![]() ![]() Pregnant women need 3-4 times more iron and 8-10 times more folate to nourish the developing fetus. Read on for 7 ways to keep RLS symptoms at bay. Fortunately, you have safe, natural ways to combat RLS symptoms during pregnancy. In addition, “most RLS medications have not been proven safe in pregnancy, so women must rely on non-medical therapies and treatments,” says Kartha Ninth, M.D., a neurologist and chair of the Movement Disorder Clinic at Loyola Health System outside Chicago. ![]() “If you already had RLS when you got pregnant, symptoms are likely to worsen in pregnancy and get progressively worse with each pregnancy,” she says. ![]() So what are the odds that you'll suffer from restless legs syndrome? “If you have a genetic predisposition to RLS but never had symptoms until your last trimester of pregnancy, RLS will probably go away within three months after delivery,” says midwife Jennifer Hensley, R.N., coordinator of nurse-wifery at the University of Colorado College of Nursing in Denver, and part of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG), which is setting guidelines for treating RLS during pregnancy. It found that pregnant women with RLS had higher estradiol levels than women without the condition. Higher levels of estradiol (the main type of estrogen hormone in women) during pregnancy could also be a factor, according to a 2009 study conducted in Munich, Germany. That's because iron deficiency may disrupt dopamine, a brain neurotransmitter that controls muscle activity and movement, explains Jeffrey Durmer, Ph.D., M.D., a sleep medicine doctor, researcher and chief medical officer of FusionHealth & FusionSleep near Atlanta, Ga. “Pregnant women need 3-4 times more iron than usual to nourish the developing fetus and are at higher risk for symptoms of iron deficiency – a major cause of RLS,” says Mark Buchfuhrer, M.D., an internist and pulmonary specialist at SomnoMedix Sleep Disorders Center in the Los Angeles area and coauthor of Restless Legs Syndrome: Coping With Your Sleepless Nights (Demos Medical Publishing). Your genes, hormones and an iron deficiency could be culprits. RLS affects 10% of women and up to 40% of pregnant women, making it the most common problem in pregnancy, according to a 2010 study by the University of Michigan. You could also be at higher risk for restless legs syndrome (RLS), a neurological condition characterized by painful, crawling sensations in the legs and an irresistible urge to move them. If you’re pregnant, morning sickness may not be your only problem. But there are natural ways to tame RLS symptoms during pregnancy. But did you know restless legs syndrome is too? About one-third of pregnant women experience crawly, tingling sensations in their legs, a hallmark of the disorder. Heartburn and nausea are well-known side effects of pregnancy. ![]()
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