Cold during pregnancy: treatment and prevention

Frequent colds in pregnancy - a very common phenomenon, since after conception the body of every woman faces a mandatory for "an interesting situation" factor - physiological immunosuppression. That is, a decrease in the specific (acquired) immunity of the body to prevent rejection of the embryo.

That is why women in an interesting situation have a tendency to colds, as well as exacerbation of chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract. According to different data, the incidence of colds, ARI or SARS during the gestational period is 55-82%.

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How does the cold affect pregnancy?

Everyone without exception is interested in the answer to the main question: is a cold a dangerous during pregnancy? And especially in the first trimester.

Colds are the result of exposure to the body of one of the types of adenovirus infection. While doctors can not say how this or that type of adenovirus, which was picked up by a future mother, reflects on the development of the fetus. But absolutely all obstetricians-gynecologists agree on one thing: the way a cold affects a pregnancy, depends, first of all, on its term.

Catarrhal diseases in the first weeks of the gestational age are the most dangerous, since it is during this period that the foundations for the normal gestation of a healthy child are laid. If you catch cold at the 1st and 2nd week (when most women do not yet know they are "in position"), this can lead to a spontaneous miscarriage. Colds at the 3rd week of pregnancy are also highly undesirable, because just at this time the implantation of the fetal egg in the uterine wall takes place, and it has no protection (placenta yet).

Any infections and exacerbations of illnesses, as well as a common cold at week 4 of gestational age, when the formation of the placenta begins, can cause her detachment with bleeding and miscarriage. According to medical statistics, due to acute respiratory viral infection early in life, 13-18% of pregnancies are interrupted prematurely.

The cold at the 5th and 6th week of bearing the baby coincides with the stage in which the fetus develops a neural tube, and the illness of the expectant mother can cause the child to develop the central nervous system.

Catarrhal diseases on the 7th, 8th, and 9th week with symptoms of nasal congestion and high temperature affect the supply of oxygen to the fetus, which is just forming the internal organs. Deficiency of oxygen leads to fetal hypoxia and a great risk of delaying its development.

Colds at the 10th and 11th weeks of pregnancy occur at a time when most of the vital organs of the unborn child have not only formed, but also begin to function. And catarrhal disease - especially in severe form with a high temperature - increases the threat of getting to the fetus produced by viruses of toxins. Especially it concerns the flu: those who have this disease have a very high probability of birth of premature babies or children with small weight, as well as the development of hydrocephalus or premature aging of the placenta. The same factors work even when the expectant mother has caught a cold on the 12th or 13th week from the beginning of conception.

The second trimester of gestational age begins, and it is believed that a cold in the second trimester of pregnancy does not cause any perinatal pathologies. Nevertheless, at the 14th, 15th and 16th week, it can provoke inflammatory processes in the body of the unborn child - as a consequence of the infection on the placenta.

Although, indeed, directly to the child's organs, both the cold in the second and the third trimesters of the gestational age can no longer be affected so seriously as to cause their anomalies.

However, colds on the 17th, 18th, and 19th weeks are dangerous for the fetus due to intoxication of the woman's body, whose temperature is + 38 ° C and higher does not drop a few days and appetite completely disappears. Intrauterine development of the child continues, and for this he needs oxygen and nutrients, which the cold mother misses.

In addition, with a high body temperature, the cold at the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd weeks of bearing a child (in short, the entire second trimester) can lead to placenta infection by the virus, which often results in the placenta pathology - fetoplacental insufficiency. And viruses contribute to the activation of foci of infection, hiding in the body of the woman herself.

The cold in late pregnancy has its negative consequences. Very often, future mothers complain of shortness of breath and even of pain under the ribs during breathing. And when you cough, all the respiratory muscles, diaphragm and abdominal press tighten; while the jerky movement of the diaphragm affects the bottom of the uterus, from which the uterus comes in tone. And this can lead to a premature birth. It is this that is dangerous at 35 weeks gestational age.

Colds at 36 weeks of pregnancy and a significant increase in temperature are fraught with placental detachment and premature discharge of amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid). And at week 37, it is possible that the infectious agents enter the amniotic fluid (which the fetus systematically absorbs).

How can a cold affect the 38th and 39th weeks of the gestational age for a child, it is easy to imagine. It is clear that with a strong runny nose and a stuffy nose of his mother, he gets less oxygen. In late pregnancy, intrauterine fetal hypoxia is expressed both in its low activity and in excessive mobility. The latter leads to the entanglement of the umbilical cord. A repeated tight cord of the cord is the main reason for the complete cessation of oxygen supply to the baby and stopping his blood supply ...

