Increased tone of the uterus during pregnancy is not desirable - it poses a threat to its premature interruption. In addition, constantly tight muscles of the uterus compress the blood vessels that carry to the fetus the nutrients and oxygen, so long hypertonicity of the uterus necessarily reflected on the state of the fetus.
The mechanisms that regulate the tone of the uterus during pregnancy
A week after conception, the embryo is embedded in the uterine lining, and its shell villi begin to secrete a new hormone - human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), whose main task - to stimulate additional production of the female hormone progesterone. Progesterone is produced in the second half of the menstrual cycle temporary endocrine gland corpus luteum, located in the ovary. Under the influence of hCG corpus luteum of menstruation grows and becomes a corpus luteum of pregnancy, which produces a lot more progesterone.
The main task of progesterone - suppress locomotor activity and increased excitability of the muscles of the uterus, ie saline hypertonicity (increased tone), and to prevent spontaneous abortion. If progesterone is produced is not enough, the tone of the uterus increases, it creates a risk of miscarriage.
Physiological uterine hypertonus is provided so that it increases the number of muscle fibers and a content of substances which ensure its contraction (calcium actomyosin protein and other biologically active substances). It is preparing the body for childbirth. But this mechanism need not be soon, so progesterone
Progesterone - norm and pathology
It does not prevent the accumulation of these substances, but inhibits its activity.
The risk of uterine hypertonus in the fact that the muscle contraction squeezes blood vessels of the uterus, so the fetus disturbed nutrition. This is very dangerous, especially dangerous lack of oxygen to the brain of the fetus - it can lead to severe injuries and his lag child in psychological development.
Causes of the tone of the uterus during pregnancy
The most common cause of increased tone of the uterus during early pregnancy is insufficient production of progesterone. Progesterone in the first twelve - sixteen weeks of pregnancy is produced in the corpus luteum of pregnancy, and then, when the placenta is formed, it takes over the function.
In addition, the cause may be hyper stress, high neuro-psychological and physical stress, lack of sleep, nervous disorders, inflammation of the female genital organs, tumors of the uterus (such as fibroids), endometriosis
Endometriosis - a serious problem with serious consequences
(overgrowth of tissue similar to the mucosal tissue of the uterine cavity in the muscle layer of the uterus), acute and chronic diseases of internal organs (the cardiovascular system, kidney, liver), bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse).
Signs of increasing the tone of the uterus
Signs of increased tone of the uterus are often nagging pain in the lower abdomen and lumbosacral region. After the twentieth week of pregnancy, a uterine tonic may appear sharp pains like contractions of the uterus and a sense of fossils. The peculiarity of pain is that they can be removed by taking antispasmodic (eg, no-silos).
But sometimes a woman can not feel the increased uterine tone. It can reveal, putting a hand on the woman's abdomen, it becomes hard, a feeling of fossils. For all the changes in a woman's body had been seen and treated in a timely manner, it should be on a monthly basis to visit an obstetrician-gynecologist of female consultation. If you suspect a uterine tonic woman sent for ultrasound (US), which are clearly visible place increased muscle contractions of the uterus. Gipertonus is especially dangerous in the area of attachment of the placenta - it can cause her premature detachment.
How to help a woman with a uterine tonic
In the first and second trimester of pregnancy to suppress hyper prescribe hormones
Hormonal treatments - not only contraceptives
- Synthetic versions of progesterone (djufaston, utrozhestan), which corresponds to the chemical composition of natural progesterone, but can be used orally or in the form of vaginal suppositories, while progesterone is used only in the form of injections.
If symptoms are severe hyper and pain appear, the pregnant women are advised to comply with bed rest, sedatives (eg, infusion Leonurus) and antispasmodics (eg, vaginal suppositories
Vaginal suppositories - for contraception and treatment of inflammation
with papaverine).
If improvement does not occur, continue to carry out the treatment in the hospital, in the department of conservation of pregnancy, as conducted in this case, treatment should be under constant medical supervision. Assign resources relaxes the muscles of the uterus.
If a woman regularly attend antenatal clinics, the change in tone of the uterus to be seen in a timely manner and the woman will receive all necessary assistance.
Galina Romanenko