Dizziness in the early stages of pregnancy: causes, diagnosis, treatment measures. Why do you feel dizzy during pregnancy?

In most cases, the dizziness goes away within half an hour. If this ailment causes discomfort and deterioration of the condition, it is better for the expectant mother to contact her leading specialist with this problem to determine the causes and prescribe treatment.

Why do you get headaches during early pregnancy?

Headache in early pregnancy is a fairly common problem. During pregnancy, approximately every fifth woman experiences all sorts of inconveniences associated with headaches.

A headache does not affect the development of the fetus in any way, but it does cause discomfort for a pregnant girl.

Headaches are classified into four main groups:

  • Muscle tension pain is the most common headache. It is associated with overstrain of the muscles of the head or neck. The pain of muscle tension is most often mild, it covers the entire head and seems to squeeze it;
  • Vascular headache may be associated with vegetative-vascular dystonia or other vascular problems;
  • Liquorodynamic;
  • Neuralgic. Migraine is an acute headache, pulsating, locally disturbing. The eyelid area, temporal lobe, frontal part, or some part of the head may hurt.

During pregnancy, a woman undergoes colossal overloads of the body and all organs; all of its systems change, including the circulatory system. Blood volume increases, venous pressure increases, and vascular activity changes. All changes in the female body can cause migraines.

Most often, migraines appear in the first trimester of pregnancy, and it is not recommended to relieve pain with pills. The use of headache medications is allowed only in the second and third trimester.

To get rid of pain, you need to find out the cause and only then treat it. Take any migraine medications strictly as prescribed! To ease your condition a little and relieve spasm and pain in the temporal part of the head, you can massage your temples with Zvezdochka ointment, drink mint tea and rest a little.

Dizzy during pregnancy: main reasons

The feeling of feeling dizzy resembles the movement of the body in space or the movement of surrounding objects around you. Dizziness depends on the general state of health - with problems with blood vessels and the heart, disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, the head begins to spin.

If you experience systematic dizziness, you should not ignore them; it is recommended to visit a doctor to identify the causes and possible consequences.

During pregnancy, dizziness is a fairly common occurrence, but you need to be wary of them and determine the cause of their occurrence.

What causes dizziness:

  • Low blood pressure;
  • Reduced hemoglobin level;
  • Impaired blood flow in the brain;
  • Head or neck injury;
  • ARVI, influenza;
  • Frequent smoking and drinking alcohol;
  • Low blood sugar;
  • Headaches;
  • Dehydration;
  • Osteochondrosis;
  • Lack of vitamins in the body;
  • Impaired movement coordination;
  • Certain mental illnesses.

You may feel slightly dizzy during your period, this is caused by changes in the level of female hormones, which leads to headaches. If dizziness is accompanied by nausea, you can assume pregnancy - in this case, it is recommended to take a test or visit a gynecologist.

He wraps his head around what it could be: a manifestation of malaise

Attacks of dizziness can last several minutes, but sometimes the malaise unsettles a person for several hours. The feeling of a cloudy head may be accompanied by blurred vision, sweating, loss of coordination and nausea.

In women, dizziness most often occurs on the first day of menstruation, and it also often occurs during pregnancy.

If symptoms appear periodically, there is no need to worry; this phenomenon is not uncommon and does not indicate the manifestation of any disease. Constant dizziness, to which double vision, decreased hearing and the appearance of cold sweat are added, bothers a person. With such symptoms, you should consult a doctor to establish a diagnosis of the disease.

Nausea and dizziness as signs of pregnancy

Many girls, when they are in an “interesting position,” may experience slight dizziness, but sometimes it can turn into a fainting state. As a rule, this symptom is a fairly common occurrence, but it causes concern among women who are carrying a child under their hearts.

Why is this happening? During pregnancy, dizziness is most often caused by a disruption in the blood supply system. The load on a woman's heart and blood vessels increases - additional blood flow appears, feeding the baby in the tummy.

Most of the blood reaches the uterus and sometimes it is not enough to stimulate the cerebral cortex. In this way, the body signals dizziness.

The head may feel dizzy if a woman is in stuffy transport and a poorly ventilated room. Sudden changes in body position can also lead to dizziness. Other causes include lack of vitamins, low blood sugar and anemia.

