High heart rate in pregnancy

What is a rapid pulse? This is an increased speed at which a person's heart begins to contract. In medicine, this phenomenon is called tachycardia. Such symptoms do not threaten a person's life, but can cause him a lot of unpleasant minutes. It is also not worth ignoring. In this article, we will try to understand how the high pulse that occurs during pregnancy affects the development of the fetus and the health of the woman herself?

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Causes of high heart rate during pregnancy

From the moment when the future little person begins to develop in the mother's womb, colossal transformations occur in the woman's body. Her biological systems begin to rebuild, changing their rhythm to provide the embryo with ideal conditions for full growth and development. Therefore, when the expectant mother begins to feel an increased heartbeat - this scares her, she begins to worry about her baby. Her anxiety can only worsen the condition, although in most cases the reasons for a high pulse during pregnancy are the most trivial and do not require any medical intervention. Doctors even have a kind of norm for the level of increase in the pulse of a pregnant woman. If the heart rate does not reach the permissible limit, then nothing threatens the health and life of the fetus and the woman.

What numbers can be considered high? If there are more than one hundred contractions of the heart muscle per minute (100 BPM), doctors already talk about rapid pulse or tachycardia. This indicator means that the heart has difficulty maintaining an effective level of blood pumping in the circulatory system.

There are two types of this pathology. If the increased rate of contraction is observed directly in the ventricles, such a clinical picture is called ventricular tachycardia. If the failure occurs higher, already in the upper cardiac chamber, supraventricular tachycardia is obtained. It is more common and is the most gentle on the woman's body, without causing any particular complications, but only if its symptoms, with accompanying manifestations, do not bother the expectant mother for a long time.

What are the main reasons for a high pulse rate during pregnancy?

• If a woman moves a lot and her body is exposed to increased stress.
• Excess weight and excessive growth during pregnancy.
• If the expectant mother lies on her back for a very long time.
• Avitaminosis and deficiency of microelements necessary for the normal functioning of a woman’s body.
• Emphysema of the lung or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a gradual formation of a heart defect that develops on the basis of constantly emerging obstacles to blood flow. With such a pathology, there is a deterioration in the elasticity of tissues, which is an obstacle to the normal speed of blood supply through the system. The main cause of the pathology is pulmonary diseases and smoking.
• The cause of a rapid heartbeat in a pregnant woman may be pathological tachycardia caused by chronic diseases in the woman’s medical history.
• Failure in the functioning of metabolic processes. The thyroid gland is responsible for the level of metabolism in the human body. If it produces more enzyme than normal, this leads to a failure in the natural metabolism of a woman. This is the starting point for an increase in heart rate. In addition to the thyroid gland, other failures that affect the body's metabolism can affect the heart rate.
• Habits that do not fit into the rules of a healthy lifestyle (smoking, alcohol, etc.).
• Some medications can also cause tachycardia.
• Use of substances with a stimulating effect in the diet: coffee, strong tea, energy drinks.
• Any abnormality in the structure of the upper chamber of the heart (unevenness or other defect) can cause a high pulse during pregnancy. Such a defect weakens the muscle tissue, while the load on the heart itself increases and it has to increase the rate of work to provide the body with the necessary amount of nutrients.
• Overeating, eating salty and fatty foods.
• A stressful situation that leads to increased excitability of the nervous system.
• Nervousness and a present state of anxiety.
• Anemia.
• An infectious or viral pathology accompanied by high temperature readings.
• Electrolytic imbalance in a woman's body during illness.
• Multiple heart diseases:
  • Hypertension.
  • Ischemia.
  • Pericarditis is a pathological inflammatory process in the pericardial sac with predominant damage to the visceral layer of the pericardium.
  • Heart valve defect.
  • Loss of elasticity of arteries.
  • And others.
• Significant blood loss.

Only by eliminating the root cause can you get rid of the accompanying symptoms.

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Symptoms of high heart rate during pregnancy

What are the symptoms of rapid heartbeat? It is not difficult to answer this question: the body begins to feel that there is an “anvil” working in its chest, the heart is simply ready to “jump out” of the chest. Concomitant symptoms of high heart rate during pregnancy are also quite often observed.

• A pregnant woman may experience nausea, the intense manifestations of which can lead to vomiting reflexes. If a pregnant woman observes a combination of such factors, it is necessary to notify her obstetrician-gynecologist about this, the specialist's task is to establish the source of the woman's discomfort. One of such reasons may be cardiac pathology, requiring precision in diagnosis and drug therapy.
• The expectant mother may feel a muffled or distinct pulsation in her abdomen. Most often, it is felt in the lower part of the abdomen. One of the sources of pulsation may be fetal hiccups, another - plasma traffic in the aorta. Such symptoms can develop at any week of gestation. If the rhythmic course is not accompanied by pain symptoms and other discomfort, there is no need to worry too much. Such manifestations are quite within the norm of the ongoing pregnancy.
• If a pregnant woman experiences dizziness, accompanied by a decrease in the overall tone of the body, low blood pressure and periodic loss of consciousness, do not hesitate, it is necessary to immediately tell the doctor about these symptoms, who, having prescribed the necessary therapy, will normalize the condition.
• Sometimes, against the background of tachycardia, a woman begins to feel a lack of air (hypoxia develops). The pregnant woman begins to breathe intensively, since the lack of oxygen can harm the child. In this situation, it is necessary to walk more in the fresh air and ventilate the room more often.
• Increased heart rate may be accompanied by headache. These may be the first symptoms of hypotension.

