictor drugs increase blood pressure, which, in fact, causes headaches. A good alternative to such drugs is Pinosol. True, such treatment does not help every expectant mother.

Folk remedies for the common cold during pregnancy

In addition to the traditional drug treatment, you can get rid of the common cold with the help of folk remedies that have been tested by time. Howeverhowever, care must be taken, since many herbs can adversely affect the development of the child. An example is an aloe solution, which provokes an increase in the tone of the uterus. Decoctions of sage and mint have pronounced disinfectant properties and constrict blood vessels.

For this reason, these products are not recommended for use during pregnancy. To eliminate a runny nose, it is better to use other methods:

• Nasal steam inhalations during pregnancy are highly effective against the common cold. Usually they are carried out over a container with boiling water, and a small amount of soda and aromatic oils can be added to the water. Boiled water can be replaced with a decoction of chamomile, St. John's wort, plantain.
• Indoors, it is necessary to maintain the required level of humidity. If possible, expectant mothers should spend most of their time outdoors.
• Try to keep the head elevated during sleep so that it is higher than the body. To do this, you can put another pillow or raise the head of the bed. As a result, blood flow to the nasal passages will decrease, which in turn reduces nasal congestion.
• Also helps well "Asterisk" during pregnancy from the common cold. This tool was held in high esteem in Soviet times, however, now its popularity has subsided. However, some women use this effective ointment as well.
• Avoid general heat treatments as thisalmost always provokes a miscarriage. Give preference to warm hand baths. And in the absence of a bacterial infection, you can warm up the bridge of your nose.
• Pregnant women are shown acupressure using eucalyptus or fir oil. It has been noticed that by massaging the acupuncture points in the area of the nasal wings and bridge of the nose, breathing through the nose improves after a short time.
• You should consume as much vitamin C as possible, which helps to strengthen the walls of blood vessels. This is easy to do with ready-made vitamin complexes or food, which is preferable.

All these "grandmother's" advice, despite well-developed medicine, even today do not lose their relevance, take at least the same "asterisk" during pregnancy from a cold.

Summary

A runny nose causes a lot of discomfort to any pregnant woman. In addition, the development of the child is also at risk. For this reason, treatment should not be shelved! For the most part, use only those products that are plant-based. It is only worthwhile to understand that self-medication is contraindicated during pregnancy, however, this applies not only to expectant mothers.

How to get rid of a runny nose during pregnancy? This question worries every expectant mother! But, in fact, all that is needed is to strictly follow all the recommendations of the attending physician. Among other things, it is necessary to adhere to a correct and balanced diet and observe the daily routine. Calmsleep and proper rest is more important than ever for any expectant mother. Only in this way will the child develop without complications in love and care.