Most women have a difficult pregnancy. With a change in the hormonal background, chronic diseases are exacerbated, and all organs and systems in the body are under tremendous stress.

Convulsive contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle is a frequent occurrence that worries the expectant mother at rest and at night. Pulls legs for a reason.

In most cases, seizures occur as one of the symptoms of the pathological process, which should be paid attention to by a pregnant woman and her supervising doctor.

The cause of the disease in the first trimester is toxicosis, which is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The body loses many valuable trace elements. To prevent leg cramps, you should start taking a course of vitamins.

In the second trimester, the child grows and develops intensively, which also entails a large consumption of minerals and vitamins. The loss of nutrients can be associated with the uncontrolled use of diuretics. The problem is solved by selecting a special menu for expectant mothers, which will contain useful trace elements.

Reduces the calves of the legs during late pregnancy due to the fact that the grown-up child exerts a load on the pelvic organs and squeezes the inferior vena cava. Varicose veins can be the culprit for cramps in the third trimester.

Read also: What to do if a nerve is pinched in the knee?

Let's look at the main causes of leg cramps during pregnancy.

Deficiency of trace elements and vitamins

• Calcium. The lack of this substance in the body carries with it serious problems: tooth decay, separation of the nail plate, hair loss, nervous problems.
• Lack of potassium is accompanied by depression, severe fatigue and constipation, cramping of the gastrocnemius muscle at night during pregnancy.
• Magnesium is an essential element for the proper development of the fetus. With its lack, a woman experiences increased irritability, suffers from sleep disturbances, and there are jumps in blood pressure. Sometimes hypertonicity of the uterus develops, which can lead to termination of pregnancy.
• Vitamin B6. The loss of an element leads to muscle weakness, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, irritability and fatigue.

Decrease in hemoglobin and blood glucose levels

Monitoring of sugar and hemoglobin levels during pregnancy should be carried out regularly by a supervising doctor.

Lack of glucose and iron can lead to fetal hypoxia and convulsive twitching at night or in the morning. An increase in blood sugar is dangerous for the development of gestational diabetes.

Lack of water in the body

A pregnant woman should drink at least 2 liters of fluid a day. Dehydration can occur with frequent consumption of caffeinated beverages or excessive smoking.

Water participates in metabolic processes, eliminates waste products and transports nutrients to the developing child.

Muscle loads

Overwork as a result of working activity in conjunction with a fast-growing fetus leads to the fact that in the evenings a woman has a situation when a spasm clenched her calf muscles. When pregnancy occurs, the expectant mother should switch to light work and rest more often.

Vein problems

Increased pressure on the legs associated with weight gain, sedentary lifestyle, hereditary burden, can cause the development of varicose veins.

In the initial stages, the disease is manifested by an increase in the capillary pattern and slight edema in the ankle joint. In the stage of progression during pregnancy, it brings legs together at night, veins appear in the form of strands and knots. If untreated, surgery will be required.

Read also: Pinching and inflammation of the sciatic nerve

Compression of the inferior vena cava

The enlarging uterus affects the organs and blood vessels that are located in the small pelvis. Pressure on the right lower half vein leads to impaired blood flow, pain in the right side and congestion in the legs, which are manifested by pastiness, itching of the skin and cramps.

Inappropriate clothing

Often the legs are cramped due to prolonged wearing of uncomfortable tight shoes or skinny jeans, which additionally constrict blood vessels.

High-heeled shoes are contraindicated during pregnancy due to a shift in the center of gravity and vestibular disorders due to toxicosis or hormonal changes.

First aid methods

What to do when your legs cramp during pregnancy?

Muscle spasms are unpleasant and can come on suddenly. To eliminate the disease, the following actions are necessary:

1. Gently massage the contraction area on your leg with warm hands. Try to knead the muscle from the bottom up along the course of venous blood, at the same time it is necessary to squeeze and unclench the fingers.
2. If the movement of the feet is impossible, then you need to rest your foot against the wall, pull the foot towards you, or put it on the floor and push until the muscle tissue relaxes.
3. If the cramp persists, you need to get up and walk a little on the cold floor. The cooler the surface, the faster the relief will come.
4. To eliminate pain in the legs after a spasm, you can take a warm bath or apply a heating pad to the lower leg.
5. Tingling with a pin or muscle tingling can help relieve a small attack.

After removing the pain syndrome, you need to massage your calves a little and put your feet on a dais.

Which doctor should I go to?

To find out the reason for the appearance of cramps in the lower extremities, it is worth visiting an observing doctor and getting tested.

Read also: Causes of cramps in the thigh muscles

Diagnosis is carried out along with consultations with an endocrinologist, therapist and phlebologist. The earlier you go to honey. institution, the faster the problem is resolved and the risk of complications for the child decreases.

Treatment with ointments and gels

When using the funds, you need to remember about the possible appearance of allergic reactions due to the altered hormonal background. Topical medications are safest for a pregnant woman.

To relieve spasms, apply:

• Troxerutin - strengthens the venous walls and reduces pasty legs;
• Venitan - the gel has an analgesic effect and eliminates the consequences of an attack;
• Heparin ointment is used under the supervision of a specialist, as it has side effects. It helps well with varicose veins;
• gels that stimulate blood circulation and have a warming effect.