Frequent vomiting during toxicosis in the morning can lead to severe dizziness and loss of consciousness, so it is recommended to use antiemetic drugs to improve the condition of the pregnant woman.

Feeling dizzy often: how to prevent it

Most often, dizziness is noticed in pregnant women who have previously encountered this problem. And if earlier you could turn a blind eye to this condition, then when carrying a baby, severe dizziness cannot be ignored. A condition when you feel dizzy and have a headache, there is nausea, darkening of the eyes, weakness, cold sweat, and can lead to undesirable consequences - fetal hypoxia, premature birth or late miscarriage.

Precautionary measures cannot completely eliminate dizziness in pregnant women, but they will help minimize their occurrence and reduce the risk of unwanted fainting.

Despite the variety of causes of dizziness, there are a number of tips that should help avoid the unpleasant condition.

Tips to avoid dizziness:

  • Take frequent long walks in the fresh air;
  • Ventilate the room;
  • Get a good night's sleep, especially at night;
  • Eat fresh fruits and vegetables;
  • Control blood pressure;
  • Less worry and nervousness;
  • Reduce the load on the spine;
  • Take a contrast shower;
  • Do not overheat in the sun, stay more in the shade;
  • Do not make sudden movements.

Darkness in the eyes and dizziness - this may be caused by the fact that the pregnant girl forgot to eat and the level of glucose in her blood has decreased significantly. In this case, you need to drink a cup of sweet tea and snack on candy or chocolate.

What are the dangers of dizziness during early pregnancy?

Many girls experience certain ailments during pregnancy - toxicosis, complicated by vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, nervousness and drowsiness. All these signs are harmless in their own way, but if they are repeated systematically, this should be brought to the attention of the treating gynecologist.

At 4-5 weeks of pregnancy, in addition to the delay, dizziness may appear, which is often accompanied by toxicosis, which torments women at the beginning of the day, and is considered normal.

Morning dizziness can be prevented by eating a small apple without getting out of bed.

“When I’m dizzy, I feel slightly nauseous, I sweat and my chest feels slightly tight,” young mothers sometimes say. These symptoms precede a fainting state, so it is important not to get confused and take a horizontal position as quickly as possible. If this is not possible, the pregnant woman should be seated on a chair and asked to tilt her head between her knees.

If you experience headaches in the later stages, and feel sick in the evenings, you should immediately consult a doctor and find out the reasons. Perhaps the pressure increases, which can develop into gestosis. This disease is dangerous for a woman in the last weeks of pregnancy.

What causes dizziness during pregnancy (video)

It is impossible to answer the question until when a pregnant woman will be bothered by dizziness - it can take her by surprise both in the first weeks and in the last trimester. You need to pay attention to any changes in your well-being. A woman must remember that she bears double responsibility - for her life and for the life of the baby in the womb, so do not forget to pay attention to suspicious symptoms and your condition. In a word, watch your health!

Often in movies and TV series you can see how a woman complains of dizziness, loses consciousness, and then it turns out that she is expecting a child. Are dizziness and fainting really an indispensable companion for a pregnant woman?

Of course, not every pregnant woman gets dizzy and not so often, but, nevertheless, lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, weakness during pregnancy are not so rare phenomena.

Why do pregnant women feel dizzy?

Why do you feel dizzy during pregnancy? Even if a woman is generally healthy and tolerates pregnancy well, her body works in “increased load” mode, which means that various disruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular, circulatory, nervous systems, and changes in hormonal levels are possible. Dizziness in pregnant women, like in any person, can be caused by the most banal reasons - a long stay in a stuffy room, overheating, even a sudden change in body position. Dizziness in pregnant women is caused by diseases such as hypotension (low blood pressure), anemia (lack of iron, tests show low levels of hemoglobin in the blood), vegetative-vascular dystonia, hypoglycemia (insufficient amount of sugar in the blood).

How dangerous are dizziness during pregnancy?

If a pregnant woman feels dizzy infrequently and is caused by external reasons - heat, stuffiness, hunger, nervous tension, fear, sudden movement, then there is no need to worry too much. The only danger of this kind of dizziness is that the woman may suddenly lose consciousness. This can happen unexpectedly for others and cause unpleasant consequences in the form of bruises, abrasions, etc.

