What Causes Heart Palpitations During Pregnancy

If you are one of the many expectant mothers who complain of heart palpitations during pregnancy, you are at the right address. In this article, “What are the causes of palpitation in pregnancy and how to treat it?”, “Does palpitations during pregnancy harm the baby?” You will find answers to many questions such as:

What causes heart palpitations during pregnancy?

A normal person’s heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute. However, when the pulse increases, expectant mothers feel it as palpitations. Palpitations during pregnancy are a common problem, but are usually short-lived. We can list the causes of heart palpitations during pregnancy as follows:

increase in blood volume

From the 6th week of pregnancy , there is an increase in blood volume under the influence of hormones. The body does this in order to meet the baby’s increased blood needs and to balance the bleeding that may occur after birth. During this period, there is approximately 50% more blood than before pregnancy.

The increase in blood volume affects the working rate of the heart, which leads to heart palpitations and shortness of breath during pregnancy.

Progesterone hormone

The hormone progesterone, which causes emotional and physical changes, increases during pregnancy. Among the side effects of this increase, palpitations are also seen during pregnancy.

emotional factors

Emotions such as excitement and anger can cause heart palpitations. Therefore, experiencing such emotional states or being stressed can cause heart palpitations in pregnant women.

psychological factors

Psychological factors such as anxiety disorder and panic attacks may also underlie heart palpitations during pregnancy. Sudden hormonal changes during pregnancy, stress and anxiety while waiting for the baby also trigger these disorders.

Caffeine

Caffeine can cause heart palpitations when consumed in large quantities. Avoid caffeine as much as possible while pregnant, which is abundant in foods such as coffee, chocolate, tea, cake, and soda.

Other ailments

Apart from all these factors that we have listed under heart palpitations during pregnancy;

• Anemia,
• Hypothyroid,
• low blood sugar,
• Lung and heart diseases may also lie.

Does heart palpitations during pregnancy harm the baby?

Heart palpitations during pregnancy are usually not something to be afraid of, so it doesn’t affect your baby, don’t worry. Palpitations affect you more.

However, if the severity of the palpitation is high enough to cause you discomfort, the amount of oxygen going to the tissues decreases. A palpitation that interferes with your breathing also affects your baby.

Heart palpitations during pregnancy usually go away with rest. There must be a serious heart or lung disease for a situation to put the baby’s health at risk.

Does anemia cause heart palpitations?

Yeah. Anemia causes a combination of heart palpitations and fatigue during pregnancy. From the 4th month of pregnancy , iron treatment is started against possible iron deficiency. Necessary blood tests and measurements are made. Thus, anemia prevention is taken.

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia in pregnancy. Nutritional problems are caused by parasitic or infectious diseases.

Is it normal to have heart palpitations after eating during pregnancy?

Palpitations may occur due to excessive insulin secretion immediately after eating. In fact, this palpitation is accompanied by fatigue. This may indicate hypoglycemia. It will not harm your baby unless it is very severe. However, the risk of miscarriage increases in long-term and recurrent hypoglycemia.

How is heart palpitations during pregnancy?

Heart palpitations during pregnancy can cause panic in expectant mothers. However, this causes the palpitations to be felt even more severely. But don’t be afraid, we are telling you what is good for heart palpitations during pregnancy.

• Our first advice to you is to try to stay calm as soon as you feel palpitations.
• One of the common mistakes is to lie on your back during palpitations. Lying on your back in a resting position can cause a decrease in blood pressure and a feeling of badness, causing palpitations to increase further. Therefore, you should sit or rest on the left side lying position.
• During pregnancy, you should stay away from crowded environments that can cause heart palpitations, environments that will cause you to be stressed, and caffeine consumption.
• Meditation and yoga are among the best options for heart palpitations during pregnancy. Proper breathing techniques and meditation methods help slow the heart rate over time.

• Taking deep breaths 5 times every 1-2 hours to calm your mind and relax is also good for your heart by lowering your stress level.

In the meantime, you can check your heartbeat yourself. You can count your pulse by placing your hand on your wrist or neck. If you are experiencing palpitations frequently, measure the heartbeat per minute and note a time, it will be useful when you see your doctor.

These exercises will be good for you.

When does heart palpitations start during pregnancy?

Palpitations in pregnancy can also occur with hormonal fluctuations in the first days of pregnancy, or because the baby grows and puts pressure on the heart in the following months! That’s why we can’t say that palpitations in pregnancy start today.

What drugs are used for palpitations during pregnancy?

Heart palpitations during pregnancy do not require any treatment unless they are causing serious symptoms and are not caused by a risky condition. Because palpitations go away after birth.

However, if the cause of the palpitations is a severe arrhythmia or out-of-rhythm heartbeats, your doctor may recommend a method called cardioversion. With this method, the rhythm is tried to be regulated by giving an electric current to the heart.

There are also some medications used to treat heart palpitations during pregnancy. They keep the heart rhythm constant. Since it is important to keep the use of medication to a minimum, especially in the first 3 months of pregnancy, this situation should be thoroughly evaluated by the doctor.

In which situations is palpitation dangerous during pregnancy?

If you have palpitations that affect your daily life, if your heart rate is over 120 per minute and if you have had heart or lung disease before, you are in the risk group. Here are the signs that indicate that you should seek medical help:

• spitting blood,
• chest pain,
• difficulty in breathing,
• Irregularity in the pulse (rhythm disturbance/arrhythmia),
• Nausea,
• dizziness,
• Fainting.

After these symptoms, your doctor will ask you to go through some checks. In this examination;

• Checking thyroid hormone
• blood count,
• Examination of the heart and lungs,
• Reviewing alcohol and smoking use,
• Caffeine consumption needs to be evaluated.