Folk remedies

The use of alternative medicine methods is more preferable during pregnancy due to natural ingredients and minimal risk of side effects.

Liquorice root

The plant has a beneficial effect on the trophism of the muscle tissue of the extremities and has a tonic effect on nerve conduction, as a result of which the risk of night cramps is reduced.

To prepare the infusion, 100 g of the plant is poured with boiling water and allowed to stand until it cools completely. Take 3 times a day.

Eggshell

The product is rich in calcium, which is essential for the normal growth and development of bone tissue. Before using the product, the shell of a chicken egg is thoroughly washed, pounded in a deep bowl and a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice are added. Consume a supplement in the morning.

Hawthorn

The use of the fruits of the plant during pregnancy reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular and nervous diseases. Take a decoction of hawthorn only under the supervision of a specialist: a sharp decrease in blood pressure, drowsiness or upset in the gastrointestinal tract is possible.

To prepare the infusion, you need to take 3 tablespoons of the fruit, pour hot water over them and cook for 10 minutes. After insisting for several hours and taking up to 5 times a day.

Valerian and nettle

The mixture reduces nervous excitability and improves the conduction of signals in tissues. To prepare a solution for 2 tbsp. spoons of plants are poured with boiling water and cooled slightly. Take a decoction of 250 ml twice a day.

When a woman is in position, the load on the body increases two to three times. The heart beats faster, all organs work in doubled mode. Not every body can easily withstand such a load, and very often a problem arises when the legs are drawn together during pregnancy.

A spasm or spasm is a short-term "petrification" of the muscles in the legs, calves, or feet, causing severe pain. With a spasm, a person does not seem to control his muscles, he cannot stop the spasm until the muscle itself relaxes.

Why do seizures occur?

It is impossible to identify with certainty the one and only reason why the legs reduce during pregnancy. All women are different, and their body reacts differently to an increased mode of work while carrying a child.

The causes of seizures are a violation of the metabolism of minerals in the body or their lack, an enlargement of the uterus, especially in the later stages, unhealthy diet and an unhealthy lifestyle before and during pregnancy, as well as various vascular diseases. The latter reason is especially dangerous and requires qualified medical intervention.

Consider each case when the legs are reduced during pregnancy, separately:

• lack of vitamins and minerals;
• enlargement of the uterus;
• Unhealthy Lifestyle;
• problems with blood vessels;
• unsuitable clothing.

Lack of vitamins and minerals

When a woman is pregnant, her body consumes a double dose of vitamins and minerals. A lack of them badly affects the metabolism and proper blood circulation in the muscles, which often causes cramps or spasms of the calf muscles or feet.

Magnesium, calcium and potassium are responsible for stable blood flow in the muscles. The metabolism of these minerals in the body is closely related, and if one of them is lacking, the healthy exchange of the other two is disrupted. These substances enter the woman's body with food, therefore, insufficient use of dairy and fermented milk products, especially in the later stages, leads to the fact that during pregnancy, legs become narrower.

Also, during the growth of the embryo in the womb, the supply of iron and folic acids in her body is very quickly consumed, and if a woman had a lack of these substances before pregnancy, problems may appear already in the early stages.

After testing and identifying the cause of the spasms, the doctor prescribes a balanced diet and intake of vitamin and / or mineral preparations. Since the body of a pregnant woman is very easy to harm, taking any medications, even if they are vitamins, should be started only as prescribed by a doctor and in strictly recommended doses.

Enlargement of the uterus

With an increase in the duration of pregnancy, the woman's uterus increases several times and begins to put pressure on the internal organs and blood vessels of the small pelvis, thus disrupting the full blood supply to the lower body.

Most often, during pregnancy, the legs reduce at night, since the woman does not move, and the uterus presses on a certain area or an internal organ and blood vessels. The circulation of blood in the lower extremities is disrupted, which leads to a sharp contraction, that is, to muscle spasm.

In the case when the muscles of the legs are reduced during pregnancy, doctors advise doing gymnastics for pregnant women. This specially developed set of exercises has a positive effect on the general well-being of a pregnant woman, improves blood supply throughout the body, and especially in its lower part, in the legs.

Unhealthy Lifestyle

Smoking before and even more so during pregnancy, drinking alcohol, abuse of strong coffee or tea, uncontrolled consumption of fatty and sweet foods - these are direct reasons for the fact that during pregnancy, legs become cramped.

All of the above substances have a detrimental effect on the state of blood vessels, thereby impairing blood circulation in the muscles, and throughout the body. Nicotine prevents oxygen from entering the blood, alcohol, fatty and sweet foods overload the vessels, forcing them to work in an enhanced mode.

Very frequent consumption of coffee and tea leads to fluid retention in the body, which is fraught with swelling of the legs and muscle spasms. This also disrupts the work of the nervous system and nerve endings, which are responsible for the timely contraction of the muscles.

Vascular problems

When the legs come together during pregnancy, the reason may lie in vascular disease, in the so-called varicose veins. This is a rather dangerous diagnosis for a woman in a position at any stage of pregnancy. If you get tired easily, and in the evenings you feel concrete heaviness in your legs, this may mean that your hemoglobin in your blood decreases.

