When a woman is pregnant, getting a sharp pain in the legs, especially in the calf muscles is very common. Hormones are the most probable cause for this pain. However, apart from these, there can be some other factors responsible for these nightly occurrences.
There is no definitive cause of why women get leg cramps during pregnancy. However, it is believed that hormones might be responsible for this. There are some other causes as well, including the expansion of blood vessels in the lower part of the body and increased weight on leg muscles.
Most of the pains and aches associated with pregnancy can be easily resolved by just resting during the night. But, leg cramps don’t go away that easily. During the day, some women get leg cramps up and down their calf muscles. During the night, due to fluid retention and strain, the leg cramp can get worse. The leg cramp is at its worst in the third trimester as there is more swelling in the lower part of the body.
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To ease some pain from the leg cramp, you need to try to keep your legs and feet from profusely swelling. For preventing fluid retention in the lower half of the body, you must sit for 15 minutes every hour and prop the feet above your heart. Also, you can prevent leg cramps and improve overall health.
In some cases of women, leg cramps have gotten worse due to the decrease in the levels of calcium and magnesium. Prenatal vitamins can help but you need to include calcium and magnesium in your diet.
