When trying for a baby, any unusual symptom seems like it is pointing to early pregnancy. And then the frenzy of Internet research starts. The search goes something like this: Is sore throat one of the early pregnancy symptoms?
A sore throat is not necessarily a symptom of pregnancy but may be due to a throat infection. Heartburn and throat pain may be common pregnancy symptoms due to nausea. Weird right? But they can be relieved by keeping high hydration, gargling, and minimizing caffeine intake during pregnancy.
What Are the Weird/Uncommon Early Signs of Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is full of weird and uncommon symptoms that vary among pregnant women. This happens due to differences in physical condition, especially pregnancy hormones. A sore throat is also one such symptom, but do you know how weird the other symptoms are? See for yourself.
Missed Period
This might not be one of the weird symptoms of pregnancy but is one of the most crucial things to happen when you become pregnant. It is a clear indication of pregnancy. After this, all you need is a report from your doctor or a positive sign on that pregnancy stick.
The weird thing is that the early pregnancy symptoms are very much like period symptoms. They include cramps, nausea, and raging hormones with mood swings. This happens to the extent that you feel your period is late, but surprise, surprise, you may be pregnant!
Dry Metallic Taste in Mouth
This is simply as crazy as it sounds. Why would I feel metal in my mouth? Your mind wonders. But if you still haven’t discovered that you are pregnant, this is your signal. The peculiar metallic taste lingering in the mouth is considered an early pregnancy sign that some expectant moms experience. You try to eat different things to change the flavor and increase your hydration game, but despite everything, your mouth feels like dry metal.
As strange as it is, it affects you negatively when you can’t eat anything without getting a bad taste in your mouth. Even your favorite dishes will become something you don’t look forward to. Doctors term this situation dysgeusia and deem estrogen as the reason behind it. This hormone is related to food tastes and cravings. In pregnancy, these hormones go wild, and as a result, you get all sorts of tastes in your mouth.
Fortunately, once the first terrible months of nausea, bad taste, and general sickness is over, you will be able to eat and enjoy all foods without tasting metal.
Headaches
With great responsibility for pregnancy comes great headaches. You may only be sitting down for a while, and your head will explode. This has mostly to do with hormones if you aren’t a patient with migraines already.
If you have been facing persistent headaches for quite some time, like a week or so, it’s time to get your pregnancy test kit out!
Pungent, Irritating Smells
While pregnancy gives you weird cravings and tastes, it also gives you terrible aromas. That’s right. You will experience strange smells around you. Even the things that you like the most will make you feel nauseous. If you are strangely experiencing burnt aromas around yourself without any actual fire, take a pregnancy test!
A heightened sense of smell is also a side effect of heightened hormones. Multiple other theories exist for this, but all in all, this is one of the crazy pregnancy symptoms.
Morning Sickness
This is also a widespread symptom of early pregnancy. It visibly points toward pregnancy. Therefore, it is weird but only in the way that it operates. What is that? It cleanses your entire system of toxins or foreign objects that harm your pregnancy.
Diarrhea also works like this. It empties your stomach, so no toxin is left behind to hurt your health.
Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain is common among early pregnancy signs. It even spreads to your vaginal or rectal area, depending on your condition, and gives you the feeling of period cramps. So if anything like this appears and your period doesn’t show up, take a pregnancy test to confirm your suspicions.
Other than these symptoms, numerous varied symptoms have been reported by pregnant moms. That’s a long list and may or may not occur in different parts of the world.
Is it Normal to Have Sore Throat Throughout Pregnancy?
You can expect anything during pregnancy. Therefore, a sore throat does sound very normal. But more importantly, women become extremely vulnerable to infections. The body’s immunity keeps on flipping due to a high increase in hormonal levels and the reaction of the new hormones to any new virus entering your body.
In addition, the body’s immunity is also lowered so that the newly attached embryo can thrive and grow without being attacked by the immune system as a foreign invader. While this helps fetus development, the downside is that you become exposed to infections, bacteria, and viruses. So getting a cold, catching a viral or bacterial infection, or having sore throats become normal. Even if minor nasal congestion occurs, you will feel the full effects of a sore throat.
Can I Have Breathing Difficulties Due to a Sore Throat?
You will not experience sore throat separately but with a combination of multiple other problems, including chest congestion. If the congestion has crossed a certain limit, you will experience breathing difficulties.
At times, the mucous becomes so much that it spreads all over our sinuses. Your nose closes, and your throat becomes dry and parched, which hurts with every breath. This makes breathing very hard.
How to Prevent a Sore Throat When Pregnant?
