If you have tingling, numbness and pain in your hands during pregnancy, it may be because of “carpal tunnel syndrome”. It usually occurs in the 2nd or 3rd trimester. If you encountered this compression in your first pregnancy, it will probably happen to you in your next pregnancies.
How Do I Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the Third Trimester?
If you find that you still experience this discomfort after your first pregnancy, it can be a sign that you are pregnant with too little iron. You need to take iron supplements at least every 6 months.
If you do get tingling, numbness and pain during pregnancy, it’s a good idea to get an MRI scan for your uterus as soon as possible to make sure there aren’t any problems.
Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome a Bump in My Period?
There are several factors that can affect your birth control success during the second half of your first trimester. These factors include the following:
Having one or more family members with a history of pregnancy-related infertility
If you’ve had difficulty getting pregnant during your third trimester, and haven’t had another birth before age 30
If you’ve suffered an ectopic pregnancy and are unsure of whether the ectopic pregnancy was healthy or if you could be carrying an infant with carpal tunnel syndrome
What Are the Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can vary depending on who you are with, but they may include:
- Numbness or tingling in your hands
- Aching joints and arms
- Muscle stiffness in the hands
- Shortness of breath
- Headache
Headaches may be caused by several things, from an obstruction of blood vessels, to infection and inflammation caused by the pain from this compression.
What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by:
- If you have had a previous pregnancy that involved an ectopic pregnancy
- If your body is in poor repair when it comes to its muscle groups (pregnancy can cause atrophy)
- If you have had a previous cervical smear that may have been affected by carpal tunnel syndrome
- If your body doesn’t produce enough iron to be able to properly process an egg at fertilization
- If you’re exposed to a lot of heavy metals
What is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan?
With this diagnostic test, your doctor will place a transducer magnet into your hand and scan your fingers and hands. He or she will examine the muscle and soft tissue of your fingers and hands as well as your abdomen. If the magnetic energy of the transducer can be measured (meaning that it can be read as a magnet), the doctor can compare the results against those from your last scan.
How Are Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment?
Your doctor will use your finger and hand to examine you to find and test the cause for your carpal tunnel syndrome. The best treatment will be to do whatever it takes to help your body get rid of the condition and avoid it from becoming a serious condition.
The most common treatment options are:
You will probably feel better in the first few weeks after treatment. If you are ready to begin to take medication, you will need to discuss this with your doctor.
You may be able to take several courses of oral medicine to help relieve the pain.
If the medication has been in your system for some time, it may be possible to just take a very small dose of medicine every morning and let it “clear” your body a bit more.
Your doctor will likely start you on a low dose of anti-inflammatories. These can help your body to fight back against the process of inflammation. You may need to start taking these before your baby arrives as they can prevent your baby from having a heart condition known as preeclampsia.
Your doctor will likely keep you on the low doses of anti-inflammatories for a few weeks. After your baby is born, you will need to start taking the higher doses. After you take these for a few weeks, you will need to go back to taking them every night.
Sometimes you may need to take steroids. In this case, you will need to talk to your doctor before you start taking them.
What Are Some Treatment Options for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
If you have tried the above suggestions and your symptoms persist, you may need to see a doctor.
You may want to try a different type of treatment, like this:
Your doctor might want you to do a blood test. Blood tests are used to look at your iron levels and determine what medications you should use.
A blood test will look for an increased amount of iron in your blood. That increased iron can indicate that there is a problem with your blood vessels.
A blood test will also look for any inflammation in your body. The increased amount of iron in your blood can indicate that there is inflammation.
A blood test will give your doctor a rough idea of how much inflammation your body has caused.
Your doctor will also give you some advice for taking medication. This will help you to find the right medication to best treat your pain.
Your doctor will probably will use different forms of pain killers (called “medication”). Your pain killers) like anticoagents), so that you can reduce your pain by killing the pain.