When a woman is pregnant, her body retains and stores fluid, which can naturally thin the blood and reduce the number of red cells - a decrease in hemoglobin.

Why do veins suffer during pregnancy? When a woman is in position, her body intensively produces progesterone - the most important hormone during pregnancy. The task of progesterone is to relax the walls of the uterus, allowing it to grow to the required size. The problem is that not only the uterus has smooth muscles, but all the veins and blood vessels in our body. With a large amount of the hormone progesterone, the vessels lose their elasticity, which leads to varicose veins.

Inappropriate clothing

A common reason for women to cramp their calves during pregnancy is inappropriate shoes that interfere with normal blood circulation by pinching or squeezing swollen legs. This also includes wearing heels. Such shoes are contraindicated for pregnant women: the center of gravity has changed, and the muscles are overstrained from the heels and easily get tired, which leads to the appearance of cramps and cramps in the legs.

Knowledge is power. Therefore, we will try to give a couple of tips on how to prevent leg cramps, how to eat right during and before pregnancy, and how to relieve pain if your leg is cramped.

How to warn?

There are a few simple rules that you follow to significantly reduce the chance of painful leg cramps:

1. Choose comfortable, soft fabrics. Clothes, shoes, and even underwear and socks should not squeeze and squeeze the body.
2. Try to rest and sleep on your side, changing your position from time to time so that the baby's weight does not press on the same place. You can use a pillow or rolled blanket under your feet while you sleep.
3. Ask someone from your family (preferably a loving husband) to massage your feet and calves before bed. Movement with such a massage should go from the bottom up.
4. Foot baths with the addition of sea salt are very helpful. Remember to keep the water warm, never hot. This procedure can be performed several times a day.
5. Exercise often, both general and for the legs. Roll a round object on the floor with your foot, walk on your heels and on toes. Any physical exercise while in position should be done in the presence of someone from relatives, in order to avoid injury, and only after consulting a doctor.

How to eat right?

A pregnant woman should be extremely careful when taking vitamins, pills and herbal infusions. Always consult your doctor before taking any medication. For proper and nutritious nutrition during pregnancy and not only, the following products can be advised:

It is also worth taking walks in the fresh air more often, being in the sun - just walking, sometimes stopping to rest, and not sitting. This will be good gymnastics for numb legs.

How to relieve pain?

If the leg cramp suddenly cramp, what to do? Here are some things you can do to stop sharp pain and relax a cramped muscle:

• The main thing is not to make sudden movements. It is necessary to gently massage the leg, movements from the bottom up.
• If your foot is cramped, try to wiggle your toes, gently pull your big toe up.
• Try to get up and take a couple of steps - blood circulation will resume and the spasm will release.
• Lie with your legs raised before bed.
• Gently rub the stiff muscle during the spasm.

If your legs are often cramped during pregnancy, be sure to see your doctor. In this case, self-medication is unreasonable, because your and your baby's health depends on timely and competent assistance.

A pregnant woman, tired of the day, finally goes to rest in the evening. But what is it? Abruptly, suddenly, causing severe pain, the calf muscle, located on the back of the lower leg, contracted. The foot unbent, stretched out, as if wishing to "stand on tiptoe." Moreover, experiencing significant pain from muscle overexertion and overstretching, you cannot relax and return the foot to its normal position: the muscles simply refuse to obey the orders of the brain. This is how convulsions appear, which often become uninvited companions of pregnancy.

Often, seizures begin to bother the expectant mother in the first months of pregnancy against the background of repeated vomiting (early toxicosis). Convulsive contractions of the calf muscles or the muscles of the hand (less often the muscles of the face located around the mouth) usually occur at night, while falling asleep. But they can appear during the day, for example, when a pregnant woman sits down or lies down to rest.

The mechanisms of the onset of muscle contraction and its regulation by the nervous system are extremely complex and are based on the difference in the content of ions of certain microelements outside and inside the cell. Any violation of this ratio can manifest itself, among other things, and convulsions. One of the main causes of hypnagogic (that is, those that occur before falling asleep) seizures in pregnant women is precisely the violation of mineral metabolism.

Attention!
Seizures can be symptoms of various medical conditions, including serious complications of pregnancy. Therefore, if they occur, it is imperative to consult a doctor.

What leads to these violations?

First, an increase in the need for microelements, because now much more minerals are required: a woman needs to both provide her own body with them, and "saturate" a growing child.

Secondly, the vomiting of pregnant women. With vomit, a person loses a huge amount of trace elements - not only those that he received with food the day before, but also those that are part of the digestive enzymes.

Thirdly, the imbalance in nutrition, when, for the sake of food addictions, a woman refuses any group of products and, accordingly, does not receive the unique substances contained in them (for example, by giving up cottage cheese and other fermented milk products, we receive less calcium).

Fourth, the incorrect, uncontrolled use of diuretics, the intake of which is associated with an attempt to relieve swelling in the second half of pregnancy. Diuretic drugs intensively remove not only water, but also minerals dissolved in it.

