Suggest Treatment For Tachycardia During Pregnancy

Hello, and I hope I can help you today. Tachycardia is relatively common during pregnancy. It most usually occurs without underlying heart disease. The most common reason for tachycardia is dehydration and/or low blood pressure, which is common during pregnancy. Anemia, which is also common during pregnancy, can be a contributing factor. Many people have tachycardia after a large meal, because the blood from their body is being shunted to their gut to digest the food; therefore the blood pressure to the rest of the body goes down. This is also what makes you feel tired after a large meal. Fluctuations in blood pressure especially when you stand up are common during pregnancy. Your blood pressure can become very low while you were standing up, and your body tries to bring more oxygen to your brain and heart by increasing your heart rate. Ways to avoid this can include making sure you get up very slowly and also drinking lots of water every day; we recommend at least 3 L of water per day during pregnancy. In addition, I would purchase prenatal vitamins and an iron supplement and begin to take those daily. Regarding beta blockers, there are certain types that can be used safely during pregnancy. I suggest you make an appointment with an obstetrician relatively soon and they may recommend referral to a cardiologist for evaluation. If you have left-sided chest pain that does not resolve when you lie down, or associated with shortness of breath or dizziness, I would recommend that you go to an emergency room for evaluation. But in the meantime, I would start by getting up very slowly, drinking lots of fluids, and taking an iron supplement. I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and that my advice was helpful. Best wishes, and good luck with the pregnancy Dr. Brown