What is the reason for swollen hands and feet? Swollen hands and feet are very common in pregnant women

It is very easy for women to experience swelling of their hands and feet in the later stages of pregnancy. In many cases, this is a normal physiological phenomenon and there is no need to worry. However, there are also some disease factors that need attention. The most common one is gestational hypertension. You should pay attention to rest and do relevant checkups during pregnancy.

1. Normal physiological phenomenon

In the later stages of pregnancy, due to the squeezing of the fetus, blood circulation is poor, which may cause swelling of the lower limbs and upper arms. This is a normal physiological phenomenon and does not require special treatment. You can raise your arms and do appropriate exercises. This type of edema will generally disappear on its own after rest, so it is called "physiological edema" or "positional edema" and is a normal phenomenon during pregnancy.

2. Endocrine factors

During pregnancy, changes in the endocrine function of the pregnant woman's body can also lead to edema. For example, increased hormone secretion from the placenta and aldosterone from the adrenal glands can cause sodium and water retention in the body. Water accumulation in the body and a corresponding decrease in urine volume can also cause edema.

3. Pregnancy-induced hypertension

Most physiological edema will gradually improve after rest and adjustment. If the edema does not improve after the above treatment, and the weight increases rapidly, and symptoms such as high blood pressure and proteinuria appear, it is possible that you have gestational hypertension and you should actively seek medical treatment.

4. Measures to reduce edema : If it is physiological edema, pregnant women can rest in bed more and raise their lower limbs appropriately, especially lying on the left side, which can improve the blood supply to the placenta and reduce edema; at the same time, limit the intake of salt appropriately. In addition, walking is also very important, because when walking, the calf muscles are adjusted, which can change some venous compression phenomena; if it is pathological edema, you need to actively seek medical treatment for symptomatic treatment.