Let us consider separately the manifestations of the deficiency of elements that make up the mineral and vitamin complexes that regulate the processes of muscle contraction.

Potassium

Potassium is present in every living cell and is extremely important for it. Prolonged, frequent vomiting and profuse diarrhea, as well as improper intake of some diuretics, are dangerous due to the occurrence of a deficiency of this substance. Excessive consumption of coffee (caffeine) can also lead to a lack of potassium. In addition, in conditions of magnesium deficiency, the absorption of potassium is also impaired.

Potassium deficiency is manifested:

• rapid muscle fatigue and cramps;
• constipation;
• retention of salt and fluid in the body, i.e. swelling;
• low blood pressure;
• thirst and dry mouth;
• depression, nervousness, depressed mood;
• increased blood cholesterol levels;
• dry skin;
• the occurrence of acne;
• tachycardia (heart palpitations).

Potassium is ubiquitous, and you can find it in any food, only in some it is slightly more, and in others it is slightly less. The richest in potassium: dried apricots - dried apricots and apricots, melon, bananas, beans, potatoes, broccoli, beef liver, milk. An adult should receive about 4-5 g of potassium per day, and a full daily diet fully satisfies this need.

Potassium is a part of vitamin-mineral complex preparations, usually in the form of potassium iodide.

Calcium

Calcium is one of the most well-known minerals required by humans. A possible lack of calcium in the body will be indicated by:

• excited state (increased activity, nervousness, irritability);
• insomnia;
• high blood pressure;
• palpitations;
• feeling of numbness, tingling sensation and "creeping" in certain parts of the body;
• soreness and bleeding of the gums;
• tooth decay;
• fragility of nails;
• eczema.

Women usually begin to worry only when they have already developed a significant deficiency of this substance and at night their legs twist painful cramps.

Having heard about calcium, pregnant women quite often start taking calcium gluconate on their own, but tablets alone are not enough. In order for calcium to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and get to the intended destination - in the cells, vitamin D3 and magnesium are needed. Without them, the calcium that has entered the body becomes useless!

"Consumption" of calcium in the body increases during stress and during pregnancy (after all, two now "eat" it). They prevent the absorption of calcium: spinach, sorrel, rhubarb, which contain large quantities of oxalic acid (its soluble salts, reacting with calcium ions, form insoluble, and therefore indigestible compounds). The absorption of this substance is also reduced by foods high in phosphates (caviar, canned fish, eggs, cheese, green peas, beans, cauliflower), carbonated drinks, cocoa and chocolate. Diets high in protein also inhibit calcium absorption, and only 15% of the calcium eaten in this situation will be absorbed. But low-protein diets also do not contribute to the absorption of calcium: in this case, 5% of its total eaten amount enters the human body. Excessive craving for coffee contributes to the increased excretion of calcium by the kidneys. Adequate iron intake, on the other hand, improves calcium absorption.

What foods are sources of calcium? First of all, these are dairy products (of which we get up to 55% calcium); green leafy vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, turnip leaves, cauliflower, asparagus), egg yolks, all kinds of legumes, nuts, figs.

If you take calcium supplements, they will be absorbed more fully if you do not drink them on an empty stomach, but after an abundant meal.

Magnesium

The content of magnesium in the body of an adult is about 20 g. This element should be no more and no less - so to speak, the golden mean. An increase in the magnesium content in the blood causes drowsiness, lethargy, dry mouth, thirst, nausea, vomiting, a decrease in blood pressure, and a slow pulse. This condition can occur with severe disorders of renal excretory function, hypothyroidism, severe complications of diabetes mellitus.

A decrease in the magnesium content in the blood is possible with severe and repeated vomiting, significant diarrhea, some other conditions and chronic diseases (hyperfunction of the parathyroid glands, impaired renal function, liver cirrhosis, etc.). A relative lack of magnesium in the body develops when its consumption increases even with sufficient intake from food, for example, with excessive neuropsychic and physical exertion, during pregnancy and lactation (as well as, for example, during the period of active growth in children). In the body of a pregnant woman, the need for magnesium increases 2-3 times. One of the main reasons for this is that during development, the fetus receives magnesium from the mother's body.

Alcohol, caffeine, excess potassium, and some diuretics enhance the excretion of magnesium by the kidneys. Increases the need for magnesium high content in the diet of proteins, sugar, animal fats, butter, uncontrolled intake of certain hormonal drugs.

The consequences of magnesium deficiency are different and affect both the health of the mother and the health of the child. In a pregnant woman, this condition manifests itself:

• increased neuropsychic excitability (irritability, susceptibility to stress, anxiety, memory impairment, insomnia, asthenia);
• instability when walking;
• the appearance of a feeling of numbness in the hands and feet, tingling, "creeping";
• a decrease in body temperature;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system (arrhythmia, increase or, conversely, drop in blood pressure);
• increased muscle excitability (back pain, cramps, increased uterine tone, sometimes up to miscarriage).

Magnesium is found in almost all foods. Whole seeds, nuts, sunflower seeds, all legumes, vegetables, carrots, green onions, spinach are especially rich in it. One would expect a high content of magnesium in bread, but "thanks" to new technologies - refining - bread loses this mineral.

