Risk of restless legs syndrome in pregnant women

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Pregnancy is a time when a woman's body goes through a lot of changes, from the body's hormones to circulatory, respiratory and immune changes. In particular, restless legs syndrome in pregnant women greatly affects sleep and pregnancy health.

1. What is Restless Leg Syndrome?

According to a study on September 27, 2001 that shows that in addition to the symptoms of morning sickness and shortness of breath, pregnant women also have a condition that causes discomfort and sometimes pain for pregnant women, affecting sleep, It's restless legs syndrome.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) includes symptoms related to movement disorders, making women want to move and move the legs. Besides the above symptoms, pregnant women also feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable. People with restless legs syndrome have described their legs as crawling, tingling or aching and tingling, and sometimes painful sensations. A few cases of sudden muscle twitching were noted.
Symptoms are often worse in the evening or at night, severely affecting the mother's sleep and restricting leg movements, making it difficult to walk.

2. Effects of Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless legs syndrome in pregnant women is common in older women. The incidence of the disease increases with age. About 5 - 10% of the population experiences this condition during pregnancy.
According to a study by Mauro Manconi, MD, Vita-Salute University in Milan, Italy on “Pregnancy and Restless Legs Syndrome”. The team used a recently revised international definition of the condition, in which the cause of RLS remains unknown. The results of the study suggest that there are many factors to this syndrome:
The first pregnancy associated with restless legs syndrome was reported in 1940, with several other studies confirming the association. this contact. Nearly 600 Italian women participated in the study, they were evaluated for restless legs syndrome in pregnant women present from the beginning of pregnancy. After giving birth, within two days, these women will talk to a pair of neurologists who are certified in Sleep Medicine. For the next 6 months, the researchers followed people whose doctors diagnosed them with restless legs syndrome during pregnancy. More than 26% of the women had RLS as a result. In it, most of them are experiencing this situation for the first time. Almost 25% of symptoms occur once per week and almost 15% more than 3 times per week. This makes the mother sleep less, lose more sleep and be more prone to excessive daytime sleepiness. If RLS is encountered in the third trimester of pregnancy, it is a poor prognostic factor, especially in the seventh and eighth months of pregnancy. Restless legs syndrome in pregnant women will disappear after one month of delivery, only 7% of women still have restless legs syndrome.

3. Causes of Restless Legs Syndrome

One possible cause of restless legs syndrome is lower iron stores in the blood as well as in the liver compared to women without this syndrome. During pregnancy, a woman needs a large amount of iron to supply the fetus. In addition, pregnant women also lose iron during childbirth due to blood loss. However, after 3 months of delivery, iron levels improved and restless legs syndrome also disappeared.
Another theory blames hormones for RLS in pregnant women. The researchers, writing in the Journal of Neurology, say: "The rapid and significant improvement of restless legs syndrome after childbirth is based on hormonal causes rather than the iron hypothesis." During pregnancy, the hormones change greatly, especially the two hormones estrogen and progesterone, besides during pregnancy there is an increase of a few other hormones such as β-hCG.
There are also a few other causes such as: Genetics, increased sensitivity during pregnancy,...

4. How to overcome restless legs syndrome in pregnant women

Based on some causes of restless legs syndrome, many authors have mentioned a few remedies for restless legs syndrome as follows:
4.1 Adequate iron and folic acid supplementation Iron requirements in Pregnant women increase 3 to 4 times more than normal because to increase the amount of blood and nutrients to supply the fetus. Need to supplement iron during pregnancy as prescribed by the doctor. Besides, it is necessary to provide folic acid before 3 months of pregnancy, because folic acid is needed for the development and perfection of the nervous system of the fetus, in addition, folic acid also helps create healthy red blood cells.
If there are signs of iron deficiency during pregnancy such as: fatigue, dizziness, pale skin, you need to go to the doctor immediately and ask for a quantitative test of iron and serum ferritin.
It is necessary to supplement the above substances in accordance with the doctor's prescription, to avoid overdose, causing poisoning and affecting the development of the fetus.
4.2 Proper weight control Before pregnancy, if you are overweight or obese, there is a risk of restless legs syndrome. Pay attention to adjust your weight to a reasonable level before planning to get pregnant. The simplest is to change your diet and exercise.
For weight loss thanks to dietary changes, you should consult a nutritionist, do not eat foods lacking in nutrients or skip meals. Because this does not help you lose weight, it also causes severe nutritional deficiencies, not enough nutrients to start the pregnancy process. Exercise is a very useful way to lose weight.
4.3 Add Other Important Micronutrients Other vitamins may also help reduce symptoms of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy. Each day, you should supplement 350mg magnesium and 1200mg calcium.
Magnesium helps build and repair tissue and prevents the risk of early labor in pregnancy. Calcium is needed for the fetus to create bones, teeth and muscles, to support the development of the cardiovascular system, to help maintain a normal fetal heart rate.
For pregnant women, calcium helps women reduce pain and cramps during pregnancy.
Some foods that provide the above micronutrients are: Papayas, cereals, legumes, beef, citrus fruits,...

4.4 Get proper rest Restless legs syndrome will worsen if your health declines or falls into a state of stress. Therefore, it is necessary to have a reasonable rest regime, make up for sleep to ensure adequate sleep time, as well as take some measures to make it easier to fall asleep.
Go to bed and wake up on time; Try to limit exposure to light about 1 hour before bed: avoid using phones, read books with lights before bed; Avoid drinks with caffeine and sugar; Avoid excessive exercise before sleeping; Sleep in a cool, quiet room; In addition, soaking feet with hot water before sleeping can improve restless legs syndrome in pregnant women. Before going to bed, you need to prepare a bowl of hot water about 40 - 50 degrees Celsius to soak your feet, soak for 15-20 minutes. Can be boiled clean water or herbal water. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the use of herbs to choose the appropriate one, suitable for your health status. It is best to consult with your doctor before choosing herbs to add to your foot bath. Absolutely do not use strong irritating and corrosive water.

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Reference article: webmd.com