Pregnancy And Baby Care Pregnancy Sickness Altitude Sickness Pregnancy

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...amount of oxygen in the air decreases. And people who live at lower altitudes find it difficult to adjust because their bodies aren’t used to such low levels of oxygen.

Types of High-altitude Illnesses

There are three types of high-altitude illnesses:

• High-altitude pulmonary edema – This affects the lungs.
• High-altitude cerebral edema – This affects the brain
• Acute mountain sickness

Preventing High-Altitude Sickness

If you aren’t used to traveling to high altitudes, then travel slowly. When you take your time, your body will slowly adjust to the height difference as well as the lower levels of oxygen. It will take quite a few days to get used to the changes. Do remember that if you live closer to sea level, then your body will take longer to adjust to the high-altitude changes. So it is advisable to plan your trip in such a way that it has ample time to get accustomed to the new high-altitude region.

You may also want to sleep at a place that has a lower altitude than the place you were in during the day.

Symptoms of Altitude Sickness

An upset stomach, trouble sleeping, weakness, light-headedness and headache are some of the symptoms of altitude sickness. If you do have these symptoms, you may want to go down to a place at a lower altitude. Breathing problems are other symptoms to look out for in a high-altitude. Problem in walking in a straight line, confusion, coughing are more symptoms of high-altitude sickness. If you are pregnant and have these symptoms, rush to the doctor. Even if you’re not pregnant, you should consult a doctor. You might also need to recover in a place that is at a lower altitude.

If you are pregnant and planning a trip to a high-altitude place, then speak with your doctor before you do so. You can travel to moderate altitudes and a height of 1500-4000 meters may not be much of a problem. However, there will be limitations for pregnant women traveling to higher altitudes. Experts will discourage pregnant women from traveling to very high-altitudes as deprivation of oxygen might cause problems for the baby and the mother.