It is often not possible to replenish magnesium only through food products, and in this situation its additional purpose is required in the form of tablets of the type MAGNIUM-B6 or as part of multivitamin mineral complexes. If you are taking magnesium tablets, it is best to drink them before bedtime with plenty of water (about a glass) a few hours after meals. A loose stool is a sign that you are overdoing it with magnesium.

An adult needs to get about 360-380 mg of magnesium every day; pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as adolescents - up to 400-450 mg.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

Disruption of its daily intake does not cause seizures in itself, but this vitamin promotes the absorption of magnesium by cells, improves its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, serves as a conduit for it inside the cell, increases the permeability of the cell membrane and fixes magnesium ions inside the cell, preventing its rapid excretion from the body.

Deficiency of vitamin B6 is manifested by:

• increased hair loss;
• anemia;
• loss of appetite;
• nausea;
• in the corners of the mouth;
• sores in the mouth;
• depression;
• nervousness, irritability;
• feeling of numbness in the hands and feet, tingling, and / or "goosebumps";
• increased fatigue, muscle weakness, drowsiness.

Food sources of B6 are: poultry, beef, pork, veal, beef liver and kidney, tuna, salmon, soybeans, bananas, brewer's yeast, walnuts, peanuts, avocados. But, alas, one has to reckon with the fact that when cooking meat, the loss of this vitamin will be from 50 to 70%, grinding wheat causes losses from 50 to 90%, and frozen vegetables and fruits are depleted by 15-70% of vitamin B6.

Alcohol intake and smoking also contribute to pyridoxine deficiency.

Other causes of seizures

Frequently recurring seizures in expectant mothers can also occur with severe anemia - a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin.

Sometimes cramps in the calf muscles can appear on the background of developing varicose veins. At the same time, they are combined with increased fatigue and a feeling of heaviness in the legs, which rapidly increase during the day, especially if you have to stand for a long time. And in some patients, all these signs precede the appearance of visible varicose veins. With varicose veins, the outflow of venous blood from the legs worsens, which disrupts the nutrition of the muscles, including the calf, causes an imbalance of trace elements and leads to seizures.

To relieve mild cramps in the gastrocnemius muscle, you can:

1. with force, even through pain, slowly pull the toes of the clamped leg towards you;
2. rub the constrained muscle, pinch it, scratch it, etc.;
3. put a mustard plaster on the hardened muscle, substitute it under a hot (which skin only tolerates) local shower.

In the third trimester, especially with multiple pregnancies, leg cramps may occur against the background of inferior vena cava syndrome, in which, when a woman lies on her back or on her right side, the enlarged uterus compresses the inferior vena cava, which causes impaired venous outflow from the legs. And further mechanisms of the development of seizures resemble the processes occurring with varicose veins of the legs. To prevent manifestations of the inferior vena cava syndrome, a woman should sleep on her left side or put a small pad under her right buttock in order to redistribute the weight of the enlarged uterus to the left half of the body and thereby reduce its pressure on the inferior vena cava, located to the right of the spine.

Pregnancy makes its own adjustments to the levels of vitamins, micro- and macroelements necessary for its development; she immediately punishes with various ailments for violation of "the sphere of her interests." Therefore, you should not leave everything to chance, hiding behind sayings like "maybe it will carry you." No, it won't! Once arisen, metabolic disorders will pursue a woman with a sword of Damocles throughout pregnancy. Moreover, they will not hesitate to affect - alas, not in the best way - on the course of childbirth, and then - on the growth and development of the child. And this is true not only for the considered problem of nocturnal cramps and related elements, but also for all links of metabolism. Therefore, be attentive first of all to what you eat. Your diet should be complete with micronutrients and macronutrients, vitamins and essential amino acids. The foods listed in the article, rich in certain substances, will help you choose the right diet for you. Do not neglect vitamin and mineral complex preparations: they are specially selected taking into account the increased needs of a pregnant woman and contain in sufficient quantities all the necessary vitamins and minerals, including those discussed above. Your doctor will help you choose the right diet and vitamin therapy.

If seizures do occur, you should also consult a doctor: he will determine their cause and select the necessary drugs.

A pregnant woman, tired of the day, finally goes to rest in the evening. But what is it? Abruptly, suddenly, causing severe pain, the calf muscle, located on the back of the lower leg, contracted. The foot unbent, stretched out, as if wishing to "stand on tiptoe." Moreover, experiencing significant pain from muscle overexertion and overstretching, you cannot relax and return the foot to its normal position: the muscles simply refuse to obey the orders of the brain. This is how convulsions appear, which often become uninvited companions of pregnancy.

Often, seizures begin to bother the expectant mother in the first months of pregnancy against the background of repeated vomiting (early toxicosis). Convulsive contractions of the calf muscles or the muscles of the hand (less often the muscles of the face located around the mouth) usually occur at night, while falling asleep. But they can appear during the day, for example, when a pregnant woman sits down or lies down to rest.

Causes

The mechanisms of the onset of muscle contraction and its regulation by the nervous system are extremely complex and are based on the difference in the content of ions of certain microelements outside and inside the cell. Any violation of this ratio can manifest itself, among other things, and convulsions. One of the main causes of hypnagogic (that is, those that occur before falling asleep) seizures in pregnant women is precisely the violation of mineral metabolism.

