Is there an explanation as to why I have fainting spells a few times a week during this pregnancy?
Time after time I have had episodes of dizziness, near fainting, and fainting. Every time but once it has happened while at work. Today I blacked out all the way and fell to the ground at work. I was taken to the hospital and they ran tests and bloodwork. All the labs were normal. Again. This keeps happening and I feel like the dr’s assume I just don’t eat enough because I’m slender. Let me make it very clear to my fluther friends, I eat plenty. I can out eat my boyfriend. When these fainting spells happen, I have just eaten usually less than an hour beforehand. Example: today I ate a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice less than 30 minutes before I fainted. Some dr’s also suggest maybe I’m just going from one position to another too quickly. Also not the case. I am never changing positions when this happens. I was standing today at a cash register and very suddenly I felt myself going down. During my sonogram a couple weeks ago I fainted on the exam table. I had been laying flat on my back when I blacked out. Not standing, or changing positions. Yet, the dr’s still insist it’s either lack of eating or changing positions. What do I do at this point? Keep passing out at my job? I fell hard this time and hit my spine on a ledge. Luckily it’s just a bruise but imagine how much worse it could have been. I’m so frustrated. How many more doctors should I see before giving up? One nurse at the ER suggested that due to my very small frame the baby has little room and sometimes blocks the main artery that pumps blood to my heart, causing me to faint. She said it could get worse as the baby grows larger. I’m only 19 weeks. I might end up going out on disability. My job requires 9 hours constant standing. Anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening?
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23 Answers
Are you very stressed? Do you have high blood pressure?
@KatetheGreat no and no. They checked my blood pressure a million times. It’s normal.
How far along are you? If you’re early in your first trimester it could really just be your body adjusting to severe/drastic hormonal changes. I passed out one time during a pregnancy; I was on the subway heading to work when everything started to get bright white. Next thing I knew people were helping me up off the floor….
Have you had your blood sugar checked? Pregnancy can sometimes cause gestational diabetes. It is relatively easy to treat once it is identified, but it can sometimes be tricky to diagnose
I had my blood sugar tested today. It was normal. I’m 19 weeks along.
So you pass out just all of a sudden while you are standing? Or, you pass out when you go from lying down or sitting to standing up?
Oh, you said it happened while you were lying down, I just read that.
Could be the progesterone?
Sudden drop in blood pressure, which might not be detected by the time they check your pressure.
Scary. Hopefully it goes away as your body adjusts.
Make sure you stay hydrated obviously. Pregnancy means increased blood volume, so you need to consume more liquids.
@JLeslie Never when going from sitting to standing. I’ll be standing already for awhile and it’ll happen suddenly. Almost without any warning. I have a matter of seconds to sit down or I faint.
Did they check your thyroid? It would be TSH on your bloodwork.
@JLeslie Also while laying on my back in bed the other night I woke up and felt woozy again. I quickly laid on my left side (that’s what the dr suggested) and it faded.
Might just be one of those things you will never figure out. All sorts of wierd shit happens during pregnancy. Hopefully a few of our doctors will chime in.
Did you ask your mom or aunts if it happened to them?
@JLeslie Yes my mother came to the hospital shortly afterward and discussed family history with the doctors. Nothing like this has ever happened to any of the women in our family that she knows of.
I think it means you are going to have the most gorgeous perfect baby ever seen by anyone. :).
When you say you eat plenty, are you eating regularly? 4 meals a day?
@JLeslie At least 4 meals and many snacks in between. I never let myself get hungry. I get grumpy when I’m hungry.
What the nurse told you about blocking the main artery could be the main cause (especially since you’ve had it while laying on your back already). Usually laying on your back doesn’t become an issue until later in pregnancy, when the baby and your uterus are bigger. If you have a particularly small frame and depending on how things are fitting in there right now, you could be having extra pressure on that artery. Unfortunately, the only fix for that is to have the baby (which obviously you aren’t ready for yet). I’d try to talk to your doctor about this and see what they recommend and if they think it could be what’s causing the issue (since they know you better than we do).
I’m sorry you have to deal with this so early on and I hope it resolves some soon. Perhaps once your uterus gets a little bit bigger, your baby will move and not press on your artery anymore (or at least for a while). In the mean time, just keep trying to be safe about things and be prepared to sit down if you start feeling dizzy. The moment you feel dizzy, take a seat and wait for it to pass. If you have to, lay down on your left side (which is the best for circulation) and let it pass that way. If the laying on your left side constantly helps, it’s definitely a blood flow issue of some kind.
@Seaofclouds I agree. I have noticed laying on my left side is the only thing that helps. Sitting down or even putting my head between my legs never seems to help at all. You know when you stand up too quick and you get light headed? When you sit or put your head between your legs, you feel almost instantly better. Not with this. This is different.
This happened to my friend during both her pregnancies. It was usually dehydration. She had to drink TONS of water, an insane amount so she wouldn’t pass out.
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