
Written by Editorial Team
So you had a brave day fighting sinful cravings and tiredness, and at the end of the day, nothing else is required than tucking in a comfortable bed and going to a deep slumber. Imagine being woken up with a sudden feeling of heat from the body, which doesn’t seem to go away quickly. If you are pregnant, you might have already experienced this scenario or will do so in the near future. Yes, this has something to do with the pregnancy. Yes, these are hot flashes during pregnancy.
No, it’s not something to worry about because more than 70% of pregnant women experience hot flashes. Just like mood swings, hot flashes come and go all through pregnancy, most commonly during the second and the third trimesters. They can be particularly annoying after you have delivered your child.
In This Article
Sometimes, the feeling of increased body heat may be misunderstood as fever. Remember, fever raises your body temperature, hot flashes do not. Let’s have a look at the symptoms of hot flashes:
The hotness may linger from a couple of seconds to minutes. However, if you have a fever or your body temperature rises above 100 F, do call your doctor as fever could be a sign of an infection.
The primary causes behind hot flashes are outlined below. Knowing what may be your case, you can tame the occurrence of hot flashes:
There are a lot of hormonal fluctuations in the body during pregnancy. There is a sudden surge or drop in hormones, which leads to the feeling of increased heat in the body.
Your body needs water to regulate temperature. If there is inadequate water supply, then this mechanism is disrupted leaving your body hotter than usual.
The body metabolism generally increases during pregnancy leading to increased core body temperature. The higher the metabolism, the greater the body temperature.
It’s alright to give in to your cravings, but remember extra fat won’t do any good and may contribute to hot flashes. The excess fat stored in the body dissipates its own heat.
Hot flashes are not harmful for your baby, but fever may jeopardize the situation. Below are a few markers to help you diagnose hot flashes:
Although hot flashes are common among pregnant women, make sure you mention this to your obstetrician. It is just to confirm that there are no underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, endocrine-related disorders and fever that are causing hot flashes.
Below are a few handy tips to maintain your body temperature and reduce hot flashes:
Note:
Folklore has it that hot flashes during pregnancy can be indicative of the gender of the unborn baby. Just like they say that if you are carrying low, it’s a boy and carrying high and wider it is a girl.
However, it needs to be noted that hot flashes are not a sign of your baby’s gender, they are just hormonal triggers during your pregnancy. Science does not claim any such finding so rest assured, hot flashes are no more than another pregnancy (and post-pregnancy) hormonal condition.
Some mums may continue to experience hot flashes even after pregnancy, it’s usually nothing to worry about. You will be alright once your hormones have settled down. Just keep your calm, get plenty of rest and relax yourself. Most of the problems will be solved when you stop thinking too much.
It is mainly due to the hormones. The hormonal changes cause body temperature to rise quickly. It could also be due to accelerated metabolism.
Yes, they are. Many women experience this. Do not worry.
No, it will not. These are experienced only by the mother. The baby is completely oblivious to this.
There is not enough research on this. Regular exercise can improve blood flow. This can get hormonal fluctuations under control.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
Dosa During Pregnancy – Is it Safe to Eat and Top Benefits
500 Popular Telugu Baby Girl Names With Meaning
Body Aches and Pains During Pregnancy – Causes and Tips to Deal With it
Top 500 Baby Boy Names That Start With B
Aromatherapy During Pregnancy – Is it Safe, Methods and Oils to Avoid
200 Top Indian Baby Girl Names Starting With V
Get regular updates, great recommendations and other right stuff at the right time.