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How and with what to treat flu in pregnant women?
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025

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Treatment of flu in pregnant women at home
If the flu is not very severe, the doctor prescribes home treatment. This is less stress for the pregnant woman, in the usual home conditions she will be able to lie down, take the necessary medications, gargle, and read her favorite book.
It is important that the room in which the pregnant woman is lying is aired every day and the floor is washed with disinfectants, as well as the door handles and furniture. The dishes of a pregnant woman sick with the flu should be rinsed with boiling water after each meal.
What should a pregnant woman eat during the flu?
During the flu, the body of a pregnant woman loses a lot of strength and requires twice as many vitamins to restore them. Therefore, the diet should be saturated with a maximum of vegetables and fruits. It is desirable that the diet of a pregnant woman is dominated by dairy-carbohydrate foods, but there should be less salt. Sour cream, cottage cheese, curds, milk - this is very good food during the flu, supporting the body. But what should those who do not like dairy do? There are vegetables and fruits - they contain all the necessary substances that will support and strengthen the immune system.
During the flu, you need to drink more warm drinks, but not only teas and decoctions from medicinal plants (sage, linden, rose hips, rich in vitamins). It is also important to drink freshly squeezed juices, compotes, fruit drinks, and still mineral water. These drinks will help remove toxins from the body, which is oversaturated with them due to the active activity of flu viruses.
How to treat a pregnant woman with a high temperature?
If the expectant mother has a temperature above 38 degrees, which is accompanied by headaches and muscle pain, she should be given paracetamol or medications containing it. But, as with any antipyretic, it should not be abused.
Paracetamol, like any other fever-reducing medication, is taken no more than 2 times a day with a break of 4 to 6 hours. The maximum number of times you can take an antipyretic is 4 times a day, i.e. 2 tablets during the day and two at night are acceptable.
If the temperature is below 38.5, you should not take antipyretics - high temperature promotes the rapid death of viruses.
Homemade rinses for pregnant women
To reduce fever and get rid of viruses as quickly as possible, you need to gargle often - at least once an hour in acute inflammation. For this, it is good to use a furacilin solution. It is bought ready-made at the pharmacy or prepared by yourself, diluting 0.5 cups of this solution and the same amount of water. There is another option: 800 ml of warm water and 4 furacilin tablets, which need to be dissolved in it. To ensure that the tablets dissolve well, you can first pour a small amount of boiling water over them, and then add the rest of the water.
It is very good to gargle with soda and salt (you can use iodized salt or sea salt). They are diluted in a ratio of 1 teaspoon of salt or soda per 1 glass of water. To make the effect of gargling more significant, drops that constrict blood vessels are instilled into the nose. If a cough is added to the sore throat, the doctor will prescribe a cough mixture for the pregnant woman. This can be a remedy with marshmallow root, which is very helpful for this type of disease. It is drunk 1 tablespoon four times a day for a week.
Flu Rinsing Options During Pregnancy
Chamomile infusion - 1 tablespoon of chamomile, poured with a glass of boiling water, boiled over low heat for 10 minutes and cooled. This infusion should be filtered and gargled every hour for 5 days
Calendula infusion can be prepared in the same way as chamomile, and gargle with it with the same frequency.
Sage infusion is also very good for destroying various pathogenic microorganisms, the method of preparation is the same, only it needs to be infused longer - up to half an hour.
Elderberry infusion is very good for gargling against flu. Dried flowers can be purchased at a pharmacy. 4 tablespoons of elderberry flowers should be poured with a glass of boiling water and boiled over low heat for another 10 minutes, then cooled, strained and used as a gargle.
Can pregnant women take antibiotics for the flu?
Flu is a viral disease. If the pathogens were viruses, antibiotics will be useless - they only affect bacteria. Viruses live in the very nucleus of cells, so antibiotics are simply unable to penetrate there.
Even if a doctor prescribes an antibiotic, its effect will not be directed at the viral infection, but at the treatment of bacterial diseases accompanying the flu. This could be bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, encephalitis, otitis. It makes sense for a pregnant woman to take antibiotics for these diseases. But only as prescribed by a doctor!
In order for the disease to be tolerated more easily by both mother and child, it is necessary to influence the body with immunomodulators. These drugs will powerfully support the immune system and significantly shorten the duration of the disease. But the issue of taking immunomodulators must be discussed with a doctor, since it is very controversial: what exactly should a pregnant woman take, how much and how.
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When is a pregnant woman treated for flu in hospital?
- A pregnant woman with flu is sent to hospital if the form of her illness is severe or hypersevere.
- If a pregnant woman's flu is complicated by other diseases associated with disorders of the nervous system, respiratory organs or other body systems
- If a pregnant woman does not have the opportunity to receive normal treatment at home
How to treat flu in a pregnant woman - only the attending physician should determine. In order for the treatment to be correct, you cannot prescribe medications to yourself, because you are responsible not only for your life, but also for the life of your future baby.