Severe dizziness during pregnancy, accompanied by fainting, profuse sweating, ringing in the ears, trembling, black spots in the eyes, can be a symptom of various diseases for which a woman needs medical help, often immediate. Therefore, if dizziness occurs during pregnancy, you should in any case consult a doctor who will prescribe tests and find out the cause of the trouble.

During early pregnancy, dizziness is most often associated with changes in the body's hormonal levels. The head is also dizzy with toxicosis in the first half of pregnancy.

If the expectant mother's life is full of stress, if work causes overwork, and problems arise in life, this can also cause fainting and dizziness. Nowadays no one believes that a pregnant woman should spend 9 months in bed. Most women continue to work and lead an active lifestyle. However, reasonable precautions will not hurt, even if you feel quite healthy. If you are worried about dizziness, try not to disturb your rest schedule, get enough sleep, refuse to work the night shift (you have every legal right to do this), eat regularly, and spend time in the fresh air. These are simple tips, but they will help you avoid serious problems.

Dizziness in late pregnancy

Dizziness in late pregnancy can occur not only during movement or when the woman is standing. Many people find it strange that in the later stages of pregnancy, dizziness occurs even if the pregnant woman is lying down, especially on her back. This is due to the fact that the growing baby takes up more and more space in the abdominal cavity, meanwhile several large blood vessels pass through there. If the expectant mother lies on her back, then the enlarged uterus disrupts blood circulation, squeezing the vena cava, which causes rapid heartbeat, ringing in the ears, and dizziness. This phenomenon is completely harmless. If you feel faint, just change your body position and turn on your side.

Prevention of dizziness and fainting in pregnant women

One of the ways to prevent dizziness is an active lifestyle, and especially physical therapy. A properly selected set of exercises tones a woman’s body, serves as a prevention of hypotension, and has a good effect on the cardiovascular and circulatory system.

If you have a medical condition that may cause dizziness or fainting, carefully follow your doctor's recommendations. For hypotension, not only medications, but also various herbal remedies will help, but before using them, consultation with a specialist is necessary, since even completely harmless drugs may be unsuitable for a pregnant woman.


Prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia, especially in a mild degree, can be largely carried out by changing the diet, which includes a large amount of foods rich in iron (liver, pomegranates, apples, buckwheat, etc.)

First aid for dizziness and fainting

What to do if you feel dizzy? The first thing you need to do is lie down with your legs raised above your head, and if this is not possible, sit down with your head between your knees.

If you feel stuffy or hot, provide access to fresh air. Open the window, loosen tight clothes.

You can sniff a cotton swab soaked in ammonia. Its pungent smell often helps with dizziness and the threat of fainting. You can place a damp cloth on your forehead.

Don't be shy to ask others for help! Even if you are surrounded by strangers, no one will refuse to help the expectant mother.


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Dizziness during pregnancy is common. In the early stages, it is dizziness and nausea that suggest that conception has occurred. At this time, a woman’s body begins to undergo intensive restructuring, hormonal levels change, the load on the organs increases, and this is what causes discomfort.

But it is not only the restructuring of the body that causes dizziness. They may be associated with existing diseases of other organs and systems that began to progress precisely because of pregnancy. Let's look at the possible causes of dizziness during pregnancy, existing methods for diagnosing health problems and recommended treatment methods.

If a woman, even before conception, periodically experienced dizziness, then dizziness will occur even more often during pregnancy. The maternal body experiences additional stress, which affects the feelings of the expectant mother.

Reasons that can cause dizziness:

  • diseases of the cervical spine, for example, osteochondrosis;
  • diseases of the vestibular apparatus;
  • brain tumors;
  • large blood losses, including internal ones;
  • diseases of the ENT organs (otitis, problems with the inner ear);
  • increased intracranial pressure;
  • thyroid diseases;
  • sclerotic changes;
  • diabetes mellitus

If a woman did not suffer from any of the above diseases before pregnancy, then, most likely, dizziness during early pregnancy is caused not by a disease, but by a new condition for the body.

Pregnancy by trimester

In each trimester of pregnancy, various changes occur in the mother’s body, so the causes of dizziness may be different.

1. Dizziness in the first trimester.

Why do you feel dizzy during pregnancy? The hormonal background begins to change, the hormones produced by the body lead to a decrease in blood pressure, and this is expressed in frequent dizziness.

