Quite often, future mothers think about whether it is possible to do an ECG during pregnancy, and whether this kind of manipulation is dangerous for the fetus. Let's try to answer this question, and tell you how often the ECG is made during pregnancy and what are the indications for such an examination.
What is the ECG for?
Before considering the features of a similar procedure in pregnant women, let's talk about why you even prescribe an ECG during pregnancy.
To begin with, it should be noted that when the fetus is born, the heart of the expectant mother works in a strengthened mode, since there is an increase in the volume of circulating blood. In addition, the hormonal background also has a direct effect on the functioning of the heart muscle, which changes almost immediately after conception. That is why it is especially important to establish possible violations before the onset of pregnancy. Given this fact, most family planning centers include mandatory examinations and ECG.
With the help of such a study, a physician can set parameters such as rhythm and heart rate, the speed of an electric pulse, which allows to diagnose disorders such as arrhythmia, blockade and dysfunction of the heart muscle, etc.
Is ECG safe for women in the situation?
Among women, it is often possible to hear the statement that the ECG during pregnancy is harmful. Such a statement is groundless and refuted by doctors.
The thing is that during the procedure for ECG removal, there is no effect on the human body, in contrast to radiography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which during pregnancy is strictly prohibited.
With ECG, special sensors conduct only fixation of electrical impulses emitted by the heart itself and fix them on paper. Therefore, such a procedure is absolutely safe and is carried out by all without exception to future mothers, when registering with a women's clinic.
Features of ECG in pregnant women
When assessing the results obtained with ECG, doctors take into account some features of the physiology of a pregnant woman. Thus, in particular, with fetal growth, the number of heartbeats is usually higher than normal, which indicates an increase in the load on the heart muscle, which requires the pumping of a larger volume of blood. At the same time, in the norm it should not exceed 80 cuts per minute.
It is also worth noting that during pregnancy, the presence of individual extrasystoles (additional reduction of the heart muscle) is possible. sometimes excitation can occur in any part of the heart, and not in the sinus node, as usual.
In case of a bad ECG during pregnancy, before researching possible abnormalities, the study is repeated after a while. If the results are similar to the first one, an additional examination is prescribed, - an ultrasound of the heart, which allows to determine the presence of anatomical disturbances, which cause disruption of the heart.