Finally, the main consequence of a cold at 40 weeks of pregnancy: the birth of the long-awaited baby will be held at the observatory. This department is intended for those who have a fever who has a fever (above + 37.5 ° C), who has symptoms of acute respiratory disease or influenza, various infections of the birth canal, is the carrier of the hepatitis virus. And the child - immediately after his birth - is isolated from his mother.

By the way, the onset of pregnancy after a cold does not have any negative consequences, as a rule.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of a cold during pregnancy are no different from the signs of this disease in a not pregnant part of mankind. This is a general malaise and headache, then begins a runny nose, sits in the throat and pains to swallow, slightly increases the body temperature. The temperature may rise to + 38.5 ° C, although a cold at pregnancy without temperature (or with subfebrile temperature) happens much more often.

Cough and symptoms of general intoxication can appear to the rhinitis, which manifest as weakness, loss of appetite and drowsiness. The disease lasts from 5 to 12 days. If at the time of not taking up the treatment of the disease, complications are possible: pharyngitis, sinusitis or bronchitis.

Treatment of colds during pregnancy

To begin treatment of cold at pregnancy is necessary at the first signs of illness. And remember that during the gestation period, most medical drugs, including aspirin, are contraindicated.

But then how to treat a cold during pregnancy? Proven alternative methods will be used first. Because you can not soar pregnant women, get your hands on, and this will ease the nasal breathing. Wrap up, put on woolen socks and get under the blanket: warmth, peace and sleep are good for a cold. Do not forget about the abundant drink - hot green tea with lemon and honey, tea with lime blossom, cranberry juice, broth of wild rose, compote of dried fruits. Ginger in the form of tea also helps, not only with catarrhal symptoms, but with nausea in the morning.

It is often possible to read that you can drink hot chamomile tea or tea with kalina at night. You can, of course, but not during the gestational period! At once it is necessary to emphasize that not all herbs for cold during pregnancy can be applied. Here is a list of herbs that are contraindicated for the entire gestational period: aloe, anise, barberry, elecampane (grass and root), sweet clover, oregano, St. John's wort, strawberry (leaves), viburnum (berries), raspberry (leaves), lemon balm, wormwood, licorice (root), celandine, sage. Accordingly, do not take drugs containing these plants.

But about the chamomile pharmacy (which is often used to normalize the menstrual cycle), there is no definite recommendation. According to many experienced herbalists, chamomile during pregnancy can provoke bleeding and is therefore not recommended. Others believe that the camomile can be taken literally all gestational period, but no more than two cups a day ...

Let's notice at the same time that garlic during pregnancy from cold should not be used, except that chop the tooth and breathe it with phytoncides - from the common cold. The fact is that garlic reduces the absorption of iodine. A lack of iodine in a future mother leads to a violation of the maturation of the fetus and increases the likelihood of hypothyroidism in the newborn.

At high temperature vodka wipes the body (a third of a glass of vodka, two thirds of water) or acetic (in the same proportion).

With pain in the throat, you should often rinse it with a solution of salt - cooked or sea (natural food): one teaspoon per glass of warm boiled water. Or solutions of soda (teaspoon per glass of water) and furatsilina (1 tablet for 200 ml of water). Helps rinse throat with tincture of calendula: 10 drops of alcohol tincture per 100 ml of water. You can also use a water infusion of home cooking: a tablespoon of dry calendula flowers to a glass of boiling water.

Relieve the pain in the throat and rinse, prepared from the juice of half a lemon, diluted in a glass of warm water with the addition of a teaspoon of liquid natural honey (lemon juice can be replaced with two tablespoons of natural apple cider vinegar). By the way, honey during pregnancy from colds is very useful. So a cup of hot milk with a spoon of honey before going to bed can save a woman from sore throats and prevent a cough. Also very useful lemon (directly with a crust) and cranberries (in any form).

Some people recommend the alcohol solution of Chlorophyllipt (a mixture of chlorophylls from the leaves of eucalyptus) for rinsing your throat, however, in the instructions to the drug it is noted that "during pregnancy and lactation, the drug can be used, assessing the ratio of benefit and harm" ...

At treatment inhalations are also effective. For example, with mint oil (menthol) or balm "Asterisk". You can breathe twice a day (in the morning and in the evening) for 15 minutes, covering your head with a towel, over potatoes boiled in a uniform, just like our great-grandmothers did. And with acute pain in the throat, make a warm compress with alcohol (1 part of alcohol and 2-3 parts of water) and keep it until it dries completely. You can also lubricate the glands with tincture of propolis or use Kameton aerosol (there are no reliable data on the safety of the drug during the gestational period on Bioparox aerosol).

To treat a cold, wash your nose with salt water or bury it in your nose a full pipette several times a day (the solution is prepared based on a teaspoon of salt for half a cup of water). You can use the drugs Aquamaris or No-salt, which are solutions of sea salt.