Dizziness in the early stages is a symptom of toxicosis. Changing hormonal levels can cause a response from the body. Weakness and general deterioration in well-being appear. Many women begin to react inappropriately to smells, taste preferences change, nausea is often bothered, and there are attacks of vomiting. This exhausts the body very much, which is why it is so important to combat the manifestations of toxicosis. Introduce fortified foods into your diet, spend more time in the fresh air, and rest more often.

Dizziness while visiting crowded places, for example, in a store or on a bus, is a common occurrence for pregnant women. In this case, you can suspect that stale air is to blame. A woman’s brain does not receive enough nutrients and oxygen, which is what it signals. The resulting dizziness forces the woman to go outside to get some fresh air.

Heat works the same way. Overheating does not have the best effect on a pregnant woman. The vessels dilate, the pressure decreases, blood circulation slows down, which causes oxygen starvation of the brain.

Dizziness during pregnancy at first is a common and completely normal phenomenon, so there is no need to worry. Usually, by the middle of pregnancy, these unpleasant symptoms disappear, the body manages to adapt and stops reacting so violently to the new position. For a pregnant woman, it is important to eliminate all causes that may contribute to dizziness or cause nausea. The room where the expectant mother is located should be periodically ventilated. A woman should avoid crowded places and periodically go for a walk to replenish oxygen reserves.

The gynecologist should know that a woman periodically experiences dizziness. In addition, if a woman experiences bleeding along with dizziness in the early stages of pregnancy, she should definitely see a leading doctor. This may be a threat of miscarriage or the fetus does not develop in the uterus, which can end disastrously for the woman. In this case, you should not delay your visit to the gynecologist. Timely treatment and qualified treatment will help save the baby’s life.

2. What happens in the second trimester.

The body has already rebuilt itself, got used to its new state, and the woman’s well-being has improved. But even in the 2nd trimester, unpleasant symptoms of dizziness may appear. Why do pregnant women feel dizzy if the pregnancy is developing normally? Is there any cause for concern?

The female body begins to gain weight rapidly. An enlarged uterus makes a woman clumsy. Many people deliberately avoid unnecessary movements and try to move less. But staying motionless for a long time leads to an unexpected result. Instead of improving, the woman begins to experience discomfort, expressed in dizziness when trying to stand up, for example.

Dizziness in pregnant women during this period is associated with oxygen starvation of the brain. What is the reason for this phenomenon? The growing uterus consumes much more blood than it needed in the 1st trimester. Towards the middle of pregnancy, blood flow in the uterus accounts for approximately 1/3 of the total blood circulation. This leads to the fact that other organs suffer from hypoxia, and the brain begins to react by deteriorating well-being. Dizziness appears, and when you rise sharply, your vision becomes dark.

During pregnancy in the second half, women may experience problems with the hematopoietic system. As the total volume of fluid circulating through the vessels increases, there should also be an increase in the number of red blood cells. But this does not always happen, which is why signs of iron deficiency anemia appear. The absorption of iron from the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, and the composition of the blood changes. All this leads to the woman experiencing discomfort, and her fetus also suffers. It is very important to periodically donate blood for analysis in order to notice changes of this kind in time and begin treatment.

A blood test will help identify another problem that a pregnant woman may encounter. This is gestational diabetes, which manifests itself in the form of impaired glucose tolerance only during pregnancy. After the baby is born, the problem disappears on its own. The reasons for this lie in pregnancy hormones, which contribute to an increase in blood sugar. During this period, the pancreas sometimes does not work properly, producing insufficient amounts of insulin. A woman experiences dizziness associated with diabetes. This is why it is so important not to miss visits to the gynecologist and take all prescribed tests.

3. Third trimester and deterioration in health.

The 3rd trimester is considered a very important stage for a pregnant woman. The uterus is already completely ready for the upcoming birth, blood circulation in the female organs involved in bearing the baby increases. The lack of blood and nutrients in areas distant from the uterus increases, which manifests itself in frequent dizziness. This condition is dangerous because a woman can lose coordination and fall. A fall in the third trimester can end tragically, so if your health worsens, it is advisable to sit on a bench or go out into the fresh air.

