Pregnancy may represent something genuinely happy and exciting, but pregnancy itself can be very stressful. Your body goes through considerable hormonal changes. You feel aches and pains you never felt before. You have to worry about your own health, worry about the health of the fetus, and worry about how you're going to live your life once you bring a baby into this world.
Pregnancy may also increase your risk of developing anxiety attacks, and when you're pregnant these attacks can be an incredible challenge. This article explores the relationship between pregnancy and panic attacks and suggests possible treatment options.
The Health of Anxiety Attacks
Any time you experience some of the stresses of an anxiety attack, it's never a bad idea to visit a doctor just in case. Pregnancy does have many complications, and it can often be hard to tell the difference between an anxiety attack and something more serious.
What is an Anxiety Attack
Anxiety attacks are extremely stressful events - especially for pregnant women. Often referred to as "panic attacks," anxiety attacks are moments of intense anxiety that manifest in physical symptoms. During an anxiety attack, you're likely to experience:
- Rapid heartbeat.
- Lightheadedness or feeling faint.
- Chest pains.
- Leg and muscle weakness or tingling.
- Trouble thinking.
- Shortness of breath.
- Dizziness.
These are the same symptoms that anyone with an anxiety attack experiences, regardless of pregnancy. What tends to cause more problems is the feeling of doom. During an anxiety attack (which usually peaks about 10 minutes in), there is often this incredibly intense feeling of doom, usually about your health. That's why so many of those with anxiety attacks end up visiting a doctor.
When you are pregnant, your concerns about the health of the child can increase the effects of your anxiety attack dramatically, because now you're worrying about the health of two, not just your own.
That's why anxiety attacks represent such a serious issue for those that are pregnant. That level of anxiety can be devastating and make your quality of life worse, and since doctors recommend trying to be as stress-free as possible when you're with child, controlling your anxiety attacks becomes very important.
