There are two possibilities for why pregnant women have leg edema

Most pregnant women will experience edema during pregnancy, and it often manifests in the limbs. If the edema is below the ankles, it is mostly normal and there is no need to worry. If the edema is above the ankles, it may be caused by gestational hypertension and you need to go to the hospital for examination.

What causes leg edema in pregnant women?

Generally, there are two possibilities for edema in pregnant women's legs. If the edema is below the ankles, it may be due to the enlarged uterus, which compresses the inferior vena cava and causes poor peripheral circulation. This is a normal physiological phenomenon and generally does not require treatment. If it is above the ankles, you should consider the possibility of gestational hypertension. You need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time. In order to eliminate lower limb edema, in addition to not being too tired, changing your body position frequently, and raising your lower limbs, you can also eat more winter melon to reduce swelling. This is because winter melon contains more vitamin C, high potassium salt content, and low sodium salt content. It can be diuretic. For patients with hypertension, kidney disease, pregnancy edema, etc., eating it can achieve the effect of reducing swelling without hurting the body's vitality.

Pregnant women should pay attention to edema

1. Limit the salt in your food

Salt will aggravate the symptoms of edema, so pregnant mothers should eat light and anti-edema foods, such as red beans, celery, watermelon, etc. Do not eat salty foods such as pickled foods.

2. Ensure protein intake

Milk, eggs, meat, fish, shrimp and other animal foods and bean foods are rich in high-quality protein. Pregnant mothers can eat them frequently.

3. Eat enough vegetables and fruits

Vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins and trace elements needed by the human body. They can improve the body resistance of pregnant mothers and help them metabolize. Therefore, pregnant mothers should eat enough vegetables and fruits every day.

Check yourself for edema

In the second trimester, expectant mothers should pay special attention to their feet and legs. If one day you find that your ankles, calves, arms or face are swollen, and after pressing the swollen part with your fingers, the skin will obviously sink instead of recovering quickly, which means that you have experienced edema during pregnancy. Generally speaking, edema during pregnancy usually first appears in the lowest part of the human body - the ankle, and retreats slightly after rest, gradually worsens and spreads upward. The edema site can change with the body position. The lumbar sacral region and labia are obvious in semi-sitting and lying positions. In severe cases, it can cause systemic edema; some are concave edema, some have swollen and translucent skin and no depression when pressed; some have no obvious edema, but the weight gain exceeds 500 grams per week, which is hidden edema. Generally speaking, this is a normal phenomenon, but there are also some abnormal situations. But don't worry, after giving birth to the baby, the retained water in the body will gradually be discharged, and the edema of the pregnant mother will disappear.

Does edema in pregnant women affect the fetus?

If the pregnant woman has physiological edema and it is not serious, then it will not affect the fetus, because physiological edema is mostly caused by uterine compression in the late pregnancy or excessive salt intake, and proper rest and conditioning can eliminate edema. But if it is pathological edema, then you should go to the hospital for treatment in time, for fear that the condition will become more serious.