Flu Like Symptoms During Pregnancy
This article is about the onset of flu like symptoms associated with pregnancy. Pregnancy is probably the most delicate and sensitive time for a woman. With all of the potential for complications and pregnancy related issues that women face during those grueling 9 months flu like symptoms during pregnancy should be trivial compared to all of the other potential for illness, but yet…it is important to differentiate flu like symptoms during pregnancy from influenza. Learn what can be done to minimize the risk of developing flu like symptoms during pregnancy.
Sometimes flu like symptoms may actually be the first indicators of pregnancy. One of the first signs of pregnancy is morning sickness. Some women have even reported other symptoms such as sore throat, general discomfort, cramps and runny nose. One particular patient thought she had the flu and realized that after consulting with her doctor that she was in fact pregnant and had no other illness.
Flu like symptoms can include: fatigue, nausea, headache
sore throat, cough, congestion, runny nose, general discomfort. The traditional flu apparently does not cause vomiting as a symptom, however, norovirus which is the predicator of what society lovingly calls “the stomach flu” is a symptom of that illness. Hence, vomiting may not be an H3N2 symptom, but other strains of viral infection like the stomach flu do cause those symptoms. Although the centers for disease control may like to make that differentiation, in all practicality it appears to be a symantic argument.
So, are you really ill or are you just pregnant? These are very good questions and only your doctor should be the one to make that call which is what we recommmend. There are pregnancy tests out there that boast 99% effectiveness rate. Flu like symptoms during pregnancy include: vomiting, nausea, sore throat, headache and general discomfort. Since even over the counter medications could potentially have an adverse effect on a developing fetus. It is strongly recommended that someone exhibiting flu like symptoms exercise caution and seek the advice of their physician if they think pregnancy could be the reason for the illness.
Flu like symptoms during pregnancy should be addressed as we mentioned above with extreme care. My wife for example although suffering from a couple different minor ailments during pregnancy was unable to take any medications at all. Worse than that it was hard to understand whether her symptoms were attributable to illness, her pregnancy or her pregnancy vitamins. I would warn our readership about choosing the right pregnancy vitamin. Some vitamins are better than others. With our first child, my wife had morning sickness for 7 months.
This was way longer than is typical for most women since most morning sickness occurs during the first trimester. I finally started thinking, what if the pregnancy vitamins are the problem. We switched to a different vitamin and she never had a problem since.
In conclusion, the similarities between the flu and pregnancy are very close. Our only advice is trust your doctor and be extra careful about taking any medications if you are of child bearing age and pregnancy may be possible outcome
Leave a Reply