How to treat a throat during pregnancy

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

The causes of the symptom

The throat is a fairly general concept, combining several anatomical zones and physiological systems of the body. "Pain in the throat" can be called discomfort in the area of ​​the mouth of the mouth, pharynx and larynx. The most dangerous of all diseases of these anatomical areas for a pregnant woman are angina and measles.

What is angina?

Angina is an infectious-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 form of angina are dangerous.

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

In addition, the pathogen of angina affects the connective tissue throughout the body, primarily the heart tissue. This has a detrimental effect on the body of the pregnant woman and the fetus, because during pregnancy the load on the cardiovascular system of a woman increases even without that.

The main symptoms of sore throat are sore throat and plaque on the tonsils. Treat it should be a doctor.

Measles in pregnant women

Measles is manifested by sore throat, high fever, weakness, 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 whole torso and limbs. Also, a rash can occur on the tongue and palate.

During pregnancy, the primary threat of the measles virus is to the fetus, as it easily crosses the placenta. This virus can cause various deformities and abnormalities in the development of a child. Especially dangerous to get measles in early pregnancy. The sooner 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 carry a certain health hazard. Most often, sore throat occurs due to:

1. Respiratory infection. This is what people call simply “the common cold”. Manifestations of it during pregnancy are no different from those that always arise: runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, weakness, loss of appetite.There is only one difference: during pregnancy, a cold can be subjectively tolerated harder and last longer than usual.
2. Pharyngitis Inflammation of the pharynx can occur for many reasons, most often it occurs due to bacterial, viral and fungal diseases. The main symptom, in addition to intoxication and general infectious manifestations, is sore throat with an "empty throat." That is, painful swallowing 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 over-exertion 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. Especially dangerous is overcooling the feet to the ankles. This is due to the fact that cold receptors on the feet have a reflex effect on the vessels of the pharynx and larynx. During hypothermia occurs spasm of these vessels. This can lead to non-lasting pain or inflammation with the development of a typical pattern of laryngitis, pharyngitis or pharyngolaryngitis.
5. Tonsillitis. Inflammation of the tonsils, which is caused by any pathogen in addition to beta-hemolytic streptococcus group A. The symptoms are similar to the manifestation of angina, but the prognosis is much better and the treatment is much easier.

How does a pregnant woman cure a sore throat

First of all, when this symptom occurs, you should consult a doctor. An otolaryngologist is treating almost any sore throat, but a woman with measles will be put in an isolated infectious disease ward due to the high contagiousness of this disease. During the first visit to the doctor, the patient must clarify that she is pregnant, otherwise erroneous prescription of contraindicated medicines may be prescribed.

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

1. Warm tea with lemon. Especially useful during colds or after hypothermia. First, excessive drinking performs a detoxification function in the body. Secondly, lemon contains ascorbic acid, which boosts immunity and helps fight infection.But be careful: the tea should be warm, not hot. Hot fluid only irritates the throat, increasing inflammation.
2. Coniferous decoction. The needles contain more vitamin C than in the wild rose and citrus fruits. Take a kilo of spruce or pine cones, wash and pour three liters of water, put on the fire and boil for 20 minutes. Then you should let the broth stand for at least 40 minutes. Honey can be added to the coniferous water. Store in the refrigerator, to use inside in the form of heat for half a glass three times a day.
3. Milk and honey. Very unpleasant, but very effective method. In a glass of milk you need to add a teaspoon of honey and a little butter. Drink in the form of heat. Be careful: this method can not be applied to 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 this opportunity. You can boil a small saucepan of potatoes with the peel, add a spoonful of soda and a couple of drops of iodine to the water. After the potatoes are removed from the fire, open the pan, lean over it and cover yourself with a towel. Inhale the steam for 10 minutes.
5. Gargling. You can prepare a salt 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 of 50 g of leaves of sage, raspberry or calendula.

What not to do with pain in grief during pregnancy

Some remedies and treatments for inflammation of the throat, pharynx and tonsils are contraindicated during pregnancy. Should refuse:

1. Uncontrolled intake of antibiotics. It’s just that without prescribing antibiotics you can’t drink to anyone, but such self-treatment is the greatest threat for 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 not so 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 and the safety of the fetus. It is better to replace this method with just warm socks.
3. Take hot baths. 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 jars. During pregnancy, it is better to limit the effects on the chest of various stimuli.
5. Alcohol rinse and inhalation. Alcohol for pregnant cannot be in any of its manifestations. Even if used for treatment. Even small doses of alcohol can cause intoxication in the fetus.

It can be concluded that when a sore throat appears in a pregnant woman, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor. In addition to prescribed drug therapy, you can use proven methods of treatment for years.

Video: how to treat colds and flu during pregnancy