Diagnosis of high pulse during pregnancy

A healthy heart during a normal emotional state works at a rate of 60-80 beats per minute. This contraction mode allows the human body to be provided with a sufficient amount of substances necessary for normal functioning: vitamins and microelements. During pregnancy, the volume of circulating blood increases, serving both the fetus and the expectant mother. Accordingly, the pregnant woman may have a slightly increased number of beats to one hundred, and in some cases to 115. Doctors call such an increase in indicators physiological tachycardia.

Diagnosis of high pulse during pregnancy does not require any additional equipment. A woman undergoes this procedure at every doctor's appointment (be it a therapist, cardiologist or obstetrician-gynecologist). But a pregnant woman can easily cope with such a measurement on her own. It would not be superfluous to monitor the pulse rate at home. It is not difficult to make such a measurement, you just need to know where and how to count.

Whether it is a therapist, cardiologist, obstetrician-gynecologist or a doctor of any other specialization, during his/her appointment he/she will check the pulse rate of a pregnant woman. But a woman in position is obliged to monitor this indicator daily. It is not difficult to determine:

• The best place to get a numerical value for your heart rate (HR) is the pulsating artery on the front of your neck or on the wrist of one of your hands.
• The phalanges of the fingers must be applied to the place of pulsation, concentrate and count the number of rhythmic manifestations determined over the course of one minute.
• The procedure should be performed only in a state of rest, when the pregnant woman has rested and calmed down. Do not perform calculations after a rich, fat-rich meal.

In addition, it is possible to diagnose the number of beats per minute using an electrocardiogram (ECG). If the doctor suspects that the patient has any heart disease in her medical history, he will refer the pregnant woman for additional diagnostics. Such methods may include ultrasound (ultrasound examination) of the heart or innovative technology for recording the heart rate - the procedure lasts 24 hours. At the same time, a special Holter device constantly records the heart rhythm, without causing any inconvenience to the patient.

You can also measure your heart rate using a modern electronic tonometer, which can be purchased at any pharmacy today.

If there are no significant deviations from the norm and anomalies, the woman can successfully give birth naturally. Certain pathological changes in the heart, leading to an increase in heart rate, can also be an indication for a cesarean section. In this case, the obstetrician-gynecologist together with the cardiologist makes their verdict.

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Treatment of high pulse during pregnancy

Many expectant mothers have an accelerated heartbeat - this is a natural condition due to their current condition. An increase in the number of heartbeats is especially characteristic of the third, last trimester of pregnancy, when the fetus has already formed and begins to gain weight. The load on the woman's body increases, and, accordingly, the load on the heart increases.

Therefore, the first thing a woman who feels a rapid pulse needs to do is to calm down, lie down on the sofa and rest a little. Sometimes such actions are enough for the pulse to return to normal. Treatment of a high pulse during pregnancy in this case can be reduced to taking a warm shower (there is no talk about a bath). It will be useful for a woman to do breathing exercises, while recalling some joyful moments from her life. Let in more positive emotions, trying to emotionally fence yourself off from the unpleasant perception of the world.

It is worth keeping a notebook in which you need to record your heart rate at least twice a day: after waking up in the morning and in the evening before going to bed. If at rest there are no more than 100 beats per minute, there is no need to worry. But in case of higher readings or other pathological symptoms that lead to a deterioration in well-being, you should urgently consult a doctor. Only a specialist can assess the condition of a pregnant woman, give adequate recommendations, and if more serious reasons are suspected, prescribe a comprehensive examination, make a diagnosis and prescribe effective therapy.

You should not use any medications that normalize rapid heart rate on your own - this can harm the baby. If tachycardia is caused by emotional stress, the doctor will recommend drinking soothing herbal teas. This can be valerian, lemon balm, mint or motherwort. In such a situation, sedatives such as persen, novo-passit are suitable,

Persen - this drug is considered safe by doctors. The composition of the drug includes: lemon balm and mint leaves, as well as valerian root extract. In case of pregnancy, the drug is prescribed only by a doctor, and there can be no talk of any self-medication. After the introduction of the drug into the therapy protocol, the intake of Persen is strictly controlled by the doctor. Any drug during the period of bearing a child by a woman is prescribed only in case of extreme necessity.

The usual dosage of the drug for increased nervousness and irritability is two to three wafers two to three times a day. The starting dose of the drug for a pregnant woman can be reduced. The maximum daily dosage should not exceed 12 tablets.

