Is leg swelling during pregnancy normal or abnormal?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was written by Ms. Ly Thi Thanh Nha, a doctor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang.
Foot edema is a common physiological phenomenon in pregnant women, especially in the last 3 months of pregnancy. Not only causes difficulties in walking, daily activities but also potentially dangerous preeclampsia.
Together with Dr. Ly Thi Thanh Nha, a doctor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vinmec Da Nang International Hospital, learn the causes of leg edema during pregnancy in the article below.
1. Causes of leg swelling in pregnant women There are 3 main reasons for leg swelling in women during pregnancy
During pregnancy, the mother's body will produce 50% more blood and fluid than usual to help nourish the fetus pediatric. This is one of the common causes of edema in pregnant women. As the pregnancy gets bigger, your uterus will also get bigger, causing pressure, pressing on the inferior vena cava, these are the veins that are responsible for pumping blood from the lower extremities to the heart, when the pressure is greater, the blood will concentrated in the legs, causing edema, especially in the feet and ankles. Hormonal changes during pregnancy also play an important role in causing edema. Hormonal changes in your body cause the walls of your vessels to become softer, which makes it difficult for your veins to carry blood from your lower extremities to your heart. In addition, some other common causes of leg swelling during pregnancy such as standing for too long, often wearing high heels, hard work, high sodium diet, potassium deficiency, hot weather.
2. Is leg swelling during pregnancy normal or abnormal? Swelling in the feet, ankles, calves is a normal physiological phenomenon, can be seen in most women during pregnancy. These signs should go away when your baby is born. However, swelling can also be a sign that your body is having more serious problems.
Visit your obstetrician immediately if you notice the following unusual signs:
Swelling for a long time, even though you have rested but there is still no sign of improvement Hand and face are also swollen Signs of swelling, edema progressively larger than initial Severe headache Vision problems such as blurred vision Severe pain just below the ribs Vomiting with any symptoms These are warning signs for preeclampsia . Preeclampsia is a syndrome of high blood pressure caused by pregnancy, accompanied by increased protein in the urine. It usually appears after the 20th week of pregnancy. If not treated in time, it can cause convulsions (eclampsia) which can be dangerous for both mother and baby. The key to managing preeclampsia is regular monitoring of the mother's blood pressure and fetal heart rate.
If one of your legs seems to swell more than the other, it could be a hint that you have a vein problem, such as a deep vein thrombosis. This is a blood clot that often occurs in the deep veins of the legs, in pregnant women, the risk is higher.

3. How to reduce leg swelling during pregnancy? Swollen feet and ankles are common during pregnancy and should go away after giving birth. However, it makes pregnant women uncomfortable and inconvenient in daily life. The following tips will help you reduce leg swelling during pregnancy.
Limit standing for too long without moving. When sitting, you should straighten your legs, do not cross your legs because it will make it difficult for blood to circulate. When lying down, raise your legs with pillows. Regularly massage and exercise your feet. You can do leg exercises while standing or sitting, which will help improve blood circulation, reduce leg edema, prevent calf cramps: bend, stretch your legs up and down 30 times, rotate your legs circle 8 times in one direction and 8 times in the opposite direction. Lie on your left side while sleeping. This is a way to help relieve pressure from the vena cava when bringing blood from the lower body to the heart (lying on the left side prevents the uterus from pressing on the veins in the pelvis). Wear comfortable shoes (avoid shoes with tight straps, high heels). Do not wear tight clothing because it will restrict blood circulation. Limit wearing socks, especially those with tight ties at the ankles and calves. Should use socks specifically for pregnant women. Regular exercise, gentle and moderate exercise by walking, swimming, cycling, yoga will help blood circulate easily. Stand or walk in the pool. This is a method that uses the pressure of water to temporarily reduce swelling. It may sound odd to drink lots of water, but if your body is dehydrated, it will try to retain more fluid, leading to more swelling. Pregnant women are advised to drink 10 cups of water a day (equivalent to 2.4 liters of water) Soaking feet for 10-15 minutes in warm water before sleeping will help the body feel relaxed, blood circulation is better, reduce swelling. Try to keep your body cool in hot weather conditions. Limit salty foods, reduce the amount of salt in the diet. If the cause of swelling is due to a lack of potassium, quickly supplement your diet with potassium-rich foods such as spinach, orange juice, watermelon, bananas, yogurt, soy products. Limit the use of processed foods such as french fries and canned meat, because these foods contain a lot of trans fat, which is also an easy factor to cause edema. Reduce caffeine use. The caffeine in coffee and tea tends to cause water retention.

4. Is leg swelling a sign of impending birth? Leg swelling can occur at any stage of pregnancy, but is most common in the third trimester. Because at this stage, the baby's weight is increasing, occupying a large volume in the mother's abdominal cavity, creating great pressure on the lower veins, making it difficult for blood to circulate, causing edema. Swollen feet during pregnancy in the 9th month is also considered one of the signs to recognize that the baby is about to be born, besides other signs such as: falling belly, frequent urination, back pain, pain in the back lots of vaginal discharge , uterine contractions ,...
5. When to see a doctor
If you have rested but the swelling still does not subside or has any abnormalities such as feeling headache, nausea, blurred vision, sudden swelling in the face and hands, you should immediately go to a medical facility. medical examination for specific examination.

Leg swelling often appears in the last 3 months of pregnancy and is a warning sign of extremely dangerous pre-eclampsia, so during this period, pregnant women should have regular antenatal checkups, monitor blood pressure and notify the doctor. immediately if there are other unusual signs.
To protect the health of the mother and baby comprehensively as well as help the mother feel more secure during labor, Vinmec provides the Maternity Package service, in which the 12-week maternity package helps monitor the health of the baby. mother and baby right from the beginning of pregnancy, early detection and timely intervention of health problems. In addition to the usual services, the maternity monitoring program from 12 weeks has special services that other maternity packages do not have such as: Double Test or Triple Test to screen for fetal malformations; Quantitative angiogenesis factor test for preeclampsia; thyroid screening test; Rubella test; Testing for parasites transmitted from mother to child seriously affects the baby's brain and physical development after birth.
After the results of antenatal check-ups and tests are available, doctors will analyze and advise on nutrition and reasonable rest regimes for pregnant women to help mothers and babies have the best health, comprehensive development of the fetus. .

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.