The article is consulted by Specialist Doctor I Lê Thị Phương - Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.
Avoiding illness to prevent the need for medication during pregnancy is something that expectant mothers desire. However, not everyone can go through the pregnancy period without any health issues. Below are the necessary knowledge and tips for pregnant women with sore throat to protect their health properly during pregnancy.
1. Causes of sore throat in pregnant women
Let's start by understanding some of the main causes of sore throat in pregnant women to better understand and have reasonable treatment and prevention methods. Some of the most common causes leading to sore throat in pregnant women are:
- Sudden weather changes causing the body to not adapt in time.
- Frequent consumption of salty foods causing damage to the throat lining.
- Increased secretion of mucus.
- Reduced immunity during pregnancy making women more susceptible to bacterial infections from the environment.
- Hormonal imbalances making pregnant women more prone to illness.
Pregnant women often feel hot, drinking too much ice water or sitting in front of a fan for too long can also cause sore throat.
Identifying the correct cause of the illness will help you treat sore throat more easily. Instead of rushing to buy sore throat medications or resolutely not using drugs, you should learn scientific treatment methods for pregnant women with sore throat.
2. Treatment methods for pregnant women with sore throat
Sore throat seems to be a minor issue for people with normal health. However, for pregnant women, this illness causes a lot of anxiety. In daily life, sore throat cases are often prescribed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs by doctors. Many antibiotics can affect the fetus and the mother's health if used excessively.
- You need to know that some antibiotics are not harmful to pregnant women, such as penicillin (e.g., amoxicillin and ampicillin), cephalosporins (e.g., cephalexin), and erythromycin. However, patients still need the obstetrician's prescription when using antibiotics to treat sore throat.
- Pregnant women with sore throat should gargle 2 to 3 times a day to disinfect and reduce throat pain.
- Additionally, women need to supplement with vitamins A and C to improve the immune system. Vitamin B in animal milk and many other types of milk also helps reduce inflammation quickly. Vitamin supplementation is also necessary during every mother's pregnancy.
- Folk remedies also help pregnant women with sore throat reduce symptoms of dry cough, headache, or fever. For example, using salted lemon, carrot juice - honey, perilla leaf water, fresh radish, or turmeric powder.
Treating sore throat in pregnant women is not difficult but not easy either. All treatment methods must pay attention to the health of both mother and baby. Reputable hospitals and dedicated, highly specialized obstetricians will help pregnant women with sore throat feel secure during treatment and quickly overcome the uncomfortable symptoms of sore throat.
3. How to prevent sore throat for pregnant women?
Pregnant women have reduced resistance to environmental and weather factors - the causes of sore throat. To cope with these factors, pregnant women can use some useful tips:
- Always keep the body warm: Because pregnant women often have higher body temperatures than usual, some people neglect to keep warm, leading to easy sore throat. Dress warmly with comfortable materials to avoid getting cold when the weather changes or working in an air-conditioned environment.
- Regularly clean the house, vacuum, and disinfect to reduce bacteria in the environment.
- Use a mask when cleaning or traveling on the road.
- Avoid contact with people who have colds, rhinitis, or sore throat.
- Do not eat cold food or take cold showers at night.
- Avoid areas with a lot of cigarette smoke.
- Do not eat overly spicy, salty, or hot foods.
These small but essential tips are necessary for any pregnant woman at risk of sore throat. Although it is not a strange or serious illness, having a sore throat can still affect the mother and the fetus in the womb. Using the wrong medication prescribed for pregnant women can lead to unpredictable consequences. See a doctor immediately if dry cough symptoms worsen, persist, or if fever does not subside.
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