Dear doctor Simon I am expecting my 2nd baby. Had completely normal pregnan...

[Janna]

Dear doctor Simon I am expecting my 2nd baby. Had completely normal pregnancy and birth with the first one but from the first week of current pregnancy(15 weeks) developed strange symptoms. After eating especially I get ectopic beats, which my doctor has said, are ventricular beats. If I keep active they do not happen, if I sit or lay down they occur about every 10- 20 seconds then maybe go a minute then I’ ll have another set. Sometimes I feel several ectopics in a row. I feel extremely tired all the time. These things are driving me crazy. If I am empty (food wise) they rarely occur. I can only sit for about 10 minutes then they kick off again. Why has this started? Is it just a pregnancy thing? Will it go away after the pregnancy finishes? I have always had ectopic and missed beats but never like this?

 

[Симон (kdo-cardio@mail.ru)]

Dear Janna! The first thing you should do is to stop worrying. It doesn’ t make any sense. This is a normal situation in many women. During pregnancy the uterus enlarges and pushes the diaphragm up, towards the heart. Sometimes this could cause arrhythmias, especially after eating as the full stomach gives additional pressure, just like in your case. But you have to exclude other possible causes of your ventricular ectopics – thyroid abnormality, low blood potassium, anaemia. If these are normal – everything will disappear after delivery. Good luck!