The effect of the common cold on pregnancy. The impact of various maternal diseases and pregnancy complications on the fetus

Some of the varieties of viruses and bacteria do not affect at all intrauterine development embryo or already formed fetus. For example, most types of bacteria are not able to cross the placenta, so even with a serious bacterial infection of the expectant mother, there may not be any consequences for developing fetus.

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Photo gallery: How do illnesses affect pregnancy?

Although some of the viruses, such as rubella, syphilis, herpes, polio and various forms of influenza, still have the ability to penetrate the placental barrier.

So when the rubella virus enters the body of the expectant mother and fetus, the latter may show severe consequences in the form of blindness, deafness, heart disease, brain damage and deformities of the limbs, depending on what period of development of the embryo or fetus had the infection of the mother.

Infection of the mother with viruses such as influenza, bacterial vaginosis, as well as the presence chronic diseases in the form of diabetes, high blood pressure, or sexually transmitted diseases, can harm the development of the fetus in many ways. For example, the above diseases can, in best case, expose the fetus to infection or cause a miscarriage, and in the worst case, severe deformities or the birth of a dead fetus. They can also lead the child to death in infancy.

Let's see how diseases affect pregnancy?

Above, we examined the impact of diseases on pregnancy in in general terms. Now let's dwell on each disease that can affect pregnancy in more detail.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

In most cases, AIDS is a rather intractable disease, most often leading to lethal outcome However, there are exceptions in the form of recovery. The disease usually occurs when a person is infected with the immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in which the immune system is gradually destroyed and the person dies from the most minor, not only bacterial, but also viral infections, harmless to healthy person.

Diabetes.

Maternal diabetes can lead to multiple defects physical development child; V rare cases it can lead to dead birth fetus, due to the fact that the size of the fetus in this disease of the mother can be much larger than the normal range, thereby increasing the chance of difficult childbirth.

Gonorrhea.

A gonorrheal infection transmitted by a mother to her child at birth can cause blindness in the newborn.

Herpes.

The virus that can cause genital herpes can be transmitted across the placental barrier, but it is much more common for the infection to be passed to the baby during childbirth. Here, the consequences for the child are blindness, neurological problems, mental retardation and, in most cases, death.

high blood pressure.

At high pressure, which is chronic, if not monitored and treated during pregnancy, there is a risk of miscarriage.

Syphilis.

With syphilis, the infection, during the first half of pregnancy, is usually unable to cross the placenta. Infection of the child in this case can occur either during childbirth, or shortly before them. The syphilis virus can cause premature contractions and miscarriages, and cause deafness and purulent lesions skin.

Flu.

Most strains of the influenza virus have the ability to cross the placental barrier. The most common consequence of influenza infection is miscarriage early dates pregnancy or premature contractions in the later stages. An increase in the body temperature of the mother, if not treated in time, can also be fatal to the fetus.

Rh factor.

In a sense, the disease is also different Rh factors in the mother and her child, since a certain protein (protein) component in the mother's blood can cause quite serious anomalies or the death of the fetus. Most expectant mothers have positive Rh factor, but some have a lack of one of the components of the blood, as a result of which they are Rh-negative. In the event that an Rh-negative mother develops an Rh-positive child and their blood comes into contact, penetrating the placenta or during childbirth, the mother's blood begins the process of synthesizing antibodies that attack red blood cells fruits and destroy them. Although during the first pregnancy, the child is usually not in any danger (and the mother is even more so), but during subsequent pregnancies, the fetus may already be exposed to more high risk if he, like the first child, has a positive Rh factor.

Rubella.

In the event that rubella virus infection occurs during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy (but only after implantation), interruption is often recommended by doctors, due to big risk destruction of the embryo or fetus.

Toxicosis of pregnant women.

When pregnant with preeclampsia, or a more serious disease - eclampsia, the fetus can begin either destruction of the fetal brain, or death. The most common symptoms of these disorders are high blood pressure, blurred vision, and excessive sweating of the face and hands. Although usually such forms of toxicosis are well controlled, but prerequisite for this, mothers who suffer from it are observance bed rest And special diet.

Alcohol.

The disease that negatively affects the course of pregnancy can also include the disease of alcoholism, which can cause serious and persistent congenital anomalies in the embryo and developing fetus. Congenital anomalies, closely related to the effect of alcohol on the embryo or fetus, easily occur during the first 3-8 weeks of pregnancy, that is, much earlier than the woman knows about it.

As various ongoing studies in this area show, more than a third of babies born to drinking mothers suffer from congenital anomalies, because even so small dose, as 60 ml of alcohol taken by a woman during pregnancy daily can lead to facial deformity of the fetus.

This category also includes fetal alcohol syndrome(FAS), which is characterized by the birth of children with serious illnesses mothers who drink heavily. Fetal alcohol syndrome consists of three main components: facial distortions, growth retardation, and defects in the central nervous system. hallmarks children born to such parents are thin upper lip, poorly developed notch above it, a wide space between the edges of the eyelids, flat cheekbones.