It is strictly not recommended to use Persen if a woman has been diagnosed with:

• Individual intolerance of the pregnant woman's body to one or more components of the drug.
• Lack of lactase in a woman's body, increased sensitivity to it, glucose-galactose malabsorption.
• Arterial hypotension observed with decreased blood pressure by more than 20% of normal values (usually absolute values are observed: upper (systolic pressure) - below 90 mm Hg or lower (diastolic pressure) - 60 mm Hg).
• Sucrose and/or isomaltase deficiency, hypersensitivity to fructose.
• Many diseases of the biliary tract.
• With special caution and under the supervision of a doctor during pregnancy and lactation.

In such a situation, motherwort and valerian tinctures are suitable, which are used 20-30 drops three to four times a day. The duration of therapy is adjusted by the doctor depending on the achieved therapeutic effectiveness. However, you should not get carried away with the drug. Its long-term use can cause the appearance of side symptoms: increased drowsiness, headaches and abdominal pain, a decrease in the overall tone of the pregnant woman's body, dizziness, nausea. If at least one of these symptoms is observed, the drug should be discontinued and first aid measures should be taken and the doctor who is monitoring the pregnancy should be informed.

The first-line measures include: gastric lavage, you can try to induce a gag reflex - this will help at least partially remove toxins from the body. After, take activated carbon or sorbex - an effective adsorbent.

Sorbex is an effective sorbent used in cases of poisoning of various genesis. Depending on the degree of pathology, the doctor may recommend one to three capsules taken once. The best therapeutic result is observed when administering drugs an hour and a half before the expected meal or at the same intervals after meals. If necessary, the drug can be taken again.

The drug is contraindicated for use in cases of hypersensitivity to the components of the drug, in acute ulcerative-erosive pathology of the digestive tract, in cases of intestinal obstruction.

The doctor may also recommend valocordin, which is taken by a woman during periods of intense excitement with rapid heartbeat, 15-20 drops three times a day. But the drug can only be taken as prescribed by a doctor. It is not recommended for use in the case of individual intolerance by the pregnant woman's body to any component of the drug, as well as in the case of liver and/or kidney dysfunction.

If the pathology is revealed to be more profound, then the decision on pregnancy is made at a consultation of doctors of various specializations. The obstetrician-gynecologist, together with the cardiologist and other specialists, draw up a therapy protocol that should maximally support the woman's health, while the danger to the baby should be minimized. In particularly severe cases, the question of terminating the pregnancy may be raised.

Prevention of high heart rate during pregnancy

In most cases, this problem can be stopped, or at least its intensity reduced, by following simple rules. Therefore, prevention of high pulse during pregnancy includes some recommendations.

• Eliminate or significantly limit the consumption of stimulating drinks: strong tea and coffee.
• Try to get rid of bad habits: nicotine and alcohol stimulate an increase in heart rate.
• Lead a healthy lifestyle: do not overload yourself with unnecessary loads, rest more, but do not constantly lie on the couch, because pregnancy is not a disease and does not need bed rest.
• Do not self-medicate and take any medications very carefully.
• Try to avoid stressful situations, tuning your emotional background to positive emotions.
• Minimize the intake of energy drinks and chocolate.
• Combine relaxation with leisurely walks in the fresh air.
• Living spaces need to be frequently ventilated to let clean air into the house.
• Limit consumption of fatty and salty foods. Nutrition should be balanced and rich in vitamins and microelements.
• You need to eat frequently, in small portions, avoiding overeating.
• Light gymnastics for pregnant women will only bring benefits.
• If the heart rate starts to increase, you need to drink about a glass of plain water in small sips, and then lie down and rest.
• To calm down, you can take a few deep breaths in and out – this breathing exercise will be helpful.
• Watch your weight. Excessive weight gain can cause rapid heart rate.
• In such a situation, positive auto-training will help.
• You can take tinctures and decoctions of motherwort, rose hips, valerian. Natural honey will also be effective (if the woman is not allergic to it).

If the above mentioned methods fail to prevent the problem, you should consult your doctor, especially if other pathological symptoms appear.

Prediction of high heart rate during pregnancy

Increased heart rate during pregnancy is an unpleasant but not dangerous symptom. A slightly elevated pulse is a natural, physiologically justified process of pregnancy. Therefore, the prognosis for a high pulse during pregnancy is very favorable. After childbirth, this problem will go away on its own, you just need to follow the recommendations voiced above. In the case of a more severe pathology, the prognosis is also good, it is necessary to stop the source and the symptoms will disappear.

The time of expecting a child is a wonderful period in the life of every woman and you don’t want it to be overshadowed by discomfort and deterioration of the general condition. Therefore, in order to prevent or minimize the situation when a high pulse is observed during pregnancy, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations voiced by the attending physician. And in case of aggravation of symptoms, immediately seek help and advice from a specialist. After all, the health of the mother is the key to the birth of a normal, healthy baby!