A seasonal allergy occurs only during a particular time of the year. The pollen trigger is released at a time point that's associated with the length of daylight. A cold should subside in about two weeks; seasonal allergy symptoms will continue until the pollen season is over.
Asthma or allergies affects almost 7 percent of pregnant women and can cause serious complications for both mother and child if not controlled properly during pregnancy.The last trimester of pregnancy is associated with worsening of nasal symptoms due to hormonal factors. While aspirin sensitive individuals will often develop rhinitis, sinusitis and nasal polyps after aspirin re-exposure.
There is concern that influenza during pregnancy carries a significantly higher risk of morbidity, hospitalization, and even of fatal outcome, comparable to that in persons aged 65 years and over. The risk of maternal influenza to the fetus is the same throughout pregnancy. A possible association of fetal malformations with congenital influenza infection has not been proven.
Changes in your body during pregnancy sometimes alter the way you respond to allergens. There is no good way to predict whether your allergies will get better or worse or stay the same when you are pregnant. Fortunately, for about one out of three women, your body may noticeably quiet your immune system down (including your allergy symptoms) during a pregnancy. This is one of the many remarkable adjustments that your body can make so that your baby can grow, undisturbed, within you.
Rhinitis during pregnancy can be due to allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, or non-allergic rhinitis. If the woman has had allergic rhinitis prior to pregnancy, this could worsen.Non-allergic rhinitis in pregnancy may also be due to an increase in pregnancy hormones, leading to nasal congestion, runny nose and post nasal drip. This is called “rhinitis of pregnancy”. The symptoms may mimic allergies, but since they are non-allergic in nature, do not respond to anti-histamines.
Most cases of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) are mild enough that they would not cause you to require any special planning for your pregnancy. Of course, it is not always realistic for you to determine the timing of your pregnancy.
Rhinitis of pregnancy tends not to respond to anti-histamines or nasal sprays. This condition seems to respond temporarily to nasal saline (salt water), which is safe to use during pregnancy (it is not actually a drug). Nasal saline is available over the counter, is inexpensive, and can be used as often as needed. Generally 3 to 6 sprays are placed in each nostril, leaving the saline in the nose for up to 30 seconds, and then blowing the nose.
Avoid common allergenic foods, in particular peanuts and tree nuts, during pregnancy and while nursing -- peanut protein, as well as components of cow's milk, eggs, and wheat, are secreted into breast milk.Women who have a food allergy or a partner with a food allergy may be able to reduce the risk of allergy in their child by avoiding common allergenic foods during pregnancy and nursing.Food allergies may cause symptoms ranging from mild abdominal discomfort to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Avoiding offending foods may be easy if the food is uncommon or easily identified.
Pregnant women are considered at special risk for influenza infection based on morbidity and mortality from pandemic events and from intense influenza seasons.The GACVS discussed recommendations for the use of inactivated seasonal influenza vaccine in women during pregnancy and particularly during the first trimester.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends flu shots for all women who will be pregnant during flu season.However, pregnant women should not use the nasal-spray flu vaccine, which is made with live, weakened influenza virus.Avoid strenuous exercise and exposure to excessive heat for 2 hours before and 2 hours after injections. If you have a change in health status, including a cold, pregnancy, excessive hayfever, or asthma symptoms, please report this to the person giving you your injections in case dosage adjustments need to be made. If you are ill, please make an appointment to see a physician.
Maintenance doses of shots should be safe during pregnancy. Because the injections contain your allergy triggers, the most likely time to experience a reaction is during the initial build-up period, when you first start allergy shots. A severe allergic reaction in a pregnant woman could affect the well being of the developing baby, so it's probably not a good idea to start the immunotherapy and build the dose up during pregnancy.
While chemicals like ammonia and chlorine may make you nauseated because of the smell, they're not toxic, says the March of Dimes. But others, such as some paints, paint thinners, oven cleaners, varnish removers, air fresheners, aerosols, carpet cleaners, etc., may be.Some household chemicals may have no effect, while others in high doses could potentially be harmful.