The common cold is one of the most common diseases that every person faces sooner or later. Although the common cold is considered a fairly harmless disease that can be treated well, during pregnancy it can cause a significant deterioration in well-being. It is believed that a cold during pregnancy does not harm the health of the baby, but the absence timely treatment can lead to complications that can be potentially dangerous for the pregnant woman and the baby.

The cold is the enemy of well-being

Fluctuations in hormone levels physical changes in a woman's body during pregnancy - all this leads to a completely natural weakening immune system organism, as a result of which it is much easier to catch a cold during pregnancy. A seemingly harmless disease, a cold during pregnancy can cause a number of very unpleasant and, more importantly, long-lasting symptoms. Very often, a cold, the symptoms of which usually disappear after a few days, in pregnant women lasts for two to three weeks. To such unpleasant signs colds like fever body, cough, runny nose, sore throat, added and general feeling malaise, weakness, lethargy, fatigue complicating pregnancy.

Is a cold dangerous?

Do not be afraid that a cold will in any way harm the health of the child. A cold is a disease, in general, harmless, its symptoms are unpleasant, but they respond well to treatment, and a cold does not affect the course of pregnancy and the health of the baby in any way.

Of course, this does not mean that after the appearance characteristic symptoms colds can be ignored - even minor and seemingly non-serious health problems (such as a cold) during pregnancy should be treated immediately to avoid serious consequences. Even a cold can lead to such consequences: sinusitis, bronchitis, otitis media, tonsillitis - a list of so-called secondary diseases catarrhal character, to which a cold not cured in time can lead, is very long. Such diseases folk remedies treatment is no longer recommended, most often antibiotics are used to suppress their symptoms - and antibiotics, as you know, are contraindicated for pregnant women in most cases.

The main thing is the right treatment

In order for a cold not to have any effect on the course of pregnancy and the health of the child, it is first necessary to properly approach the treatment of the disease. As you know, most drugs during pregnancy are not recommended - some drugs can have an undesirable effect on the development of the child, some are simply not studied enough to recommend them to a pregnant woman. For example, even ordinary aspirin, antipyretic drug, often used to reduce fever with a cold, is contraindicated in pregnant women - in the early stages of pregnancy, it can adversely affect the development of the fetus, and in the later stages - increase the risk of bleeding during childbirth. Fortunately, in most cases, a cold can be cured quite easily and quickly on its own, at home, with the help of traditional medicine.

The most important thing during a cold is to rest as much as possible: healthy sleep and rest accelerate the healing process, help the body fight the disease. Suppress the most unpleasant symptoms colds during pregnancy will help "improvised" means. So, for example, gargling with salt water helps with sore throat, nasal congestion and dry, “scratching” cough - steam inhalation (a few drops of essential oil can be added to boiling water). eucalyptus or oils tea tree). Relieve dry cough and soothe irritated throat mucosa will help hot tea with honey and lemon. The most important thing is not to experiment with medicines: a cold will not affect pregnancy in any way if treated correctly and in a timely manner. If a cold is accompanied by a sharp and significant increase in temperature, fever, you need to seek medical care rather than trying

Undiagnosed timely and ineffectively treated pathology of cardio-vascular system occupies one of the leading places among extragenital diseases (diseases of organs not related to reproductive system women). This pathology leads to impaired fetal development.

Currently, among pregnant women, the percentage of women suffering from heart defects has increased significantly. On the one hand, this is due to the expansion of indications for maintaining pregnancy in those types of defects in which pregnancy was previously considered contraindicated, on the other hand, the success of cardiac surgery played a role, resulting in an increase in the number of women undergoing heart surgery.

But, despite the advances in cardiology, the fetuses of pregnant women with heart defects suffer throughout pregnancy, and significantly. A fairly common complication of such a pregnancy is prematurity, the birth of functionally immature children, with symptoms of intrauterine malnutrition. Moreover, prematurity is directly related to the severity of heart disease in the mother. In addition, the degree of damage to the fetus also depends on the form of heart disease.

Women with this pathology are characterized various violations in the placenta, and various forms miscarriage. As for the fetus, the changes vary from banal malnutrition or asphyxia to congenital anomalies, among which several stand alone birth defects hearts. Why "several apart"? Yes, because very often (several times more often than in women without heart disease) congenital heart defects appear in children born to mothers with a similar pathology.

As for the pathogenesis of the factor that damages the fetus, this is a kind of hypoxia.

Of great importance for obstetricians and pediatricians is the study of such a formidable pathology as late toxicosis of pregnant women. Moreover, they play a leading role in the structure of both child and maternal mortality.

Fetal development disorders in this pathology are caused by numerous damaging factors: dysfunction of the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory, endocrine and other body systems of a pregnant woman. With toxicosis late deadline metabolism is significantly disturbed. In addition, there is a theory according to which late toxicosis occurs against the background of an immunological conflict between the fetus and the mother's body.

However, despite differences in the causes of this pathology, the factors affecting the fetus will be the same - hypoxia and placental insufficiency. Consequently, the types of damage will be the same as in the above-described pathology of the cardiovascular system.

Anemia adversely affects the development of the fetus. According to statistics, about 30% of pregnant women (and according to some sources, even more) suffer from anemia (anemia). At the same time, the lower the hemoglobin content in the blood of a pregnant woman, the harder it is for the fetus. This is due to the fact that a reduced amount of hemoglobin in the mother leads to a decrease in the absorption of oxygen and, accordingly, a decrease in its supply to the fetus. Moreover, than longer flow anemia, the more significant damage to the placenta and fetus. As for the disorders caused by anemia, they are similar to those in the aforementioned pathology. However, it should be noted that children born to mothers with anemia are often also diagnosed with anemia, not only at birth, but also during the first year of life.

Very often, fetal developmental disorders are observed in women with endocrine pathology. AND highest value in the occurrence of pathology in the fetus has diabetes. The essence of this disease is that the mother's body, or rather her pancreas, produces extremely an insufficient amount insulin. This leads to an increase in blood glucose - hyperglycemia. Increased content glucose and its under-disintegration leads to multiple metabolic disorders in the body of a woman, because of which many functions of her body suffer.

For the fetus, maternal diabetes mellitus, untreated modern methods, is the most serious damaging factor.

Maternal diabetes mellitus can lead to morphological and functional disorders in the fetus. It has long been noticed that such women give birth to very large children. This is due to increased fat deposition due to deep metabolic disorders. At the same time, it is very typical appearance child, described in the literature as "Cushingoid face". (Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome is observed when there is an excess amount of hormones of the adrenal cortex. People with this syndrome have characteristic appearance: moon-shaped, puffy face, increased fat deposition, especially in the waist and neck, etc.) Enlargement of the heart, liver and adrenal cortex is natural.

Therefore, it is very important to detect diabetes mellitus in a timely manner and even its initial or hidden forms in order to prevent the development of abnormalities in the fetus.

Thyroid disorders can also affect normal development fetus. Moreover, violations can occur both when the gland itself is damaged (thyrotoxicosis), and as a result of the use of certain drugs used to treat thyrotoxicosis.

It must be taken into account that thyroid during pregnancy, it begins to function more actively and reaches a peak of activity at the time of delivery. Then, within 2-3 weeks, its activity decreases, returning to normal. This process is due to the fact that the hormones produced thyroid gland mothers, penetrating the placenta, stimulate the growth and development of the fetus.

A generally sporadically occurring non-toxic diffuse goiter, as a rule, does not lead to significant violations of fetal development. More adverse effects for the embryo are observed at endemic goiter, characteristic of mountainous and foothill areas (their inhabitants often use melt water, not containing iodine), and diffuse toxic goiter (thyrotoxicosis), especially in those pregnant women who did not receive appropriate therapy. Most common complication in such women - miscarriage (almost 50%). In addition, there may be threats of miscarriage, premature birth.

Fetal development disorders are expressed by changes in the central nervous system and glands internal secretion(increased nervous excitability, epilepsy, micro- and hydrocephalus, congenital goiter, etc.). It is extremely rare for diffuse toxic goiter in the mother to give birth to children with clinical manifestations thyrotoxicosis.

In addition to these violations, the fetus may experience other types of fetopathy: changes in the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, reproductive and other body systems. As shows clinical practice, developmental disorders of the fetus and newborn are mainly observed with insufficient treatment of thyrotoxicosis before and during pregnancy. Therefore, women suffering toxic goiter, need systematic observation and treatment by an endocrinologist even before the onset of pregnancy.

Diseases of the adrenal glands. Diseases such as Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease, etc., occurring during pregnancy, can adversely affect the development of the fetus.

Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome is caused by excessive production of hormones of the adrenal cortex. Sometimes, with this disease, pregnancy can proceed unfavorably: premature birth, stillbirth, etc. But if the child is still born, then most often its development is normal.

Addison's disease is associated with chronic insufficiency functions of the adrenal cortex, this is most often due to the defeat of their tuberculosis. For treatment, drugs of the adrenal cortex (cortisone, prednisone) are used, which are quite effective, and thanks to them, pregnancy can be maintained without the risk of damage to the fetus.

With andrenogenital syndrome, the synthesis of one of the hormones of the adrenal cortex, cortisol, is disrupted, which is combined with increased production of androgens ( male hormones). Women suffering from this pathology have pubic hair along male type, they have the so-called hirsute syndrome (facial hair growth, like in men), an enlarged clitoris. Typically, the application hormonal drugs- glucocorticoids - eliminates the deficiency of cortisol in the body and leads to a decrease in androgen production. If the therapy was carried out in a timely and correct manner, there are no deviations in the development of the fetus. Considering all of the above, it should be noted:

• a pregnant woman who comes to an obstetrician-gynecologist for the first time should be carefully and comprehensively examined;
• if a woman has any somatic diseases, it must be treated in a timely manner;
• it is necessary to consult with a geneticist at the medical genetic center about your health and the health of your husband, in order to exclude hereditary diseases if possible;
• continue regular examinations during pregnancy and, with the slightest deviation in the direction of deterioration, decide on the hospitalization of a woman in an appropriate hospital.