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Pregnancy and low blood pressure
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025

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In the life of almost every woman there comes a time when she is ready to become a mother. What a great feeling of joy she experiences when she sees the cherished two stripes on the test or hears the cherished "yes" from her gynecologist. Pregnancy is the happiest time for a future mother. Even if the couple was preparing for pregnancy, the realization of this fact leads to a slight stupor. For a loving couple, this stupor quickly passes, and the future parents begin to feel joy that in 9 months a child will appear in their family.
But still, pregnancy is not that simple. A woman is overcome by fear of changes in her figure, the feeling of pain during childbirth, whether she will cope with a small person, how will things be with health. These are not all the concerns of the expectant mother. Waiting for the baby to be born also requires a lot of preparation, both physical and mental. Surviving the so-called “nesting” period alone is worth something. How to arrange the baby’s room, what kind of stroller to buy, where the child will sleep, what clothes are best to buy.
When a young mother has gone through all the options for arranging a home for her future offspring, a new problem arises. In order for the pregnancy to proceed joyfully, the birth to be easy and quick, and the child to grow up healthy, it is necessary to decide on a doctor who will monitor the woman in labor throughout the entire period. Nowadays, we have a large selection of hospitals and doctors, the main thing is to find that one specialist whom you will trust.
Here, finally, when it seems that all the problems are solved, changes in the body come. Most pregnant women experience unpleasant symptoms: pain in the abdomen and mammary glands, insomnia, anemia, pain in the pubic area and back, discharge, hemorrhoids, heartburn, bleeding gums, malaise, loss of consciousness, skin irritation, heaviness in the legs, cramps, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and drowsiness, pressure drops. Despite all these problems, with the first touch of the baby, you will forget about everything.
Symptoms of Low Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
When a pregnant woman feels bad, everyone around her feels bad. You want to help your loved one or even two, when the mother feels bad, the baby also feels bad. Complaints of dizziness, weakness, fatigue, poor health can be signs of low blood pressure in a pregnant woman. Therefore, in order not to make a mistake in the diagnosis, you need to know the symptoms well.
The most basic causes of low blood pressure during pregnancy: a woman stands for a long time, is in a stuffy room, takes a hot bath, is hungry. These factors are easy to remove and correct. The reasons for which blood pressure drops include increased sensitivity to heat or cold, insomnia or nausea, rapid heartbeat, a feeling of lack of air. These factors are no longer dependent on us, you must definitely tell your doctor about this. Blood pressure can remind you of itself with shortness of breath when a pregnant woman walks a lot.
A pregnant woman with low blood pressure may experience headaches, ringing in the ears, drowsiness, fatigue, blurred vision, hunger, physical and mental fatigue, and stressful situations.
It is a well-known fact that pregnant women are often very capricious, their mood changes, and they often experience depression. These can also be symptoms of low blood pressure in pregnant women. Such symptoms can be seen in all pregnant women, but they are more common and more pronounced in those suffering from low blood pressure.
Who to contact?
How to increase blood pressure during pregnancy?
Every visit to the doctor for a pregnant woman begins with measuring her blood pressure. The numbers largely determine the condition of the mother and baby.
They say that low blood pressure is the key to a long life. Maybe, but not when another organism is developing in your tummy, which needs to grow and gain strength before entering a new world. Hormonal changes during pregnancy contribute to a decrease in blood pressure. In this state, the body produces progesterone, a special hormone that causes the walls of blood vessels to relax, which disrupts blood circulation in the placenta. The baby begins to experience a lack of nutrients and oxygen, begins to starve and suffocate. The consequences can be very negative.
Dear future mothers, listen to your doctors and do not play with fire. Try to follow all the recommendations of the specialist and your condition will definitely improve. Medicines that help with low blood pressure are strictly contraindicated for pregnant women. The drugs can harm the baby, but there are exceptions, and the decision is made only by the doctor after a detailed examination. To begin with, try to normalize blood pressure without traditional drugs. To do this, you need to follow simple instructions.
