Heart palpitations and tachycardia in pregnancy
Restlessness, tension – and suddenly your heart is beating in your throat: palpitations during pregnancy are not uncommon for many mothers-to-be. In most cases, there is nothing alarming behind it. In this article you will find out everything you need to know about heart palpitations during pregnancy.
Whether heartburn, nausea, water retention or extreme mood swings: During pregnancy, expectant mothers unfortunately have to be prepared for a large number of unpleasant side effects. While we are annoyed about the common pregnancy complaints, but accept them relatively unimpressed, another one almost gets us excited: heart palpitations or heart palpitations during pregnancy.
What is palpitations?
Colloquially, the occurrence of extra heartbeats to the normal pulse is referred to as palpitations. Cardiac palpitations can tend to occur at any age, but mostly pregnant women are affected. This is because the woman’s heart rate increases slightly in the first half of pregnancy. The pulse increase can even be up to 15 beats per minute more.
The blood volume of a pregnant woman also increases from the 6th week, but at the same time the veins in the legs, for example, expand so that the blood pressure drops overall. Nevertheless, the heart has to pump the extra blood through the body – and this is best done with the help of extra heartbeats.
What to do if you have heart palpitations or heart palpitations during pregnancy?
Some pregnant women describe heart palpitations as a feeling of restlessness, stress or excitement, while others perceive it as severe heart palpitations or even racing hearts. But no matter how strong it feels for an expectant mother, her thoughts always revolve around the well-being of the unborn child. In most cases, however, these concerns are unfounded.
Nevertheless, you should talk to your gynecologist about heart palpitations and then consult an internist or cardiologist. You can reliably rule out heart diseases that can be associated with heart palpitations. This gives you security and calms your nerves. Because uncertainty only promotes further racing heart. A vicious circle.
What to do with harmless heart palpitations?
Palpitations can be triggered by tension and excitement. So it can help to sit or lie down for a moment, take a deep breath, and relax a little. Make yourself some tea, drink a sip of still water, relax and take a break from everything.
Since heart palpitations can be promoted by stress, stressful situations or a tense mental state, relaxation therapies or targeted breathing exercises can also help to relieve the pressure inside you.