The difference between edema and edema during pregnancy

Many pregnant women will find that in addition to the changes in the lower abdomen during pregnancy, they will gain weight all over. Pregnant women generally believe that this is a phenomenon of pregnancy. In fact, this is edema during pregnancy, which will disappear after a period of time, but pregnant women can also be relieved by some means. So, what is the main cause of edema in pregnant women? What is the difference between edema and edema during pregnancy?

The difference between edema and edema during pregnancy edema is often a signal of some diseases. Heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, endocrine disease and some malnutrition diseases may all have edema symptoms. But some edema is not a symptom of the disease, but a physiological reaction. Edema refers to the excessive accumulation of body fluids in the space outside blood vessels, which is one of the common clinical symptoms. Different from obesity, edema is characterized by obvious depression when fingers press parts with less subcutaneous tissue (such as the front side of the calf).

The edema of pregnant women can be divided into physiological edema and pathological edema, and their manifestations are different:

Physiological edema symptoms:

It usually appears in the third trimester of pregnancy. At first, edema appears in hands and feet, which is lighter than the calf, first reaches the ankle joint, and then slowly spreads upward, which can cause severe edema in thighs and abdomen or the whole body. But after sleeping or resting at night, the symptoms will be relieved or disappeared the next morning.

Pathological edema symptoms:

If the edema does not subside after rest and salt intake control, and it tends to get worse, it is probably pathological edema, and you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

When pregnant women have leg edema, it is suggested to raise their legs 15 ~ 20 minutes before going to bed (or during lunch break), which can accelerate blood return and reduce venous pressure, not only relieve edema during pregnancy, but also prevent varicose veins of lower limbs and other diseases.

Expectant mothers with edema had better sleep in the left position at ordinary times, and at the same time, it is best to put a pillow on the lower limbs, so as to avoid compressing the veins of the lower limbs, reduce the resistance of blood reflux, alleviate and eliminate edema, and accelerate the blood flow of uterus and placenta, which is beneficial to fetal development.

The main cause of edema in pregnant women The main cause of edema in pregnant women is that the uterus is enlarged during pregnancy, which compresses the vein and hinders venous return. There are several reasons for the edema of the lower limbs of expectant mothers.

1, the blood volume gradually increased from the sixth week of pregnancy to the peak at the 34th week, and remained at this level until two weeks after delivery. The blood volume during pregnancy is about 40% higher than that during non-pregnancy. After the blood volume increases, the tissue fluid will also increase.

2. During pregnancy, the hormones secreted by the expectant mother's placenta and aldosterone secreted by the adrenal gland increase, resulting in sodium water retention in the body and water accumulation in the body, resulting in decreased urine volume, so edema occurs.

3, the increase of blood volume, the increase of plasma is more than the increase of blood cells, so the blood components will be relatively diluted, and the relative concentration of plasma albumin is lower than that during non-pregnancy. Plasma albumin is the main component to maintain plasma osmotic pressure, and the plasma osmotic pressure during pregnancy is lower than that during pregnancy, which makes the water in the blood flow easily penetrate into interstitial fluid, thus causing edema of lower limbs.

4. After the uterus is enlarged, the pressure in the pelvic cavity increases and the venous blood flow of the lower limbs is affected. But if this edema is relieved after rest or sleep, it is mostly physiological.

5. The phenomenon of edema during pregnancy will become more obvious with the increase of gestational age. Edema mostly occurs in the soles of feet, ankles, calves and other parts, and sometimes there is slight edema on the face. The closer to the expected date of delivery, the more obvious it is. If edema is accompanied by hypertension and proteinuria, expectant mothers should be alert to whether they have diseases such as pregnancy-induced hypertension.