Dizziness during pregnancy is a common phenomenon. Especially at the beginning of pregnancy, dizziness is a typical complaint, often in combination with nausea and vomiting. In case of frequent attacks of dizziness, especially if they occur in combination with palpitations, headaches or visual disturbances, they should be discussed with a doctor. In most cases, however, dizziness during pregnancy is not dangerous and can be considered a natural, albeit unpleasant, companion.
Causes
There are many different reasons for the occurrence of dizziness during pregnancy. One important reason is that the body has to constantly adapt to new circumstances throughout pregnancy, which is a challenge for the entire blood circulation. More detailed information about this can be found in the individual time periods of pregnancy, which are usually divided into trimesters (also called the trimester), i.e. three-month periods.
Other more general reasons may include low blood sugar, gestational diabetes, overheating, getting up quickly, psychological causes, high blood pressure or even anaemia. On the one hand, there is a very large hormonal change at the beginning of pregnancy, which can lead to sometimes very strong nausea with or without vomiting, but also to dizziness and tiredness in about 75% of pregnant women. The hormone progesterone should be particularly emphasized here, which is produced in increased quantities and has a calming effect, but also makes you tired.
On the other hand, the growing baby must now be supplied with sufficient blood, so that the blood circulation has to adapt quickly. As a result, the maternal blood pressure drops. One should take care not to get up too quickly, because when getting up a part of the blood already sinks into the legs.
To get the blood pressure going, moderate exercise can help. The best way is to take slow walks or swim. There should be sufficient rest periods.
Alternating baths can also help. Drinking a lot (2-2.5 liters per day) generally helps to keep the blood pressure from falling. Slight dizziness at the beginning of pregnancy is therefore completely normal.
Nevertheless, the dizziness should be discussed with your doctor, especially if symptoms such as shortness of breath, strong palpitations and headaches occur during pregnancy. Then an anemia could be present. Also in this case, under no circumstances should medication for circulatory problems be taken without prior consultation with the doctor, even if it was already taken before the pregnancy, as many medications are not approved for use during pregnancy and could damage the child.
Usually the initial discomfort such as nausea and dizziness subsides in the second trimester. Most women find this phase of pregnancy very pleasant. However, many women still experience dizziness (attacks).
This is because the blood volume continues to increase and the vessels have dilated. Particularly when getting up, the blood is now pumped more slowly upwards towards the heart/head, which can lead to a short-term undersupply in the brain, which is perceived as dizziness. This short-lasting dizziness, however, has no effect on the baby, who has its own, well-regulated blood circulation.
It helps to put the legs up or to swing with the legs. This leads to the blood being distributed more quickly in the body again. However, if the baby faints, the dizziness must be clarified urgently, because then the child can also be damaged.
Even though the child is only about 7 cm tall at the beginning of the 2nd trimester, it grows enormously in the course of the 2nd trimester. As a result, the growing uterus can press on the large, lower vena cava, which can lead to dizziness. However, this is rarely the case at this time.
In the 3rd trimester, the child is already very mature. If there was no dizziness before, it is relatively unlikely to develop dizziness again. However, dizziness is more likely to occur at this stage of the pregnancy because the child is now pressing more strongly on the inferior vena cava.
This can happen while lying down, especially when lying down or sleeping in a supine position. Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia, low blood sugar) occurs when there has been no or too little food over a long period of time. Finally, the child “eats with” the food and the food intake must be adjusted accordingly.More must be eaten, because by the end of pregnancy the basal metabolic rate increases by up to 20%.
It is helpful to have a small healthy snack every two hours. Ideal are for example an apple, a banana or an orange, a cup of yogurt or a glass of milk. If you want to go fast, you can also take glucose or a small chocolate bar.
At this point it should be pointed out that too high blood sugar can also cause dizziness, namely when the glucose tolerance in pregnancy drops too much: That is, the blood sugar values do not sink after food intake within a period fast enough. This is due to the fact that more insulin is needed, which is not sufficiently provided by the body for some women. This can lead to high blood sugar levels, known as gestational diabetes.
Since the sugar is now in the blood but cannot enter the cells because the insulin “as the key to the cell” is missing, it cannot fulfil its task as an energy supplier. As a result, the mother may experience symptoms of hypoglycemia (including weakness, dizziness, tremors, sweating) despite having too high a blood sugar level. In the worst case, both the mother and the child can collapse.
However, dizziness and fainting are only later consequences in this case. At the beginning of gestational diabetes there are usually no symptoms. Therefore, blood glucose monitoring is very important in screening examinations.
The early symptoms include an excessive feeling of thirst or a frequent urge to urinate. Overheating can also lead to dizziness during pregnancy. Other symptoms of overheating include drowsiness and severe, sudden headaches.
Since overheating can lead to birth defects, it is essential to avoid it. Especially at the beginning of pregnancy, you should be careful not to overstrain your body with too much strain. This includes not doing excessive sport, even if you were used to it before the pregnancy.
In addition, you must ensure a sufficient fluid intake during (sporting) activity. After exercise, the body temperature (measured under the arm) should not exceed 38.2°C. Long hot baths can also lead to overheating.
Visits to the sauna should generally be avoided. In addition, care should be taken not to cause a fever (e.g. due to an infection). If a fever should occur, it is absolutely necessary to consult a doctor and get advice on the treatment of fever, as many medications must not be taken during pregnancy.
Lukewarm calf compresses are a good non-drug treatment option. Dizziness often has psychological rather than physical causes. This is the so-called “psychogenic dizziness”.
Causes of psychogenic dizziness can be very different. Frequent causes are stress and overstrain with the situation. In the case of psychogenic dizziness, accompanying symptoms such as palpitations, sweating or shortness of breath are not uncommon, but do not necessarily have to occur additionally.
Especially if no other causes for the dizziness are found, it is possible that the dizziness has psychological causes. It is worth discussing problems with the doctor, even if they do not appear to have anything to do with the dizziness at first glance, and consulting a psychotherapist if necessary. In many cases, the dizziness will also improve when other problems are clarified.
