Extreme Shortness of Breath in Pregnancy

Many of the responses given are excellent and can be detected by routine blood work (anemia, thyroid disorders, Hellp). The only condition not discussed is peripartum cardiomyopathy or enlarged heart. See a cardiologist for an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart).

I had that with my 3rd. I asked the doctor so many times and never got an answer. It continued after I had the baby. I have hypothyroidism but didn't find out until apost-baby. Shortness of breath is a symptom. You should ask about that. It is a simple blood test.

I'm around 34 weeks now, and had the same thing during my second trimester. I could barely get a drink at night without having to gasp after a couple of swallows! Thankfully it went away, but I checked it out on a few pregnancy sites and it seems one of the normal "joys" of some pregnancies.

M.,
Reading your email really took me back to my pregnancies (3 and 7 years ago, respectively), and how uncomfortable I was all the way through, but particularly in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters as the baby grew. Both pregnancies were quite healthy for me, but also not comfortable in the way you mention, and other ways. I am short-waisted (long legs, but shorter torso), and I have noticed, at least anecdotally, that my friends who are long-torsoed, seem to breeze through their pregnancies, and my shorter torsoed friends struggled in the way I did. I think the anatomical structures of the mother's body really bear on how the pregnancy is tolerated, and felt to be. I hadn't heard that hormones play such a big role in this regard. You may want to get a second opinion on this, as it sounds pretty extreme and troublesome. One other thought: When I hit the 14 or 15 week point, I felt dramatically better, more energy, etc. Could it be that when you hit this point, this will settle down for you (assuming your ob is right and it is hormone-related)?

Let us know how you fare in the next weeks and months!

B.

Hi M.,

Ask your doctor to check for anemia. I had similiar symptoms during my pregnancy, I couldn't walk across the room without getting short of breath. This is common in pregnancy and can be managed with iron replacement.

I am a nurse and frequently see anemia in my patients, they frequently feel short of breath.

I hope you feel better
Sarah

I remeber just sitting with clients talking to them and feel like I was gasping for air. I remember thinking my clients probably thought there was something wrong with me as I had not told them I was pregnant. It would come and go depending on where the baby was. I always knew when he was by my lungs.

I'm in the same boat with you -- I'm pregnant with my second child (my first is now 9 months old) and I'm extremely out of breath. Even picking up my daughter gets me out of breath sometimes. I have an elliptical so I've been checking my pulse and after 5 minutes on there, I spike up to 160 bpm, and normal is around 109, which is very high. I told one of the OBs about it (rotating staff, not my normal OB), and she said I'm anemic and pregnant, and its normal. We'll see how normal it is as time goes on -- I'm about 4-5 months pregnant now, and if this keeps up, I don't know how I'm going to feel when I'm near the end. I feel so helpless as it is.

Good luck, get some opinions from your docs and see what they say. Also, take it easy (a recommendation from my OB)....and don't overdo it!! :)

I think it is associated wit iron deficiency which is common in pregnancy. If you also feel very tired, too, this is most likely the problem. You can easily increase your iron intake by drinking 2-3 cups of 100% cocoa (green and black make one). I also found a natural iron supplement called spatone in liquid form which was great because it didn't cause constipation which is a side effect of iron supplement pills. Once my iron levels were back up, i felt much better. Good luck!

Remember the baby is smushed in a small space so is probably not allowing you to fill those lungs like you used to and add to that those hormones-yikes. I would avoid laying on your back if you are feeling this way already. Lie on the left side. Obviously if you are getting worse or also feeling dizzy get back to the doctor. I think a DVT would also cause pain with walking in your calf.

Hi M.,

I'm wondering if you have any other symptoms like adema, dizziness, headaches, sweating, etc.? I don't mean to alarm you, but I had those symptoms along with the shortness of breath & then some! Follow your instincts & get a second opinion. I ended up with HELLP Syndrome (google it) & nearly died from it. It's pretty much full blown eclampsia w/ much more dangerous outcome. Please read up on it. It's rare, but it can happen. I ended up having an emergency c-section at 25 weeks. My son lived for 17 days. I pray this doesn't happen to you & the shortness of breath is nothing after all. Please get a second opinion if you feel your doctor isn't taking you seriously. Don't be as trusting as I was. Just because they have Phd's doesn't make them 100% perfect. I wish you the best & pray for a healthy rest of your pregnancy. Please let us all know what happens.

