How Can I Manage Swelling In Pregnancy?

Swelling, the name of TCM disease. In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, pregnant women who have swelling of the limbs of various degrees are called "child swelling". Also called "pregnancy swelling". Depending on the location, nature, and degree of swelling, the ancients also had names such as swelling, anger, wrinkled feet, and crisp feet.

Chinese Medicine Name: Swelling
Disease site: Woman cell
Related Western Medicine Diseases: Pregnancy hypertension

Other name: Swelling of pregnancy
Disease classification: Traditional Chinese Medicine-Gynecology
Contagious: no

Noun explanation

In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, pregnant women who have swelling of the limbs of various degrees are called "child swelling". Also called "pregnancy swelling". Depending on the location, nature, and degree of swelling, the ancients also had names such as swelling, anger, wrinkled feet, and crisp feet.

History of Swelling

1. As early as in the "Golden Chronicles, Women's Pregnancy and Pulse Syndrome" chapter, there is a record: "Pregnancy has moisture, weight, and urination is unfavorable."

2. The Tang Dynasty "Effective Three Treasures and Three Volumes" clearly pointed out the pathogenesis of "the internal organs are weak, due to heavy production deficiency, soil is not blocked by water".

3. The Ming Dynasty's "Introduction to Medicine, Volume Five" put forward the name of "swollen" disease to this day.

4. "Shen Shi Women's Science Series" believes that the pregnancy is swollen: "Only the tangible water disease and the intangible onset." The cause and treatment of the disease were discussed.

Causes of Swelling

The lungs regulate the waterways, the spleen transports the water to wet, the kidneys convert the qi to the water, and the body's fluid metabolism depends on these three internal organs. Lesions in any of the three organs of the lungs, spleen, and kidneys can cause swelling of water and fluid metabolism disorders. Especially the spleen, "wet and swollen are all spleen," and water and dampness is a disease, which is controlled by the spleen. The occurrence of pregnancy swelling is closely related to the special physiology during pregnancy. This disease mostly occurs after 5 or 6 months of pregnancy. At this time, the fetal body gradually grows, and the lifting mechanism is disadvantageous. If the organs are weak, the fetus will interfere with the organs, and the pregnancy will be severe. Therefore, spleen and kidney yang deficiency, water dampness, or qi stagnation and dampness are the main mechanisms of pregnancy swelling.

Swelling pathogenesis

1. Spleen Deficiency: Pregnant women have weak qi, or have spleen and yang due to overheating, spleen deficiency and dereliction of duty, cannot restrict water, stay wet, and edema after overflowing.

2. Kidney deficiency: endowment kidney deficiency, lack of life and fire. Post-pregnancy fetal air choke hinders kidney-yang dressing, bladder gasification is negligent, and gas cannot flow. And the kidney is the gate of the stomach, and the kidney is not clothed, the door is not closed, and water collects from it, and the water overflows and becomes swollen.

3. Qi stagnation: There are many depressions and poor ventilator. When the pregnancy is 4 months, the fetal body grows larger, which hinders the lift of the ventilator and causes swelling of Qi stagnation.

Checkpoints for child swelling

Essentials for swollen diagnosis

(1) Medical history: corpus spleen and kidney weakness, emotional depression, or teratogenic virus infection in early pregnancy; severe anemia, essential hypertension, chronic nephritis, diabetes, etc. combined pregnancy; multiple pregnancy.

(2) Clinical manifestations: The main feature is edema, which usually occurs after 20 weeks of gestation, and begins to swell from the ankle and gradually extend to the calf, thigh, vulva, and abdomen, and even the whole body. Beware of recessive edema, that is, body surface edema is not obvious and weight gain exceeds 0.5 kg per week or 2.3 kg per month.

Differential diagnosis of swelling

(1) Pregnancy with nephritis

A history of acute and chronic nephritis before pregnancy, edema before pregnancy, and gradually increased after pregnancy, edema first occurred in the eyelids, 24 hours urine protein 0.5g, various casts or red and white blood cells in urine, blood urea nitrogen increased.

