Manage allergies during pregnancy: what to know

Nearly 1 in 5 people experience allergies during pregnancy, especially rhinitis (nasal inflammation) and asthma. Your allergies can improve, worse or stay the same during pregnancy – each person and pregnancy are different.

Allergies are treatable during pregnancy, but it is essential to speak to a health care provider of your processing options, as certain drugs that you should avoid during pregnancy.

How pregnancy affects allergies

If you had allergies before pregnancy, you probably know what triggers your allergy symptoms.

However, certain physical changes during pregnancy can make it difficult to distinguish between aggravated allergies, allergies to the new appearance, a cold or one of the many changes in the body during pregnancy.

Pregnancy can contribute to allergy allergies or symptoms in the following ways:

• Reduction of pulmonary capacity: During pregnancy, your pulmonary capacity (the amount of air that your lungs can remember) and the amount of air moving in and out of your lungs decrease due to the pressure that the fetus exerts on your organs. These changes can affect your breathing.
• Pregnancy rhinitis: It is common that the speakers feel pregnancy rhinitis (a nose or a congestion flowing), which can imitate the symptoms of allergies, but is not caused by allergens.

How to safely manage allergies during pregnancy

About a third of all pregnant people who have symptoms of allergy during pregnancy do not speak to a health care provider of the problem, which increases the risk of depression and a lower quality of life.

Due to the concerns of harming the fetus, many are cautious about the use of treatments or drugs which may have brought them relief before pregnancy.

However, there are allergies drugs that are systematically recommended for use during pregnancy to treat certain symptoms. Talk to your health care provider to determine an allergies treatment plan during pregnancy.

Allergy drugs

Many drugs and treatments have not been studied for safety during pregnancy.

However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) notes that most over -the -counter medications are ok to use during pregnancy.

You should always consult a health care provider before taking new drugs during pregnancy.

A health care provider can recommend over -the -counter antihistamic drugs well studied during pregnancy, such as:

• All chlorine (chlorpheniaramine)
• Polarmine (dexchlorpheniramine)
• Claritin (Loratadine)
• Zyrtec (Cetirizine)

Intranasal corticosteroid sprays

Health care providers can recommend an intranasal corticosteroid spray (nasal spray) for some allergic people during pregnancy. The options include:

• Rhinocort (Budesonide), which is generally the first choice of a supplier for nasal sprays because it has the most data supporting its safety
• Flonase (fluticasone), a corticosteroid nasal spray

Medicines to avoid

• Sudafed (pseudoephedrine): There is evidence that connects popular decongent pseudoephedrine to congenital disabilities of the abdominal wall when taken at the beginning of pregnancy; It is not recommended for use during the first trimester.
• Decongestant nasal sprays: Decongestant nasal sprays such as Afrin (oxymmetazoline) must also be avoided during pregnancy.
• Immunotherapy: Experts recommend the initiation of more recent immunotherapy, such as allergy strokes, during pregnancy. Depending on the severity of your allergy and the side effects you experience, you and your health care provider will have to discuss their prosecution during pregnancy.

Always speak to your health care provider before starting new over -the -counter or prescription drugs during pregnancy.

Lifestyle remedies

Aside from the drugs, you can take many holistic measures to help control your allergies during pregnancy, such as:

• Avoid garden work
• Keep the windows and doors closed
• Reduce allergens by cleaning regularly or using an air purifier
• Use of air conditioning instead of fans or opening windows
• Use of saline nasal rinsing

You should not use more invasive plants or therapies like acupuncture during pregnancy without consulting a health care provider.

Potential risks

Allergic asthma is one of the most important allergic reactions to manage during pregnancy.

Most people with serious asthma should follow the same treatment strategy during pregnancy as before pregnancy. However, there are warnings.

Asthmatic people should meet their prescription supplier before or shortly after being pregnant to discuss any need for treatment required. Do not stop asthma medications without being assessed by your supplier.

Uncontrolled asthma can lead to serious respiratory problems that may have a negative effect on the fetus. Complications that could occur during your pregnancy if your asthma is not controlled includes:

• Cesarean
• High blood pressure (blood pressure greater than 140/90 to 20 weeks of gestation or later)
• Low birth weight
• Preeclampsia (high blood pressure and protein in the urine or after 20 weeks of gesture)
• Premature delivery

Most exacerbations of severe asthma during pregnancy occur in the third trimester, but become less likely close to childbirth. Severe asthma attacks during childbirth are rare, according to the researchers.

Can allergies harm the fetus during pregnancy?

Some drugs can put the fetus in danger during pregnancy. Always talk to a health care provider to get advice on allergies drugs during pregnancy.

It is not because a pregnant person has symptoms of allergy during pregnancy that the infant will also know the same types of allergies. However, allergies can be genetic or crossed by families. In these cases, it is possible to transmit allergies to your baby, but that would not be due to symptoms of allergy during pregnancy.

When to ask a supplier

If you suffer from asthma or serious allergies and you become pregnant, it is a good idea to speak with your health care provider of management strategies. Most allergies do not change much during pregnancy. However, new serious allergic reactions require rapid treatment to avoid lasting effects for you and your growing fetus.

If you develop a reaction that makes breathing difficult, see an immediate doctor or call 911.

Summary

Management of chronic conditions and allergies during pregnancy can be a challenge. Medicines and other treatments used before pregnancy may not be sure to take during pregnancy. Some drugs can cause problems with your pregnancy or your baby after childbirth. Talk to a healthcare professional for allergies management and other chronic health problems at the start of your pregnancy.