Strep throat in pregnancy can be avoided just as it can be avoided regularly. You need to be vigilant of bacterial infections, but you can definitely, overcome them if you follow a few smart tricks
Wash Hands
Wash your hands regularly, multiple times a day. Remember, germs, bacteria and viruses are invisible, and most of the time, they get into your body through your hands. So wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap for at least half a minute. If you are not careful all around the clock, at least make it a habit to cleanse your hands after using the toilet, after sneezing or coughing, and especially before you eat.
If you are coughing or sneezing into your tissue, throw it away and wash or sanitize your hands even after that, just to be on the safe side.
Avoid Touching
If you feel early symptoms of sore throat or an infection, you need to keep your hands under control. Not only shouldn’t you touch other people for fear of infecting them, but you should also try not to touch your face, nose, eyes, and even mouth. This way, bacteria can attack you and make you sick by getting inside your body. You must also try not to touch public items like a pay phone and minimize your interaction with anyone showing symptoms of an infection.
You should also keep your food and utensils away from people so no carrier can infect you. You may appear as a germophobe, but you have to prioritize your health, and this is the only way.
Sanitize and Disinfect
You should always keep a bottle of alcohol-based sanitizer with you. In case you are going to an event where there might be a lot of interaction with people, carry the sanitizer with you, and you can sanitize yourself every few minutes to keep strep bacteria at bay.
Similarly, you need to disinfect any objects that you are using regularly. This ranges from your phone to your doorknob and even beyond, especially if you share your personal space with an outsider.
You may appear a germophobe, but all of this is necessary for disease control.
Do I Need a Medicine to Prevent Sore Throat?
You don’t need medication unless you are undergoing viral infections. In such a case, you must seek medical care before it endangers your health or your baby’s. You can do the following few things, and you are better off without any meds.
Don’t Underestimate Gargles
This should be your go-to move. Gargles are one of the most effective ways to get rid of a sore throat. If you have nothing, you can simply gargle using warm or lukewarm water, according to your preference. But the best way to gargle is using salt.
Salt has multiple antiseptic properties that can help heal the itchiness of your throat. Just add a bit of salt to warm water. Mix and gargle for a few minutes. Repeat this twice a day, and you will see results in a few days.
You can add other beneficial items to your water, such as apple cider vinegar, turmeric, or hot pepper. But you must monitor the quantity of these items carefully to avoid a coughing episode. Turmeric can be added in little amounts. It acts best as an anti-oxidant and reduces any inflammation occurring in your throat.
Apple cider can combat any bacteria and viruses persisting in your throat and soothe your throat pain. Just add a teaspoon of it to warm water, and you will experience the healing effects yourself.
Similarly, you can use hot pepper or even tomatoes for gargles, as both are anti-inflammatory and can considerably reduce the pain and irritation inside your throat. Just make sure you do not use more than half a cup, as it will be used without water.
Home Humidifier
A homemade humidifier or steam can prove extremely helpful if taken regularly. It helps in reducing chest congestion and allows you to breathe freely. Just try to keep your sinuses moist and allow that moisture to float inside you so that you don’t feel irritation in your throat or nasal area.
In addition to these tricks, taking lots of fluids to overcome dehydration and weakness helps with facilitating mucous excretion and removes any additional symptoms of a cold.
At What Stage Does Sore Throat Become a Threat?
You don’t need medical help for a sore throat during pregnancy unless it persists or worsens. Sore throat itself is not a threat, but as a pregnant mom, you need a lot of extra care, and seeking medical advice in such a case is part of that.
Keep an eye on symptoms like fever, chills, tenderness in the lymph nodes, and extreme cough, be it with mucous or dryness. If these symptoms accompany a sore throat, it is definitely a case of bacterial infection that needs to be treated immediately. Normally, you need antibiotics, but during pregnancy, you need to be sure which antibiotics are safe for you and your baby. Only your doctor can decide that.
Be extra cautious so as not to catch a cold or infection, as your and your baby’s health must be the priority. In case you do catch an infection, try to avoid over-the-counter medicines.
Quick Review!
You can expect anything in pregnancy symptoms, so be ready for what comes your way. Even if it is something as common as a sore throat, you will experience other important symptoms that make you realize that you are heavily pregnant and about to get a positive pregnancy test. All you need to do is check.
From pungent smells to metallic tastes, you will get a package of varied symptoms. Sore throat appears but is due to lower body immunity during pregnancy. If it persists, you may want to get some medical help.
You can try multiple safe medications like Tylenol and Benadryl, but take preventive measures to avoid catching the flu. Even if you do, try natural remedies to heal your sore throat in no time. If, after everything, the sickness persists, call your doctor and seek his advice.