- Don't rush to get out of bed. A sudden transition from a horizontal to a vertical position is fraught with dizziness and nausea. Don't rush to jump out of bed, lie in a warm bed, wake up properly and stretch. Also try to sleep on a high pillow.
- A light snack without getting out of bed. You should take care of this in the evening. Keep water, crackers, bread, nuts, and fruit on your bedside table. A small snack will help avoid unpleasant sensations.
- If you feel sick due to low blood pressure during pregnancy, try lying down and raising your legs. The blood will move away from your legs and return to your upper body. In addition, this is a good preventative measure against varicose veins.
- Wearing compression (massage) stockings will help lower your blood pressure. You can buy them at a pharmacy.
- Try taking a contrast shower.
- Don't forget about light physical activity. This could be exercising on a fitball, light jogging, dancing, or swimming.
To treat low blood pressure during pregnancy, first of all, a transition to a healthy lifestyle is used, and then medications. Vitamin B6 and magnesium tablets are among the drugs that do no harm. They are harmless and at the same time help.
Pregnant women with low blood pressure are often advised to buy herbal tea. The herbs you are going to use should be of high quality and prescribed by a doctor. Do not self-medicate, even if these are herbs.
Smoking and alcohol abuse have a detrimental effect on mother and child. In pregnant women with low blood pressure, smoking sharply increases the risk of premature birth, the birth of weak children, and perinatal mortality.
Treatment and prevention of low blood pressure during pregnancy
If you were diagnosed with low blood pressure during pregnancy, you definitely need to get treatment. If a pregnant woman is not bothered by low blood pressure in the first trimester, this does not mean that you can forget about it. It is better to resort to prevention.
In the first trimester, treatment is to spend more time outdoors, take easy walks and eat right. Pregnant women with low blood pressure should visit the pool under the supervision of a trainer. You should try to reduce the time spent working at the computer. The expectant mother should be surrounded by good people and positive emotions, attend exciting events, read favorite books and watch interesting movies.
You can also try using plants, camphor, hawthorn, laurel, basil and rosemary in the composition of oils help quite well when a woman has low blood pressure during pregnancy. Be careful not to cause allergies.
Low blood pressure is a serious enough phenomenon in the second and third trimesters. At this stage, you need to be especially attentive to yourself and the baby. Be sure to pay attention to what you eat. Proper nutrition will help you alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of low blood pressure. When you feel sick and it seems that you can’t take a sip, force yourself to take a sip of fruit juice, eat a cracker or a piece of fruit. This is what your body will accept and your well-being will improve.
The first assistant, no matter how strange it may seem, is salt. During pregnancy, with low blood pressure, it is not recommended to limit table salt. On the contrary, increase it to 9 grams per day. The secret is that salt will make you thirsty. Accordingly, you will want to drink, and with an increase in the liquid you drink, the volume of blood circulating in the body also increases. The diet of a pregnant woman with low blood pressure must necessarily include protein. This is like the foundation of any organism. When eating not only meat, but also all products of animal origin (for example, milk and eggs), also do not forget about cheese and nuts. It is very good to eat moderately salted broth for breakfast. Fats and carbohydrates provide the body with energy. As you know, fats of plant origin are absorbed faster. They are contained in nuts, sunflower seeds, oatmeal. Of the animal fats, you should eat butter, cream, sour cream. Make sure that your diet contains vegetables, fruits, berries that normalize blood pressure. Many products are known: carrots, cabbage, beans, corn, mushrooms, radishes, ripe tomatoes, potatoes, onions, celery root, apples, strawberries, nuts, almonds. Also do not forget about porridges - buckwheat and oatmeal.
Can pregnant women with low blood pressure drink coffee? When pregnant with low blood pressure, you need to be careful with coffee and take it as a medicine. Drink only when your body asks for it and preferably with milk.
Future mothers, follow all the recommendations in this article and proper nutrition. And then low blood pressure will not spoil your enjoyment of pregnancy.
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