Written by Editorial Team
There are several rare complications that may occur during pregnancy. Osteoporosis is one among them.
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become brittle and weak. Sometimes the bones become so brittle that even a cough can cause a fracture. Severe pain arises due to the fractured bones. Low levels of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals in your bones can cause weak and brittle bones.
A pregnancy-associated osteoporosis is a very rare condition wherein an otherwise healthy woman’s bone become too brittle. The bones become so brittle that they break easily during the pregnancy or during the postpartum period. This condition is more commonly occur during the first pregnancy.
56% of the pregnancy-associated osteoporosis is found to occur during the postpartum period and 41% of the pregnancy-associated osteoporosis is found during the third trimester of the pregnancy. Pregnancy-associated osteoporosis is a temporary condition and usually is not found to reoccur during the second pregnancy.
A woman who develops the pregnancy-associated osteoporosis will retrieve the lost bone density after delivery or after she stops breastfeeding- within about 6 months of weaning the baby as demand daily requirement of the calcium will also fall to normal range.
The medical fraternity seems unclear on the causes. There is uncertainty about whether pregnancy-associated osteoporosis occurs due to a preexisting condition in a pregnant woman or if this disorder arises as the consequence of the pregnancy. This is because osteoporosis usually comes to notice in the later stage, most probably once the fracture occurs. Apparently, the pregnancy-associated osteoporosis is supposed to occur due to the decrease in calcium reserve of the body and increase in the urinary calcium excretion. During the second and third trimester of pregnancy, the demand for the calcium of the body increases as the fetal calcium demand grows during this period. If the mother fails to provide daily required calcium through her diet, the baby will leech what it needs from the bones of the mother. Heparin is taken by some women during pregnancy for thinning of the blood. Some studies indicate that heparin increases the chances of developing osteoporosis during pregnancy.
A majority of the pregnancy-associated osteoporosis is diagnosed during the lactating phase. This is because of the two major physiological phenomena:
The bones loosened during lactation will restore and recovery of bone density will happen by around six months after weaning.
The most commonly observed symptom is back pain. But, back pain is also very common during pregnancy for various other reasons. Some of the other symptoms that indicate possibility of osteoporosis are:
Diagnosing pregnancy-associated osteoporosis is very challenging as most of the diagnosing procedures are not recommended during pregnancy.
Although the fractures can occur in any part of the body, the most commonly affected parts due to the pregnancy-associated osteoporosis are:
The mode of delivery of a woman diagnosed with osteoporosis is taken on an individual basis. There is no evidence that caesarean delivery is safer than vaginal delivery when it comes to osteoporosis. Let your doctor take the best call.
Treatment procedure can be differentiated into two parts – minimizing the pain and treating the fracture.
Most of the specialist working in this field prefer to leave the fracture due to pregnancy-associated osteoporosis to cure in the normal course. They advocate that neither the treatment nor the medicines accelerate the healing process of fractured bones.
Physical activities and a healthy diet can reduce the possibilities of the pregnancy-associated osteoporosis.
Don’t worry. The bone density will improve in the due course of time. In spite of the pain experienced, the woman with pregnancy-associated osteoporosis can return to a fit active and healthy life.
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