A positive effect is the instillation in the nose (2-3 drops a few times a day) of warm olive, sea-buckthorn or menthol oil. And also moistened onion juice with cotton swabs, which must be kept for several minutes in the nostrils 3-4 times a day. For many, it is almost possible to get rid of the beginning rhinitis with the help of balm "Asterisk", which should lubricate the skin near the "entrance" to the nose.

To overcome cough, it is best to drink not very hot milk, which is added with natural honey and butter. Drink slowly and in small sips. An effective alternative cough remedy is a warm broth of apple peel with honey or a decoction of figs in milk (4 dry berries per 200 ml of milk). With a dry cough, you can take infusion of mother-and-stepmother (on a tablespoon three times a day), water infusion of althea, primrose, medinitsa or decoction of herb thyme (thyme only in the first trimester of gestational age). For better separation of sputum when coughing, inhalations with soda or Borjomi mineral water are used.

What cold medicines can I take during pregnancy?

Often doctors recommend medications for colds during pregnancy - drops in the nose, sprays, potions, syrups and pills for cough. Their use must be treated with great care.

For example, drops, ointment and spray Pinosol, judging by the components specified in the instructions, during pregnancy is not dangerous. However, essential oils found in the preparation - Scots pine, peppermint, eucalyptus, thymol, guaiazulene (cumin wormwood oil) - can lead to an allergic reaction with edema of the nasal mucosa. In addition, butyloxyanisole is indicated in the additional ingredients. It is a food additive used to slow the oxidation of fats. This substance can have a toxic effect on the body, in the EU its use in the food industry is prohibited.

It is contraindicated to use such drugs for colds during pregnancy: Pertussin, Tussin plus, Joset, Glikodin, Ascoril, Travisil, Bronholitin, ACTS, Grippex, Kodelak, Terpinkod. Do not use lollipops and lozenges for sore throat or cough: in addition to components of plant origin, they are full of chemistry. As their manufacturers diplomatically write, "there are no contraindications to the use of the drug during the gestational period, however, it should be taken strictly according to the prescribing physician, who must carefully weigh the expected benefits for the mother and the potential risks to the fetus."

Now about how to apply the suppository during pregnancy from a cold. For example, the suppository Viferon is used for acute respiratory viral infections (influenza, respiratory diseases complicated by bacterial infection), pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, as well as with urogenital infections and herpes (including genital form). Rectal suppository may be used only after 14 weeks from the beginning of conception. This drug contains recombinant human interferon alpha-2, ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol acetate and has an antiviral, immunomodulatory and antiproliferative effect. It is used in the treatment of various infectious and inflammatory diseases of adults and children (including newborns). In the form of an ointment, Viferon is used to treat herpetic lesions of the skin and mucous membranes. Ointment is applied a thin layer on the affected skin 3-4 times a day for 5-7 days.

Some doctors prescribe Genferon. Obviously, in the hope that the same interferon contained in them will increase the woman's immunity. But, firstly, geneferon is used only with urogenital infections and diseases of the genital organs. Secondly, drugs with immunomodulating action can not be used during bearing, because their effect on the fetus is not yet known.

Homeopathy is applied only on the advice of a doctor. Thus, the homeopathic preparation Stodal, which includes predominantly herbal ingredients, affects various types of cough and exerts an expectorant and bronchodilator effect. However, as indicated in the instructions, he "is carefully administered during pregnancy and lactating mothers under strict doctor's recommendations."

And in the instructions of the homeopathic suppositories of Viburkol it is written that "pregnancy is not a contraindication to the prescription of the drug". These suppositories have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, antispasmodic effect. They are prescribed in the complex therapy of acute respiratory viral infections and other uncomplicated infections (including those in newborns), as well as in inflammatory processes of ENT organs and inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system.

Prevention

All measures to prevent colds during pregnancy are useful for the general health of expectant mothers and their babies. It is necessary to observe simple rules:

• Rule number 1 - before each exit outside the premises, the nose mucosa should be lubricated with oxolin ointment, which must be washed off after returning home.
• Rule # 2 - to limit "hikes" to public places, especially during the period of activation of "seasonal" infections, do not hesitate to wear gauze dressings when visiting medical institutions, avoid contact with the cold if even the closest relatives.
• Rule number 3 - temper the body with a contrast shower or pouring feet with cool water (+ 18-20 ° C).
• Rule number 4 - physical activity and fresh air: gymnastics and yoga, walking at least two hours a day.
• Rule number 5 - proper nutrition and taking multivitamin complexes recommended by a doctor.
• Rule number 6 - normalization of the intestine, which will help fresh vegetables and fruits, sour-milk products and bread with bran.

Agree, these rules should be adhered to, so that the cold during pregnancy does not overshadow this particular period in the life of a woman and her family.