During pregnancy, some women may experience increased sensitivity to hay fever and other allergies. These conditions may cause discomfort such as a stuffy nose, sneezing, and lack of sleep, but they do not harm the mother or the baby. Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is a common condition in Australia, affecting about 1 in 5 people.
Hay fever Symptoms During Pregnancy
The symptoms include an itchy, runny or blocked nose, sneezing, and itchy or watery eyes. Hay fever is not always caused by hay and does not cause a fever. The triggers of hay fever, known as allergens, may include pollens from trees, grasses, weeds, fungi, or moulds. If symptoms occur year-round, the triggers may include common household allergens such as dust mites, cockroaches, animal dander, fungi, or moulds.
Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy may cause increased sensitivity to allergy triggers. If you have unexplained breathing problems, seek medical advice immediately.
To manage hay fever while pregnant, it is important to take special care with medicines and to try to avoid allergens. Your doctor may refer you to an allergy clinic to help identify the triggers. There are allergy medicines that are safe to take while pregnant, including some antihistamine tablets and syrups, eye drops, and nasal sprays. See our post here for information on safe medicines and other ways to combat hay fever during pregnancy.
How To Prevent Hay fever While Pregnant
To prevent allergies, people with allergies can try to avoid or reduce exposure to allergens or triggers. Symptoms of hay fever are similar to those of the common cold, but hay fever is not contagious and not caused by an infection.
Another common condition in pregnancy is pregnancy rhinitis, which has similar symptoms but is not associated with allergies.