Heart Palpitations During Pregnancy

Heart palpitation can be defined as a strongly beating heart or a heart which is beating at an abnormally rapid speed. Many women experience heart palpitations during pregnancy, along with the other pregnancy symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, gas, bloating, constipation, etc. Heart palpitations are not only restricted to heart as pregnant women are known to experience them in their throat and neck as well, giving them a general feeling of being ill. So, all pregnant women who want to know why this unpleasant feeling develops and how to get rid of the same, then here are the reasons behind it, followed by the remedies for minimizing the same.

Causes of Heart Palpitations during Pregnancy

Mental Stress
Frequent heart palpitations during pregnancy could be due to stress that the woman is going through. There are so many hormonal and bodily changes that a pregnant woman goes through that stress has become a common occurrence during pregnancy. When a woman is stressed, her blood pressure increases, making the heartbeat rapidly, thus causing heart palpitations in the process.

Changes in the Body
When a woman is pregnant, lots of changes take place in her body. For instance, the heart has to pump up to fifty percent more blood than normal to take care of both the mother's and the fetus needs. This causes stress on the heart, resulting in changes in the heartbeat. Secondly, during pregnancy, the levels of progesterone in the body increase. This hormone is responsible for making the heartbeat harder so that sufficient amounts of blood can reach the uterus. This too causes the pregnant woman to experience heart palpitations.

Excessive Intake of Caffeine
If the pregnant woman takes tea and coffee in excess, these beverages can cause an accelerated heart rate. Caffeine is known to produce symptoms similar to an anxiety attack, thus, causing heart palpitations in a pregnant woman when consumed in excess.

Physical Stress
All women are recommended to undertake pregnancy exercises. If they are done in excess or if the woman is constantly involved in some sort of physical activities, she might feel physically fatigued, thus producing symptoms, such as, dizziness and heart palpitations.

Anemia
Anemia is caused due to the deficiency of hemoglobin in the body. Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells, and adequate amounts of iron in the body is very essential to manufacture it. When a woman is pregnant, the amount of blood almost doubles in her body. In order to make hemoglobin for this excess blood, the body of a pregnant woman needs excess iron too. If the demand of iron is not fulfilled, the pregnant woman may become anemic and this might produce heart palpitations in her.

Magnesium Deficiency
A deficiency of magnesium in the diet of the woman can cause heart palpitations during pregnancy too. Most American diets are magnesium deficit. A woman suffering from magnesium deficiency produces symptoms such as vomiting and morning sickness.

Side-effects of a Medicine
Sometimes, a medicine which a pregnant woman is taking, can produce heart palpitations as side effects. Nicotine and recreational drugs are known to fasten the heartbeat.

Treatments for Heart Palpitations during Pregnancy

In order to prevent heart palpitations during pregnancy, caused due to anemia, a diet rich in iron and vitamin C should be taken. Some of the foods rich in iron, which can treat anemia in pregnancy are, red meat, raisins, apricots, prunes, green leafy vegetables, eggs and liver. For treating magnesium deficiency related heart palpitations, including foods high in magnesium, such as legumes, nuts, wheat bran and green vegetables will benefit.

For dealing with stress, breathing exercises, prenatal yoga, massages, aromatherapy, meditation and listening to music are recommended. If the heart palpitations during pregnancy are due to some medicine, then replacing the medicine with some more suitable medication will minimize them. Adequate rest, eight hours of sleep, refraining from caffeine, can also cure the pregnant woman of heart palpitations.

These are some of the treatments to minimize heart palpitations during pregnancy. If you ask me, "Are heart palpitations normal during pregnancy or do I need to inform my doctor?", I would suggest that in most cases, heart palpitations during pregnancy are quite normal. However, if along with them other symptoms such as shortness of breath, excessive sweating, dizziness, chest pain and fainting are also experienced, then it is not a normal condition. In such a scenario, call your gynecologist immediately for proper diagnoses and treatment.