What leads to these violations:

• First, an increase in the need for microelements, because now much more minerals are required: a woman needs to both provide her own body with them, and "saturate" a growing child.
• Secondly, the vomiting of pregnant women. With vomit, a person loses a huge amount of trace elements - not only those that he received with food the day before, but also those that are part of the digestive enzymes.
• Thirdly, the imbalance in nutrition, when, for the sake of food addictions, a woman refuses any group of products and, accordingly, does not receive the unique substances contained in them (for example, by giving up cottage cheese and other fermented milk products, we receive less calcium).
• Fourth, the incorrect, uncontrolled use of diuretics, the intake of which is associated with an attempt to relieve swelling in the second half of pregnancy. Diuretic drugs intensively remove not only water, but also minerals dissolved in it.

Most often, seizures are due to a deficiency of potassium, calcium, magnesium, or vitamin B6.

Potassium

Potassium is present in every living cell and is extremely important for it. Prolonged, frequent vomiting and profuse diarrhea, as well as improper intake of some diuretics, are dangerous due to the occurrence of a deficiency of this substance. Excessive consumption of coffee (caffeine) can also lead to a lack of potassium. In addition, in conditions of magnesium deficiency, the absorption of potassium is also impaired.

Potassium deficiency is manifested:

• rapid muscle fatigue and cramps;
• constipation;
• retention of salt and fluid in the body, i.e. swelling;
• low blood pressure;
• thirst and dry mouth;
• depression, nervousness, depressed mood;
• increased blood cholesterol levels;
• dry skin;
• the occurrence of acne;
• tachycardia (heart palpitations).

Potassium is ubiquitous, and you can find it in any food, only in some it is slightly more, and in others it is slightly less. The richest in potassium: dried apricots - dried apricots and apricots, melon, bananas, beans, potatoes, broccoli, beef liver, milk. An adult should receive about 4-5 g of potassium per day, and a full daily diet fully satisfies this need.

Potassium is a part of vitamin-mineral complex preparations, usually in the form of potassium iodide.

Calcium

Calcium is one of the most well-known minerals required by humans. A possible lack of calcium in the body will be indicated by:

• excited state (increased activity, nervousness, irritability);
• insomnia;
• high blood pressure;
• palpitations;
• feeling of numbness, tingling sensation and "creeping" in certain parts of the body;
• soreness and bleeding of the gums;
• tooth decay;
• fragility of nails;
• eczema.

Women usually begin to worry only when they have already developed a significant deficiency of this substance and at night their legs twist painful cramps.

Having heard about calcium, pregnant women quite often start taking calcium gluconate on their own, but tablets alone are not enough. In order for calcium to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and get to the intended destination - in the cells, vitamin D3 and magnesium are needed. Without them, the calcium that has entered the body becomes useless!

"Consumption" of calcium in the body increases during stress and during pregnancy (after all, two now "eat" it). They prevent the absorption of calcium: spinach, sorrel, rhubarb, which contain large quantities of oxalic acid (its soluble salts, reacting with calcium ions, form insoluble, and therefore indigestible compounds). The absorption of this substance is also reduced by foods high in phosphates (caviar, canned fish, eggs, cheese, green peas, beans, cauliflower), carbonated drinks, cocoa and chocolate. Diets high in protein also inhibit calcium absorption, and only 15% of the calcium eaten in this situation will be absorbed. But low-protein diets also do not contribute to the absorption of calcium: in this case, 5% of its total eaten amount enters the human body. Excessive craving for coffee contributes to the increased excretion of calcium by the kidneys. Adequate iron intake, on the other hand, improves calcium absorption.

What foods are sources of calcium? First of all, these are dairy products (of which we get up to 55% calcium); green leafy vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, turnip leaves, cauliflower, asparagus), egg yolks, all kinds of legumes, nuts, figs.

If you take calcium supplements, they will be absorbed more fully if you do not drink them on an empty stomach, but after an abundant meal.

Magnesium

The content of magnesium in the body of an adult is about 20 g. This element should be no more and no less - so to speak, the golden mean. An increase in the magnesium content in the blood causes drowsiness, lethargy, dry mouth, thirst, nausea, vomiting, a decrease in blood pressure, and a slow pulse. This condition can occur with severe disorders of renal excretory function, hypothyroidism, severe complications of diabetes mellitus.

A decrease in the magnesium content in the blood is possible with severe and repeated vomiting, significant diarrhea, some other conditions and chronic diseases (hyperfunction of the parathyroid glands, impaired renal function, liver cirrhosis, etc.). A relative lack of magnesium in the body develops when its consumption increases even with sufficient intake from food, for example, with excessive neuropsychic and physical exertion, during pregnancy and lactation (as well as, for example, during the period of active growth in children). In the body of a pregnant woman, the need for magnesium increases 2-3 times. One of the main reasons for this is that during development, the fetus receives magnesium from the mother's body.

Alcohol, caffeine, excess potassium, and some diuretics enhance the excretion of magnesium by the kidneys. Increases the need for magnesium high content in the diet of proteins, sugar, animal fats, butter, uncontrolled intake of certain hormonal drugs.

