Shortness of Breath during Pregnancy

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Shortness of breath is a common pregnancy complaint. It is estimated that about 60% of women that are pregnant will experience shortness of breath under exertion, and that 20% of women that are pregnant will have shortness of breath even while they are resting. The medical term for shortness of breath during pregnancy is physiologic dyspnea of pregnancy. Shortness of breath is usually harmless and does not indicate that your baby is not getting enough oxygen.

1 Symptoms
2 Cause
3 What you can do
4 When to call the doctor

[edit] Symptoms

Dyspnea of pregnancy is taking more breaths than normal, and feeling short of breath. You may notice shortness of breath when you do activities such as:

Walking distances
Climbing stairs
Exercising
Shaving your arms and legs
Cleaning house
Bathing other children

The degree that you feel short of breath generally increases as you get further along in your pregnancy.

[edit] Cause

An increased level of the hormone progesterone is the major cause of shortness of breath during pregnancy. Beginning in early pregnancy, progesterone causes a pregnant woman to take more breaths per minute than her pre pregnancy rate. By taking more breaths, more oxygen is available for the growing baby. The increases respiration rate can be experienced as shortness of breath. As your baby grows and takes up more space in your abdomen, your other organs are pushed out of the way – including your lungs. This is most noticeable starting around the 30th week of gestation. The shallow breathing as a result of the pressure on your diaphragm from other organs eases up some as your child moves down in to the pelvis in preparation for birth.

[edit] What you can do

Tips for better breathing:

Maintain good posture throughout your day. Your lungs will have more room to expand when you are sitting or standing up straight.
Slow your pace. Trying to keep up your pre pregnancy schedule can leave you out of breath and tired. Delegate what you can and hire help if you can afford it.
Use extra pillows at night when you are sleeping to prop up your shoulders. Sleeping propped up reduces the pressure on your lungs.

[edit] When to call the doctor

Shortness of breath during pregnancy by itself is normal, but it can also be a sign of a pregnancy complication or another underlying disease. Call your doctor if you have shortness of breath and the following symptoms: