Along with the rounded belly, the radiant skin and the smile, the months of pregnancy also bring with them somewhat less sympathetic phenomena. Research that has been going on at Rambam in recent years, the largest of its kind done so far, tries to understand in depth one of them - shortness of breath that develops in some pregnancies. Are you familiar with the phenomenon? The next article is for you!
So why do pregnant women suffer from shortness of breath? Dr. Yalonitsky explains | Watch the video
Many women suffer from shortness of breath during pregnancy, even if they are perfectly healthy. The phenomenon, which can significantly affect the quality of life during the pregnancy period, stems from several factors, while the reason for its development is controversial among the medical community.
A study conducted at Rambam in recent years on the subject, and still ongoing, attempts to map the causes and parameters for the development of shortness of breath in pregnant women. The interim results of the study - the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world - emerges a picture that manages to shed some light on the subject.
Dr. Sergey Yalonitsky, a senior physician in the cardiology department and who leads the research at Rambam:
This is a fairly common phenomenon, but, although quite a few pregnant women complain about the problem, we still do not know for sure why one woman suffers from it and another does not, why one pregnancy will develop shortness of breath and the other will not. Opinions are divided and theories are numerous.
In order to try and better understand the phenomenon, a few years ago they decided to start a large-scale study at Rambam, in which the heart function of pregnant women is reviewed in recent years, in order to try and understand why some of them develop shortness of breath. About 230 women took part in the study until Thus, some of them are pregnant for the first time and some have been pregnant in the past, some show symptoms and some are asymptomatic. Participation in the study is divided into two parts: the first - answering a questionnaire that ranks the participants' breathing difficulties according to their testimony (different levels of severity, ranked from 1 to 4), and after Then an external echocardiogram aimed at objectively checking heart functions.
From the interim results, which were recently presented at a large international conference, It appears that there are several criteria that indicate a tendency to develop shortness of breath among pregnant women.
Dr. Yalonitsky:
Our study group is heterogeneous and presents different ages and different pregnancies. From the analysis of the data so far, three parameters stood out in particular that were associated with significant shortness of breath among the subjects, compared to the control group.
The first characteristic that stood out was the woman's age: women over 30 are more likely to develop shortness of breath during pregnancy than women 30 and under. Other characteristics that emerged from the data are related to cardiac function - one is the E-wave index, which is used to assess the heart's relaxation function, while the other is the Tei index, which is used to assess the general function of the heart. In these two parameters, it was found that women who received certain grades in the evaluation of these indices, as part of echocardiograms, are more prone than others to develop shortness of breath.
According to Dr. Yalonitsky, the findings obtained at Rambam manage to shed light on the subject and help in understanding this mechanism among pregnant women. "There is no doubt that from a review of dozens of women we were able to find some kind of trend here and reach an understanding that did not exist before regarding the phenomenon", concludes Dr. Yalonitsky, "The research is still ongoing and we are recruiting more women to continue researching the problem and crack the mystery."
To participate in the study:
The study is intended for women who are in their 22nd week of pregnancy and beyond. Participation in the study involves answering a short questionnaire and an external echocardiogram, which does not endanger the mother or the fetus. At the end of the test, which is performed free of charge and without obligation, the test subject receives an echocardiogram report, signed by a qualified cardiologist. Women who wish to take part in the study are invited to contact us via email: [email protected].