The consequences of magnesium deficiency are different and affect both the health of the mother and the health of the child. In a pregnant woman, this condition manifests itself:

• increased neuropsychic excitability (irritability, susceptibility to stress, anxiety, memory impairment, insomnia, asthenia);
• instability when walking;
• the appearance of a feeling of numbness in the hands and feet, tingling, "creeping";
• a decrease in body temperature;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system (arrhythmia, increase or, conversely, drop in blood pressure);
• increased muscle excitability (back pain, cramps, increased uterine tone, sometimes up to miscarriage).

Magnesium is found in almost all foods. Whole seeds, nuts, sunflower seeds, all legumes, vegetables, carrots, green onions, spinach are especially rich in it. One would expect a high content of magnesium in bread, but "thanks" to new technologies - refining - bread loses this mineral.

It is often not possible to replenish magnesium only through food products, and in this situation its additional purpose is required in the form of tablets of the type MAGNIUM-B6 or as part of multivitamin mineral complexes. If you are taking magnesium tablets, it is best to drink them before bedtime with plenty of water (about a glass) a few hours after meals. A loose stool is a sign that you are overdoing it with magnesium.

An adult needs to get about 360-380 mg of magnesium every day; pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as adolescents - up to 400-450 mg.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

Disruption of its daily intake does not cause seizures in itself, but this vitamin promotes the absorption of magnesium by cells, improves its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, serves as a conduit for it inside the cell, increases the permeability of the cell membrane and fixes magnesium ions inside the cell, preventing its rapid excretion from the body.

Deficiency of vitamin B6 is manifested by:

• increased hair loss;
• anemia;
• loss of appetite;
• nausea;
• in the corners of the mouth;
• sores in the mouth;
• depression;
• nervousness, irritability;
• feeling of numbness in the hands and feet, tingling, and / or "goosebumps";
• increased fatigue, muscle weakness, drowsiness.

Food sources of B6 are: poultry, beef, pork, veal, beef liver and kidney, tuna, salmon, soybeans, bananas, brewer's yeast, walnuts, peanuts, avocados. But, alas, one has to reckon with the fact that when cooking meat, the loss of this vitamin will be from 50 to 70%, grinding wheat causes losses from 50 to 90%, and frozen vegetables and fruits are depleted by 15-70% of vitamin B6.

Alcohol intake and smoking also contribute to pyridoxine deficiency.

Other causes of seizures

• Frequently recurring seizures in expectant mothers can also occur with severe anemia - a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin.
• Sometimes cramps in the calf muscles can appear against the background of developing varicose veins. At the same time, they are combined with increased fatigue and a feeling of heaviness in the legs, which rapidly increase during the day, especially if you have to stand for a long time. In some patients, all these signs precede the appearance of visible varicose veins. With varicose veins, the outflow of venous blood from the legs worsens, which disrupts the nutrition of the muscles, including the calf, causes an imbalance of trace elements and leads to seizures.
• In the third trimester, especially with multiple pregnancies, leg cramps may occur against the background of inferior vena cava syndrome, in which, when a woman lies on her back or on her right side, the enlarged uterus compresses the inferior vena cava, which causes impaired venous outflow from the legs. And further mechanisms of the development of seizures resemble the processes occurring with varicose veins of the legs. To prevent manifestations of the inferior vena cava syndrome, a woman should sleep on her left side or put a small pad under her right buttock in order to redistribute the weight of the enlarged uterus to the left half of the body and thereby reduce its pressure on the inferior vena cava, located to the right of the spine.

First aid for seizures

To relieve mild cramps in the gastrocnemius muscle, you can:

• with force, even through pain, slowly pull the toes of the clamped leg towards you;
• rub the constrained muscle, pinch it, scratch it, etc.;
• massage your leg by squeezing and straightening your toes;
• grab the big toe and pull it towards you;
• put a mustard plaster on the hardened muscle, substitute it under a hot (which skin only tolerates) local shower.
• When the pain subsides, you need to walk to improve blood circulation.

As a prophylaxis for cramps, you can massage the legs, take a contrast shower and wear woolen socks at night.

Seizures can be symptoms of various medical conditions, including serious complications of pregnancy. Therefore, if they occur, it is imperative to consult a doctor: he will determine the specific cause and select the necessary drugs.

Pregnancy makes its own adjustments to the levels of vitamins, micro- and macroelements necessary for its development; she immediately punishes with various ailments for violation of "the sphere of her interests." Therefore, you should not leave everything to chance, hiding behind sayings like "maybe it will carry you." No, it won't! Once arisen, metabolic disorders will pursue a woman with a sword of Damocles throughout pregnancy. Moreover, they will not hesitate to affect - alas, not in the best way - on the course of childbirth, and then - on the growth and development of the child. And this is true not only for the considered problem of nocturnal cramps and related elements, but also for all links of metabolism. Therefore, be attentive first of all to what you eat.

Your diet should be complete in terms of the content of micro- and macroelements, vitamins and essential amino acids. The foods listed in the article, rich in certain substances, must be present on your table. Do not neglect vitamin and mineral complex preparations: they are specially selected taking into account the increased needs of a pregnant woman and contain in sufficient quantities all the necessary vitamins and minerals, including those discussed above. Your doctor will help you choose the right diet and vitamin therapy.