Proportional to body weight, children eat, breathe, and drink more than adults. So they take in higher concentrations of the toxins in our environment. As children's bodies develop, especially in the womb and newborns, they are vulnerable to damage from toxic substances. For example, a small amount of certain pesticides during a critical time in a child's development could impact brain and body function, causing ADHD, reproductive health problems, as well as other problems. Some toxins, like mercury, can build up in body fat and be passed from mother to child during pregnancy or after birth through breast milk.
Although there's no evidence that the typical occasional household use of insecticides does any damage to a baby.As for insect repellants (which may contain DEET, or diethyltoluamide), the risks aren't fully known. So, it's best to either not use them at all during pregnancy or to wear gloves to place a small amount on socks, shoes, and outer clothing instead of putting repellants directly on your skin.
A pregnant woman can pass lead to her fetus. Low levels of lead in the body when a child's brain is developing can slow the child's development and cause learning and behavior problems. To help prevent lead from affecting a child, pregnant women should not engage in any activity that disturbs lead-based paint.
Asthma may get worse during pregnancy-a time when hormones fluctuate greatly-but asthma symptoms may also improve or stay the same when you're pregnant.Recently ,the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) is issuing the first new guidelines in more than a decade for managing asthma during pregnancy.Poorly controlled asthma can lead to serious medical problems for pregnant women and their fetuses. The guidelines emphasize that controlling asthma during pregnancy is important for the health and well-being of the mother as well as for the healthy development of the fetus.
The guidelines highlight other important aspects of asthma management during pregnancy, such as identifying and limiting exposure to asthma triggers. Similarly, women with other conditions that can worsen asthma, such as allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux, should have those conditions treated as well. Such conditions often become more troublesome during pregnancy.
According to the National Institute of Health, women whose asthma becomes worse during pregnancy usually see a peak in severity in the second trimester, with symptoms becoming less severe in the final four weeks. Wheezing during labor and delivery is usually controlled with inhaled bronchiodilators. The change in asthma severity during pregnancy is usually temporary; after delivery, most women's asthma symptoms go back to where they were before they were pregnant.
As important as medications are for controlling asthma, a pregnant woman can reduce how much medication is needed by identifying and avoiding the factors that make her asthma worse, such as tobacco smoke or allergens like dust mites.
Very few drugs have actually been proved safe in pregnancy. According to the FDA, drugs typically aren't studied in pregnant women because of the fear of exposing the woman to an experimental drug and harming the fetus.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that drug labels indicate if a drug poses a risk of birth defects or any adverse effects on reproduction or pregnancy. Drugs also receive a letter classification — A, B, C, D and X.
The allergy medication loratadine (Claritin, others) is a category B drug. This indicates that animal studies haven't shown any risks to the fetus and there have been no reports of human reproductive problems. Category B drugs appear to be safe, but they haven't been adequately tested in human pregnancy to prove their safety.
Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®, many generic forms) is the preferred oral decongestant to treat allergic and non-allergic rhinitis during pregnancy, although should be avoided during the entire first trimester, as it has been associated with infant gastroschisis. This medication is pregnancy category C.
By avoiding specific triggers, you can decrease the frequency and intensity of your asthma and allergy symptoms. If a patient tests allergic to a specific trigger, allergists-immunologists recommend the following avoidance steps:
* Remove allergy-causing pets from the house.
* Seal pillows, mattresses and box springs in special dust mite-proof casings (your allergist should be able to give you information regarding comfortable cases).
* Wash bedding weekly in 130 degrees F water (comforters may be dry-cleaned periodically) to kill dust mites.
* Keep home humidity under 50 percent to control dust mite and mold growth.
* Use filtering vacuums or "filter vacuum bags" to control airborne dust when cleaning.
* Close windows, use air-conditioning and avoid outdoor activity between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., when pollen and pollution are at their highest.
There are special considerations in managing asthma during pregnancy: assuring adequate oxygen supply to the fetus and avoiding drugs that pose a potential risk.
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