How to treat a throat during pregnancy

Sore throat is always an unpleasant symptom. It interferes with food and fluids, breathing, talking, and sometimes even swallowing saliva. Sore throat can be a manifestation of usual hypothermia or, conversely, formidable diseases that require immediate treatment. Pregnant women should take this symptom especially seriously. Why does a sore throat occur and how to cure it?

Causes of the symptom

The throat is a fairly general concept that combines several anatomical zones and physiological systems of the body. “Sore throat” can be called an unpleasant sensation in the area of ​​the pharynx, pharynx and larynx. The most dangerous of all diseases of these anatomical areas for a pregnant woman are tonsillitis and measles.

What is a sore throat?

Angina is an infectious and inflammatory disease of the connective tissue, with a primary lesion of the tonsils. It is most often caused by beta-hemolytic streptococcus group A. For pregnant women, both acute and chronic tonsillitis are dangerous.

Acute tonsillitis leads to severe intoxication syndrome, which adversely affects the fetus. Chronic sore throat as a hotbed of endogenous infection can cause a complicated course of pregnancy, as well as cause complications during childbirth.

In addition, the causative agent of angina affects the connective tissue throughout the body, primarily heart tissue. This adversely affects the body of the pregnant woman and the fetus, since during pregnancy the load on the woman's cardiovascular system increases.

The main symptoms of a sore throat are sore throat and plaque on the tonsils. It should be treated by a doctor.

Measles in pregnant women

Measles is manifested by sore throat, fever, weakness, and increased fatigue, but its main symptom is a rash. Spots and nodules from pink to red appear first on the face and neck, and then spread down to the entire trunk and limbs. Also, a rash can occur in the tongue and palate.

During pregnancy, measles virus poses a major threat to the fetus, as it easily crosses the placenta. This virus can cause various deformities and developmental abnormalities in a child. It is especially dangerous to get measles in the early stages of pregnancy. The earlier the germ cells are infected, the more abnormalities will be in his body.

Other causes of sore throat

The remaining causes of this symptom are less dangerous, although they pose a certain threat to health. Most often, a sore throat occurs due to:

1. Respiratory infection. This is what the people simply call "colds." Her manifestations during pregnancy are no different from those that always arise: a runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, weakness, loss of appetite. There is only one difference: during pregnancy, the common cold can be subjectively harder and last longer than usual.
2. Pharyngitis. Throat inflammation can occur for many reasons, most often it appears due to bacterial, viral and fungal diseases.The main symptom, in addition to intoxication and general infectious manifestations, is a sore throat with an “empty throat”. That is, painful swallowing of saliva.
3. Laryngitis Inflammation of the larynx is caused by the same pathogens as pharyngitis. In addition to this, laryngitis can occur in people who talk a lot and often, or after a loud scream due to overstrain of the vocal cords. The main symptom is a sore throat during a conversation.
4. Hypothermia. It is a common cause of short-term sore throat. Subcooling of the legs to the ankles is especially dangerous. This is due to the fact that cold receptors on the feet reflexively affect the vessels of the pharynx and larynx. During hypothermia, a spasm of these vessels occurs. This can lead to prolonged pain or inflammation with the development of a typical pattern of laryngitis, pharyngitis or pharyngo-laryngitis.
5. Tonsillitis. Inflammation of the tonsils, which is caused by any pathogen other than beta-hemolytic streptococcus group A. Symptoms are similar to the manifestation of angina, however, the prognosis is much better and the treatment is much easier.

How a pregnant woman can cure a sore throat

First of all, if this symptom occurs, you should consult a doctor. An ENT doctor treats almost any sore throat, but a woman with measles will be placed in an isolated infectious department due to the high contagiousness of this disease. During the first appointment with a doctor, the patient must necessarily clarify that she is pregnant, otherwise the erroneous prescription of contraindicated medicines is possible.

In addition to the treatment prescribed by your doctor, you can use long-proven methods to get rid of sore throat. For example, such as:

1. Warm tea with lemon. Especially useful during colds or after hypothermia. Firstly, heavy drinking performs a detoxification function in the body. Secondly, lemon contains ascorbic acid, which boosts immunity and helps fight infection. But be careful: tea should be warm, not hot. Hot liquid only irritates the throat, increasing inflammation.
2. Coniferous broth. Needles contain more vitamin C than rosehips and citrus fruits. Take a kilogram of spruce or pine cones, rinse and fill with three liters of water, put on fire and boil for 20 minutes. Then you should let the broth infuse for at least 40 minutes. You can add honey to the coniferous water. Store in the refrigerator, use inside in a warm form for half a glass three times a day.
3. Milk and honey. Very unpleasant, but very effective method. In a glass of milk, add a teaspoon of honey and a little butter. Drink it warm. Be careful: this method can not be used for those who are allergic to honey and lactose intolerance.
4. Inhalation. It is best to do them with the help of special steam inhalers and essential oils, but not everyone has such an opportunity. You can boil a small pot of potato with a peel, add a spoonful of soda and a couple of drops of iodine to the water. After the potatoes are removed from the heat, open the pan, bend over it and cover yourself with a towel. Inhale the steam for 10 minutes.
5. Gargling. You can prepare a saline or soda solution. To do this, pour a spoonful of any of these ingredients with a glass of warm water and stir until completely dissolved. In addition, you can prepare 200 ml of decoction from 50 g of sage, raspberry or calendula leaves.

What can not be done with pain in grief during pregnancy

Some means and methods of treating inflammation of the pharynx, pharynx, and tonsils are contraindicated during pregnancy. It is necessary to refuse:

1. Uncontrolled use of antibiotics. It’s just that no one can drink antibiotics without prescribing, but such self-medication poses the greatest threat to pregnant and lactating women.There is a certain list of drugs that can be prescribed for pregnant women, some antibiotics are on this list, but there are not many.
2. Soar feet. This is a very effective and proven method for centuries, but pregnant women should not use it. When the legs are in hot water, the load on the cardiovascular system increases, and this can adversely affect both the health of the woman herself and the safety of the fetus. It is better to replace this method with just warm socks.
3. Take a hot bath. This method is not available for the same reason as the previous one. In addition, in some cases, a hot bath can cause premature birth or spontaneous abortion.
4. Use mustard plasters and banks. During pregnancy, it is better to limit the effects on the chest of various irritants.
5. Alcohol rinse and inhalation. Alcohol can not be pregnant in any of its manifestations. Even if you use it for treatment. Even small doses of alcohol can cause intoxication in the fetus.

It can be concluded that if a sore throat occurs in a pregnant woman, it is urgent to consult a doctor. In addition to the prescribed drug therapy, treatment methods that have been proven over the years can be used.

Video: how to treat colds and flu during pregnancy