Best wishes,
A.

i am 36 wks and have been short of breath since beginning. difficult to breathe from just basic daily functions. had it also with my now 2 1/2 yo. its normal, they say....good luck .

I would say it's probably nothing to worry about, but because risk of blood clots (pulminary embalisms)is elevated during pregnancy, I would definetly ask them to do some tests. As a last resort they would have to do x-ray or cat-scan. But I'm sure they could do some blood tests and sonos to check. Never can be to cautious. They thought I had this when I was in the hosp. for early labor turns out they were pumping me with too much fluid. You much just have some extra water weight right now or maybe are congested. I'm sure your fine, but I'd follow up with it if you're really worried.

Hi M.!

I had the same thing, and in the beginning, my doctor reassured me it was hormonal. I could get through an entire kickboxing or step class until my 7th month, but getting through class (I'm an English Professor) without gasping while I was talking was next to impossible...go figure. A colleague at work is pregnant now and also experiencing the same thing.

Toward the end of my pregnancy, I also felt short of breath but in a totally different way. I attribute that to the baby and the small space she had left!

Chances are, you are fine. But I you ever feel that it is not normal, talk to your doctor. Best of luck!

A.

Hi M.~

I read the other response and to the best of my knowledge, there is no blood test that can be done. Clot in the legs are usually detected by ultra sound. I had DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) with my first pregnancy in 1994. Granted, I am overweight, and that is also a contributing factor, but the weight isn't the only reason for the clots. Tell your doctor you want an ultra sound on your legs to check for DVT. When mine was detected, it was explained to me that a certain amount of thickening of the blood is common but the thicker blood can also lead to clots, and they can be deadly. They usually start in the legs, and if they break off, they can go to the lung (called a Pulmonary Embolism, or PE) or to the brain. Both can be deadly.

Common treatment for blood clots is a blood thinner called Coumadin, however pregnant women shouldn't take it because it could harm the baby. They do have shots you could administer to yourself, and the one I was given was Heparin, but I heard of another, but don't know the name. I beg you to get yourself checked out. This nearly killed me twice, and I can no longer walk upstairs without having to sit down for 15 minutes to catch my breath. Don't ask your doctor, tell him you want to be checked out. If your current dr. says it isn't necessary, get a second opinion. This is serious condition and should to be treated as such.

I wish you the best of luck for the duration of your pregnancy and with your 3 yo...this is a wonderful time for you and I'm praying you are okay. Please let me know the outcome (my email address is ____@____.com) and again, good luck to you.

J.~

M.,
Your Dr. may be correct in saying that your shortness of breath is just hormones but what you are describing sounds like you should see either a cardiologist or a pulmunologist. I have known 2 people in my lifetime that while in pregnancy they developed COPD. It stems from genetics and it was not a problem until they experienced it in pregnancy. Both were on their 3rd pregnancy when symptoms appeared much like you describe. I don't mean to scare you but I would get it checked out now. My first friend ended up with a heart and lung transplant and the other is waiting for one.
I'd rather you have it checked out more carefully and it be nothing than not and have it be something.
May God help you and guide you.
M.

Hi M.. I was extremely short of breath while I was pregnant too... almost from the get go. I was a teacher and I would even get out of breath if I spoke too many sentences in a row without a rest. There was absolutely nothing wrong with me or my baby girl. I did have above average HCG so maybe that is why, I am not sure. All of my other tests were totally normal. Shortness of breath is definitely a side effect of pregnancy and as long as your blood work and all are normal, I think you should only be as concerned as your dr. is.
A.

I had that with my 2nd pregnancy. It was horrible feeling like you cannot breathe. Both my ob/gyn and pulmonologist said that it was hormonal. Not too much you can do about it. Hang in there!!!!

Hi M.,
I too am experiencing the same as you. I'm 9 weeks and around 6 1/2 to 7 weeks I started noticing the shortness of breath. I also experienced it while laying down or while sitting at work stationary on conf calls!? I asked my former OBGYN and She told me it was 'normal' symptom with increased hormones, like your Dr did, but I decided to go to my PCP anyway. He noticed my blood pressure had dropped a bit and did some blood work. I'm still awaiting results and working thru mechanics of it all but wanted you to know you are not alone! I'm sure its normal but I just needed to hear another Dr's assessment for my own sanity reasons!