Sometimes an attack of dizziness begins at the moment when a woman is resting. This is due to the fact that the uterus, which has increased in volume, is able to block the lumen of the vena cava, and the blood circulation process is disrupted. The resulting condition can even lead to loss of consciousness, so doctors recommend that pregnant women sleep on their side, but not on their back.

Prevention methods, helping a woman

Dizziness can take any pregnant girl by surprise. You need to be mentally prepared for this situation. At the first signs of dizziness during pregnancy, you should go out into the fresh air, sit down or lie down. The upper body should be raised. “Star” balm helps relieve an attack; to do this, you need to rub it on your temples.

To find out the cause of dizziness, you should measure your blood pressure and pulse rate. If you have problems with blood pressure, you should take the remedy recommended by your doctor.

If the dizziness intensifies, the woman is tormented by vomiting, it is necessary to call an ambulance, and before it arrives, try to prevent the woman from losing consciousness. To do this, open the windows and wipe the pregnant woman’s forehead with vinegar.

To prevent dizziness, you should follow a number of recommendations:

  • constantly ventilate the room where the pregnant woman is;
  • You can feel dizzy from prolonged exposure to the sun, so it is very important not to lie on the beach or walk without a hat on hot summer days;
  • sudden movements can cause loss of consciousness. When getting out of bed, you need to do everything smoothly and slowly, and not jerkily;
  • a stressful situation always leads to a worsening of the condition, and for a pregnant woman this is unacceptable;
  • Spinal problems must be eliminated in a timely manner. Perhaps the doctor will prescribe massage sessions;
  • in the later stages, you should not sleep on your back, so as not to impair blood circulation.

Treatment of dizziness is carried out only in cases of detection of the following diseases: anemia, low blood pressure and diabetic condition.

Often, especially in the first months, expectant mothers report attacks
feeling unwell, including dizziness. During pregnancy, these symptoms occur so often that sometimes they become the first signs of pregnancy - especially, this happened before, when there were no tests or clear tracking of the menstrual cycle - this was usually thought - the woman often feels ill - she is probably pregnant!
There can be several causes of dizziness, but most often it is a consequence of a violation of vascular tone, when the vessels of the head are too open, blood stagnates in them, the speed of blood flow decreases, less oxygen enters the brain - this is why dizziness occurs. Most often, women suffering from this ailment had problems with their heads before pregnancy - they could not tolerate transport, sea motion, weather changes, or a sharp transition from one position to another. During pregnancy, these conditions get worse.
If you feel dizzy, it is advisable to lie down; if it is impossible, at least sit down and lower your head below your chest - in this position, blood will be forced to flow to the head and the condition will improve. It is undesirable to be in a stuffy or smoky room, stand on your feet for a long time and not move at all - the resulting stagnation of blood will affect the head. In case of frequent dizziness associated with vegetative-vascular dystonia, sedatives help well - preferably herbal ones - valerian, motherwort, mint.
If dizziness is associated with low blood pressure - which happens often - you need to fight this condition - take herbal stimulants - Leuzea, Rhodiola rosea, Eleutherococcus, ginseng, without exceeding the dosage. Coffee is also not forbidden, tea is not often and not a lot.
Dizziness during pregnancy can be associated with low hemoglobin in the blood - anemia - or poor nutrition, which can cause low blood sugar. Therefore, any fasting, even for several hours, is absolutely contraindicated for pregnant women - they need to eat little, often and fully, without waiting for a strong feeling of hunger. Anemia must be treated.
Dizziness in late pregnancy is less common, since the restructuring of the cardiovascular system has already occurred. Sometimes this can be associated with “vena cava syndrome” - women should not lie on their stomachs for a long time, since the pregnant uterus compresses the inferior vena cava. Also, dizziness in these periods can be caused by intoxication - which one needs to be clarified. This may be a manifestation of gestosis, concomitant diseases, for example, heart disease, aggravated due to pregnancy. The most unpleasant situation in which persistent dizziness with fainting can develop over a long period of time is intrauterine fetal death, a frozen pregnancy in which, for some reason, miscarriage or childbirth did not occur. These situations, fortunately, are much rarer, but you also need to remember about them and in alarming cases, be thoroughly examined = - CTG, ultrasound and other methods for determining the child’s condition.


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