(2) pregnancy with heart disease

A history of heart disease before pregnancy can be confirmed by ECG and cardiac function tests. This disease is still one of the four major deaths that threaten pregnant women and must be taken seriously.

Swollen examination

(1) Divided into four degrees according to the degree of edema:

Degree : (+) Swelling of the calf and heel is obvious, and it does not subside after rest.

Degree : (++) Edema extends to thighs and vulva.

degree: (+++) The edema extends to the vulva and abdomen, and the swelling is more obvious than before.

Degree IV: (++++) Whole body edema or accompanied by ascites.

(2) Auxiliary examination: urine test: there may be a little red, white blood cells and casts. 24 hours urine protein 0.5mg is abnormal. Also pay attention to changes in blood pressure and weight.

Dialectical treatment

Dialectical points

The swelling nature is divided into water disease and qi disease. The disease is in the tangible water, the skin is thin, the color is white and bright, and the depression is difficult to start immediately; the disease is in the invisible gas, the skin is thick and the color does not change, and it starts with pressing. Edema lesions differ between the spleen and the kidney. Those with disease in the spleen have edema on the limbs, thin and bright skin, and spleen deficiency; those with disease in the kidney, swollen face with spleen, especially in lower limbs, with kidney deficiency.

Swelling treatment principles

The treatment of pregnancy swelling should be based on the principle of treating both the disease and the abortion. The main purpose is to transport water and dampness, and appropriately add products that nourish the blood, and use the products that are warm, dry, cold, cold, and smooth. Leather medicines to avoid injury to the fetus.

Classification of syndromes

(l) Spleen deficiency syndrome

Main symptoms: months of pregnancy, swelling of the limbs, or the whole body, thin and bright skin, can not be depressed according to it, the complexion is pale and pale, the breath is short, the mouth is light and greasy, the abdomen is full, the appetite is weak, and the urine Short, thin stools, pale tongue, fat body, tooth marks on the side, tongue white or greasy, slow pulse.

Governing law: spleen and water.

Representative party: Baizhu San plus Amomum.

Recipe: Atractylodes, Poria, Potbelly Skin, Ginger Peel, Orange Red.

(2) Kidney deficiency syndrome

Main symptoms: Several months of pregnancy, facial limbs edema, especially in the lower limbs, such as mud, backache fatigue, lower extremity cold, adverse urination, pale tongue, white fur, slow pulse.

Governing Law: Tonifying the kidney and warming the yang, changing the qi to water.

Representative: Zhenwu Tang.

Recipes: Aconite, ginger, atractylodes, atractylodes, poria.

(3) Qi stagnation card

Main symptoms: After three or four months of pregnancy, the limbs swell, starting from the two feet, gradually extending to the legs, the skin color does not change, with the press, chest tightness, swelling, dizziness and pain, thin fur, and smooth pulse.

Governing method: stagnation of qi, dehumidification and swelling.

Representative: Tianxian Fujisan.

Recipe: Tianxian Rattan, Xiangfu, Chenpi, licorice, black medicine, ginger, perilla leaf, papaya. ^[1]

Prognosis of swelling

Swelling is often one of the early symptoms of eclampsia. Early detection and early treatment are of great significance for controlling the development of the disease and preventing the transformation to eclampsia.

Swelling prevention and adjustment

1. Emphasis on health care during pregnancy and regular checkups.

2. Pay attention to changes in weight, edema, urine protein, and blood pressure.

3. Give a low-salt diet after the onset to control drinking water.

4. Fast foods that are cold and greasy.

5. Patients with severe edema should rest in bed, raise both lower limbs, and keep warm.

Swelling Related Literature

"Symptoms of various causes, pregnancy, fetal water and gas, full body swelling": the inter-fetal water and gas, full body swelling, this is caused by weak spleen and stomach, there is no water between the internal organs, and the reason for pregnancy also. Pregnancy, menstrual blood is closed to support the fetus. If there is water vapor, water and blood fight, water stains on the fetus, and viscera. The main muscles of the spleen and stomach are weak, but the muscles are weak. Water stains on the cells can cause bad fetuses. ^[2]

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