Coughing is the body's response to irritation in the respiratory system. It can be caused by different etiologies:
• viral infection;
• pathogenic bacteria;
• Allergens.
Prevention - the best treatment for cough during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, coughing can be a very dangerous symptom. It must be treated under the supervision of a doctor.
The fact is that a woman has a uterus during this period, in which a future baby develops. In this regard, increased pressure on all organs of the abdominal cavity and on the cervix. When coughing, the pressure increases even more, while it is uneven.
All this negatively affects the development of the baby. Miscarriage and premature birth can occur. Also, when coughing, the gas exchange of the expectant mother is disrupted, therefore, the fetal oxygen supply is disturbed. Such a complication can lead to child hypoxia, and in extremely severe cases, to a developmental delay. Especially this affects the nervous system of the fetus. Namely, the brain.
From the above, it can be concluded that coughing during pregnancy must be treated. And the sooner the better. This symptom very often goes into a chronic form, getting rid of which is much more difficult than from an initial exacerbation.
If the expectant mother feels the harbingers of coughing (pain or sore throat, discomfort when swallowing, runny nose, malaise, chills, fever) - you need to try to prevent possible complications in time.
The main methods are physical rest, warm (not hot) drinking, folk antiseptics - honey and lemon. If you have not gone on maternity leave and continue to work, immediately take a sick leave.
Also, the most important method for the prevention of infectious diseases is self-preservation. Avoid crowded places (lines, buses, hospitals), especially during epidemics, i.e. in the autumn and spring.
Should I consult a doctor to consult how to treat cough during pregnancy?
Each of us at least once in his life suffered from such an unpleasant ailment as coughing. But during pregnancy, all deviations should be paid close attention.
If at regular times you could prescribe yourself treatment yourself: buy drugs from advertising, consult a pharmacist in pharmacies about choosing an effective medicine, take various infusions and tinctures, resort to thermal procedures (banks and mustard plasters) - when carrying a future child, this should never be done.
A pregnant woman urgently needs the help of a medical professional. First, you should consult your doctor with an obstetrician-gynecologist, without waiting for the deadline for the next appearance at the antenatal clinic. Perhaps the doctor will need the help of doctors specializing in a particular symptom (therapists, pulmonologists, ENT specialists, allergists, immunologists).
Cough, as we wrote above, is only an unpleasant symptom of the underlying disease. Which can provoke other serious complications in the body of the future mother. It is important for the doctor to determine why the patient developed a cough. This will directly depend on how to treat a cough during pregnancy. The doctor will collect an anamnesis, clarify the presence of chronic diseases, allergic reactions and bad habits.
If a woman smoked before pregnancy, especially for a long time, then she has a great chance of having chronic bronchitis. But the accession of other diseases is not excluded.
Expectant mothers who smoke during the gestation of a baby also almost always suffer from coughing. That is why obstetrician-gynecologists always warn that bad habits should be abandoned not only during pregnancy, but also when planning it (at least for 3 months).
Passive smoking also negatively affects the body of the expectant mother.
Tobacco smoke adversely affects not only the lungs of a pregnant woman, it causes hypoxia in the fetus with all the ensuing complications.
During the gestational period, the mother's body can react unusually to various stimuli. If allergic reactions to anything were not observed before pregnancy, they can occur unexpectedly and also manifest as a cough. In order to identify this, the doctor will prescribe the necessary spectrum of studies to the woman. Only after them it will be possible to prescribe a competent treatment, the basis of which will be to avoid contact with the allergen.
How to treat a cough during pregnancy if it is caused by a disease of viral or bacterial etiology?
The body of a pregnant woman works for two. Because of this, a decrease in immunity occurs. Viruses and bacteria can multiply very actively. But the problem is that during pregnancy, most medications are extremely contraindicated. Particularly these include antibiotics, which can affect the normal development of the fetus and cause even malformations incompatible with life.
ATTENTION! The most dangerous period in this regard is the first trimester of pregnancy. In this period, the laying of all organs and tissues of the future baby takes place. If a breakdown occurs somewhere, then this group of organs will continue to develop incorrectly.
From this we must conclude that if a woman lives an unprotected sex life, then taking antibacterial drugs is possible only when she is fully confident in the absence of pregnancy.
In the practice of each gynecologist, tragic cases occurred when it turned out that a woman, not yet knowing about pregnancy, was taking contraindicated drugs. Such patients are necessarily referred for consultation to a genetics, where the doctor calculates all possible risks by the days of embryo development.
Often they are incompatible with the life of the unborn child. This is a direct indication for abortion.
How to treat cough during pregnancy, so as not to harm the unborn baby?
This question can only be answered by your obstetrician-gynecologist. Future mothers, remember! Any initiative can cost the life of an unborn child. Alternative methods of treatment are also dangerous. Various herbs contain plants that adversely affect the gestation process.
They may alleviate a cough, but at the same time provoke a hormonal imbalance. Some of them can cause a decrease in the activity of the corpus luteum (progesterone production), others thin the blood and contribute to the development of bleeding. It is not necessary to experiment with health, seek advice on the Internet and listen to traditional healers about how to treat cough during pregnancy. Women are contraindicated in any overheating (foot baths, mustard plasters, etc.). They can cause a miscarriage.
In no case should you buy advertised drugs without consulting a doctor. If in the past pregnancy you managed to defeat the cough with some medicine, you can only take it in this one after consulting with your gynecologist.
Perhaps then you had a different gestational age, and this drug could be taken. Or maybe the cough was caused by a completely different cause. All that can be done urgently for yourself is to drink tea with honey and lemon. And then, in the absence of allergic reactions.
