Dizziness and Fatigue in Early Pregnancy: What to Expect?
QuestionI am 24 years old and have no prior children. The first day of my last menstral period was 1/9/2004. I am 5 months pregnant and I keep having these dizzy spells. Everytime I stand up I feel kind of dizzy and I get this throbbing headache for just a few minutes. Is this something I should be concerned about? Also, I have been having a lot of trouble with being extremely exhausted and fatigued. Sometimes it feels like I don't have enough energy to breathe. I have never been pregnant before so I am sure this is all normal and nothing to worry about but I don't get any answers from my physician. He does very hurried exams. I had thought of changing but I didn't think I could get another doctor since I am already 5 months pregnant. I currently work and my job is not hard at all, I have a desk job, but it is a very irritating job. So I feel irritated on a constant basis and I was wondering if that could be triggering a lot of this and if so what should I do about it? I was also wondering if that could be the reason that I am still experiencing morning sickness when I really shouldn't be. I am sorry to ask so many questions at once. I just want to make sure that everything I am experiencing is normal and I want to be sure that my continuing work is safe for my baby and myself.
AnswerIf you are having dizzy spells, fatigue, lightheadedness, and exhaustion you may be suffering from anemia. YOu should get a hemoglobin done and if it is less than 11, you should start iron supplentation. I have all my pregnant patients take an iron supplement every eveing before they go to bed in addition to their normal antenatal vitamins. Sometimes morning sickness will last for quite awhile, but usually it goes away by 16 weeks gestation. However, some women have it until 30 weeks. Be patient.
