Low Blood Pressure

[dabihp]

Hi, I am 27 weeks preg and have had 3 episodes of dizziness, shakiness and the feeling of being encompassed in a fish bowl! went to doc and he said it was because my blood pressure had dropped! He suggested the next time it happens to "put my head between my legs" (entirely possible at this stage of pregnancy...sigh!!). cant seem to find much info online, everyone only seems to be worried about high blood pressure... anyone else have this happen to them??

[stupidgirl]

Yes. I suffer from low blood pressure too. I have low blood pressure which then drops even further when I stand up. I'm not pg, either. I faint frequently (have done for years), and can't stand for very long at a time. I visited my dr and was told that if I lived in any other country they'd give me medication, but they don't do that here, so basically go away and get on with it.

[Mirage]

Me too-I was told the same as stupidgirl-that if I lived anywhere else,I'd be treated for it,but not in the UK.Mine is always low,not just when pregnant & I have been told to get up from lying down/being seated very slowly to avoid fainting.That really isn't much help when you are walking down the street & feel faint though.

dabihp,when are you due?I am 26.5 wks pregnant at the minute,so not too far behind you.

[Hayls]

I had this while I was pg, I think the lowest it went was about 90/60. I fainted once at about 4 months pg (in Debenhams and was taken away in ambulance ] Best advice I can give is to make sure you eat and drink regularly- my blood sugar was quite low too so I used it as an excuse to eat lots of cho9colate! Take it slowly when you stand up, rest loads and if you do feel faint it's still effective to lie down with your legs raised as it is to put your head between your legs. I was told it was impossible to faint if you were lying down...
HTH

[sacha3taylor]

I had low BP all through pregnancy, fainted regularly [every two weeks or so] It was allways when i was somewhere i couldn't sit down, normally on a bus stop or in a shop. It was so embarrasing, people would quite often look at me like i was drunk or on drugs!!!!!!!!! The only advice i have is the same as hayls, but no you are deffinetly not alone. Hope you don't faint as often as i did [my BP was also 60/90]

[stupidgirl]

Yeah, eating regularly should help. Someone mentioned the homeopathic remedy Ferrous Phos (I think it was), but I've not tried it.

[MancMum]

I had this during both my pgs at one point it was something like 79/60 which the midwife said was very low... I did feel qute giddy a lot of the time but never actually passed out... I read recently that a good treatment for low bp is to stay very hydrated so drinks loads of fluids...my sister who is a medic backed this up... easier said than done when you need to pee all the time but worth a go....

also eat every couple of hours - make sure your blood sugar levels are good -- CHOCOLATE!! And no hot baths... get up slowly...

[Gem13]

Mine is low too. When I was 35 weeks preg I had a medical for a life assurance policy and the nurse said it was very low for a non-pregnant person and was amazed to learn that I was pregnant! (big jumper)

I don't think it is a problem but when I had a c-section I did get very faint and DH said it was quite alarming watching the monitors. The staff acted really quickly whenever I said I felt 'funny' though and altered the anaesthetic. It's worth mentioning and keeping an eye on in that situation.

[Enid]

I also suffered with this when pg - Mancmums advice to drink a lot is good - it temporarily boosts your blood volume apparently. Still, at least it isn't high!

[Enid]

also epidurals can lower bp so keep an eye on that if you want one (I didnt have time for one )

[dabihp]

Thanks for all your replies

Mirage - I am due 27th April.

I haven't fainted yet (fingers crossed) its a bit scary all the stuff about epidurlas and c-section. There is no way I am having an epidural after bad experience last time, but as i will probably have a c-section i will remind them b4 they knock me out!

Ahhh... an excuse to eat chocolate... now that is wonderful!

[suedonim]

I'm another with low bp whether pg or not. My bp was 85/56 last week - dh reckons I'm in a coma!! What treatments do they give in other countries? I'm sure low bp is why I lack in energy, even though I'm not pg.

[tillykins]

Hi dabihp - I have permanently low blood pressure and since I have low blood sugar too, I faint on a regular basis! They were very impressed with my bp when I was pg!
Sorry to be a killjoy but chocolate isn't a good idea as it will make your blood sugar soar, then plummet which is a bad idea if you are faint anyway. You need slow release sugars from carbohydrates, bread, potatoes, pasta, fruit and the like.
You don't need to put your head between your knees (stupid man!) just get your feet above the level of your heart - preferably lying down! This makes it easier for the blood to get to your brain

Hope this helps
Tilly
x

[stupidgirl]

Suedonim, I was told I would be given medication in another country, but they don't here because of the bigger risk of high blood pressure (or perhaps for funding reasons....not that I would agree to being on medication anyway).

[Ellbell]

Hi there
I also have low bp (generally and particularly when pg). With dd1 I was in hospital for a long time (not related to bp) and at one point it dropped to 54 over something... Do I get the prize for the lowest bp????
Just to reassure you about epidurals/spinals. I asked about this because I had to have an elective section, and was told that it is true the epidurals can lower bp, but that the effect is really dramatic only when the bp was high to start with. That is what can make people faint or feel ill sometimes (e.g. if they've been in with pre-eclampsia and have very high bp and then have an epidural and it drops suddenly). This is borne out by the experience of a non-pg friend who had high bp and was on medication for it and who fainted and was taken to hospital really quite unwell when her bp suddenly dropped.
Anyway, if your bp is low already the epidural/spinal shouldn't affect it.
Good luck.
PS For me, drinking plenty of water helps.

[Ellbell]

Or was that something over 54? Have never really understood bp and how it works....

[AussieSim]

My non pregnant BP is 90/60 and I can feel a bit faint or see stars sometimes, but doctors here in Oz also do nothing about it. Many of the women in my family have the same issue. Later in life it can lead to 'mini-strokes'.

Now I am 22 weeks pregnant it is 100/60 but my Naturopath said she would rather it were a bit higher - especially the lower reading (60), something to do with protein in the blood and gestational diabetes.

[Miaou]

AussieSim, my bp is the same, 90/60 normally, 100/60 now I am pg. I seem to remember it going up to 110/60 in the last month or so of pregnancy the last two times. I used to faint a lot when I was younger but don't now - interestingly though, without knowing that it was the right thing to do I have always eaten little and regularly, lots of carbs, and drunk plenty of liquids, so maybe that's why! I remember they kept a special eye on me when I had epidurals with my two dds.

Oh and I'm only 5'2" so I don't have so far to fall....

Seriously though dabihp - there is a lot of good advice on this thread which works for me.

[LittleB]

I've got low blood pressure during pregnancy, currently I'm 29 weeks and it was 90/50 yesterday and have had a few dizzy spells. Had all the same advice as everyone else here, but I'd also say sudden temperature changes make it worse too, so be prepared - i work outside quite a bit, and being out in the cold, then in a warm office often brings it on! my doctor says my blood pressure is pretty avaerage when not preganant, I was a bit surprised at this as it is very low now, and I had low blood pressure a child - I fainted a few times at school. I did wonder if I would normally have low blood pressure but it has been artificially raised to normal due to being on the pill, I was on Femodene, non-stop from aged 17 until 28, when I came off last year to try for a baby. It makes me concerned about going back on the pill once I've had this baby, has anyone ever come across anything like this?