Tachycardia in pregnancy: the causes of the increased heart rate and when to worry
Tachycardia in pregnancy, which consists in the increase in the heart rate of the expectant mother, can have different causes. Frequent during the final months of gestation, tachycardia can also occur in the first months, at the beginning of the pregnancy itself, when it is physiological that heartbeats accelerate. Here is everything there is to know, considering that tachycardia in pregnancy can also be linked to anxiety ... watch our video about it:
How does tachycardia manifest in pregnancy?
Tachycardia in pregnancy, as anticipated, is quite frequent. We talk about tachycardia when there is an increase in heart rate that leads the heart to make more than 100 beats per minute. Generally during pregnancy, the heart of the expectant mother increases the number of beats per minute, but maintaining a regular rhythm.
From the first months of pregnancy, the increase in heart rate is physiological: the heart of a pregnant woman has to pump more blood faster in order to provide the baby with all the oxygen it needs to form and grow. Consequently, at the beginning of pregnancy, the tachycardia will be milder, only to become stronger in the last gestation period.
The main symptom with which tachycardia occurs in pregnancy is palpitations: the expectant mother realizes that she has a rapid heartbeat, with a sensation of strong pulsation in the heart, in the chest. Not infrequently, the pregnant woman may have tachycardia, but not experience any symptoms: in general it is easier to notice when you are at rest.
Other symptoms that can accompany tachycardia in pregnancy are a sense of exhaustion and tiredness, a state of anxiety and / or agitation, dizziness or syncope, wheezing or problems with swelling in the legs and feet.
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Tachycardia in pregnancy: the causes of increased heart rate in pregnant women
Tachycardia in pregnancy can have different causes, most of which are physiological in nature and should not arouse particular anxiety or concern in the expectant mother. The increase in heart rate - which can occur more and more often in the last period of pregnancy - is due to the adaptation of the pregnant woman's body to its new "function".
Tachycardia in the first months of pregnancy (from the third week onwards) is the consequence of the increase in the heart rate of the pregnant woman so that she can become more efficient in offering the fetus all the oxygen it needs to develop organs.
The pregnant woman, in early pregnancy, has an increased need for oxygen, produces a greater volume of blood. They also increase blood pressure and cardiac output. All these changes can lead to tachycardia.
During the last months of pregnancy, however, the expectant mother may suffer even more easily from tachycardia due to weight gain, which requires - especially after physical activity - a more important work on the part of the heart. Another of the most frequent causes of tachycardia is psychological in nature: anxiety about the imminent birth and all the changes taking place in the life of a future mother can have as their main symptom the increase in heartbeat.
Other causes of tachycardia in pregnancy
Tachycardia in pregnancy can also have causes of a pathological nature, although these are fortunately less frequent circumstances. If the expectant mother was suffering from heart problems before she became pregnant, it is possible that these ailments may worsen as a result of the stress that her body is subjected to during pregnancy, as they could now present themselves in an obvious way for the first time.
Among the main pathological causes of tachycardia in pregnancy there is low arterial pressure, also called hypotension. In these cases, especially in the first months of pregnancy, tachycardia manifests itself with temporary palpitations, which generally resolve on their own as early as the end of the second trimester, when low blood pressure tends to normalize.
Other pathological causes of tachycardia in pregnancy can be thyroid disorders or cases of anemia (iron deficiency is very common during pregnancy, when the need for this nutrient increases). It can also be associated with other heart diseases, asthma problems or lung infections, or be linked to an incorrect lifestyle: tachycardia in pregnancy can be related to excessive physical activity, stress or anxiety situations, intake of stimulating substances (from caffeine to nicotine), to a condition of obesity of the pregnant woman.
In the most serious cases, in which it is good to request medical intervention immediately, it can be a symptom of problems related to gestation itself, from internal bleeding to placental abruption, from rupture of the uterine sac to an ectopic pregnancy. Fortunately, this is only a rarer circumstance.
Diagnosis and treatment of tachycardia in pregnancy
Cardiac auscultation by the doctor will suffice to diagnose tachycardia in pregnancy. If palpitations are present, the gynecologist will only need to prescribe a simple blood test to be able to identify any causes related to thyroid, anemia or other frequent problems during pregnancy. More accurate tests that will allow to identify the specific characteristics of tachycardia are the electrocardiogram and the cardiac Holter.
In most cases, tachycardia in pregnancy will not require any specific treatment, but it will pass by itself. If the causes are of a physiological and non-pathological nature, there will be no need to resort to drugs. In cases where the problem is instead of a pathological nature, the doctor will indicate a specific treatment for the pathology found.
