Pregnancy Dizziness, Fainting & Severe Cramping: When to Worry?

Question
Hi,
My daughter is 26 weeks pregnant and has c/o dizziness off and on since about 16 weeks and she has passed out at work once and almost twice. Her doctor is telling her this is normal that some pregnant women pass out. Also her blood pressure was at 130/80 and has steadly been dropping, the last one was 98/50. She has severe cramping also and has called me crying many times about these cramps since her doctor tells her all this is normal..  I am a little concerned. He said that since she has had 2 children her ligaments down in the pelvic regine is the culprit for the cramps and the hormones are r/t blood pressure, passing out and dizziness. Is this so? He gets angry if we question him or the nurse. Please advise.

Thank you,

Mrs. Hudson

Answer
You and your daughter should be able to ask as many questions of your doctor and the nurse as you wish. If your doctor gets angry with your questions, find another doctor. A blood pressure during pregnancy can fluctuate widely, but your daughter's appears within normal limits. I would rather she had a low blood pressure than a high one. If she is passing out frequently, she may have some iron deficiency anemia. A blood count should diagnose that. If her hemoglobin is less than 10, she should be on iron supplementation. I usually suggest taking one iron tablet at bedtime. It is common to have "round ligament syndrome" which is the pain in the groin due to stretching of the ligaments. A heating pad, Tylenol, a warm shower, etc. may help alleviate the discomfort. The baby is well cushioned by the amniotic fluid and is well protected at this time. On the other hand, if your daughter starts to have contractions (tightening of her abdomen) frequently (more than every 10 minutes) and each contraction remains hard for at least 45 seconds, her doctor should evaluate her for preterm labor. If her cervix remains closed, there should be no problem.