Based on materials from the magazine "Pregnancy. From conception to childbirth "№3 / 2006

Leg cramps in pregnant women are not at all uncommon; it would be more correct to say that during pregnancy, almost all women experience cramps at least once. Calf muscle cramps are very unpleasant and painful. Worst of all, most expectant mothers have no idea why such a nuisance happens and how to help themselves. We will try to understand the nature of this phenomenon and give simple tips on how to help yourself with a seizure and how to prevent its occurrence.

Why do cramps occur during pregnancy?

Almost everyone, even completely healthy people, has seizures. But in pregnant women, they are much more common. What is the reason for this? Most often, with the fact that the growing uterus during pregnancy presses on the inferior vena cava and thereby provokes spasms in the muscles of the legs.

There are other reasons, such as being on your feet for a long time, wearing improper or uncomfortable shoes, and high heels. Long-term sitting is not good either. But more often leg pain and cramps occur due to a lack of certain minerals in the body, for example, magnesium, potassium, calcium and B6.

Sometimes, cramps during pregnancy can indicate a decrease in hemoglobin. Most often, anemia in pregnant women occurs due to the fact that, following her desires, the expectant mother refuses proper and regular nutrition and eats, for example, sweets. Also, sometimes nausea of ​​pregnant women interferes with eating right.

Calcium deficiency can lead to leg cramps. If, in parallel with the appearance of seizures, a deterioration in the condition of hair, nails and skin is noticed, then you should pay attention to the enrichment of food with this element.

Another reason for the development of cramps and pain in the legs is varicose veins. During pregnancy, the woman's weight begins to increase and the load on her legs increases greatly. If a woman also spends a lot of time in an upright position, then seizures cannot be avoided.

Abuse of coffee and strong tea during pregnancy can also lead to seizures. This is due to the fact that consuming large amounts of caffeine leads to muscle dehydration and overexertion.

How to help yourself

If the cramp has already begun, and you do not know how to help yourself get rid of the pain, you can try to simply pull on the injured leg. This should be done slowly, but strongly, then relax the leg and pull again. Usually after this the cramp is released and the pain subsides.

After the spasm is relieved, you can do a light massage to warm up the muscles. You can also use heating pads or mustard plasters for this purpose. When the pain subsides, you can walk a little to restore blood circulation in your legs. Taking a horizontal position with raised legs will help to avoid the recurrence of seizures.

To get rid of pain with a cramps, you need to intensively massage or even pinch the calf muscle.

Modern medicine believes that seizures signal the presence of abnormalities in the body of a pregnant woman. When seizures develop, it is usually recommended to visit a doctor to determine the causes of this phenomenon and to prescribe appropriate treatment. Often during the diagnosis, a lack of certain vitamins and microelements is revealed, so a woman is advised to balance her own or take vitamin and mineral complexes.

When cramps appear in pregnant women, it is recommended to introduce foods such as bran or rye bread, buckwheat and oatmeal, dairy products, fish, lean meat and pasta from wholemeal flour into their diet. Nuts and dried fruits are also useful.

It is believed that leg cramps are worse in cold weather, so we recommend that women sleep in warm high socks, but they should not be tight and pinch the leg.

In addition, there are a number of recommendations that doctors usually address to pregnant women. They need to give up high heels and wear comfortable shoes with a heel of no more than five centimeters, reliable and stable. Special tights, which are worn with varicose veins, will also not interfere. It is important to avoid long standing and any overloading of the legs. It is better to rest lying with raised legs. By the way, from about the third trimester, it is better to lie on the left side, placing a special pad under the right buttock. This will help avoid inferior vena cava syndrome.

Preventive procedures

In order not to suffer from leg cramps, it is necessary to prevent their occurrence. A number of procedures will help in this. First, you need to regularly relieve tension and fatigue from your feet. Foot baths will help with this. Chamomile decoction or sea salt can be added to the trays. Chamomile is a well-known anti-inflammatory agent, but it also copes with fatigue excellently. Contrast baths are a good remedy, but you need to remember that the temperature difference should not be too large and cause discomfort. Too cold water after warm, on the contrary, can provoke the appearance of seizures.

Helps prevent leg cramps and massage. But this should not be a simple stroking, but a rather strong effect. Particular attention should be paid to the toes and the calf muscle, because it is they who most often drive during a cramps. A strong enough tingling massage will help normalize blood flow to that part of the body.

Quite often, cramps appear against the background of swelling of the legs, so earlier doctors often recommended limiting oneself in drinking fluids. Today, this recommendation is already getting old, as it has been found that swelling rarely depends on the amount of fluid consumed.

Less common are women who have practiced yoga, Pilates, scratching, or swimming before pregnancy. Those who have done strength exercises for the calf muscles have spasms more often.

If you adhere to all the recommendations of doctors, wear the right shoes, do not overextend your legs, eat right and do massage and baths, then, most likely, leg cramps will be avoided. In the worst case, this will reduce their frequency and reduce the discomfort during seizures.