Experiencing numbness in fingers during pregnancy is associated more often due to hormonal changes and physical stress. We shall explain to you the most probable causes in more detail, in this article. Read on…
Your body undergoes a series of changes when you are pregnant. With the passing days, it becomes stressful for you to carry the weight of your baby, and with this, experiencing numbness in different body parts, especially in the fingers is more likely to happen. The condition is more common among working women, who spend a substantial amount of time with computers and keyboards. Typing continuously has a direct effect on the circulation of blood, that further causes a tingling sensation in the nerves.
What Causes Numbness in Fingers During Pregnancy?
The reasons behind numbness ranges from hormonal imbalances to physical stress. You might experience intermittent numbness, accompanied by tingling, or the numbness could last long. Heaviness in the arms, pain in the wrists, are some other symptoms associated with it. The most common reasons are:
Water Retention
Water retention generally takes place in the feet and ankles. This might spread to the fingers due to excessive pressure exerted by your womb on the pelvic blood vessels. The pressure of blood forces water to seep from the capillaries, that gets accumulated in the hands and feet. When water retention takes place in the hands and fingers, you will sense heaviness and numbness in the affected areas. Your fingers will swell and look puffy. This condition is medically termed as edema. In such circumstances, you should move your hands and stretch your wrists as much as possible, so that the accumulated water gets dispersed in your body.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
One of the most common causes is carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve, extending from the forearm to the hand, gets compressed at your wrist. This is more evident when you type in a wrong posture, and the position of your wrist puts stress on your arms. Squeezing of the median nerve causes disturbances in the movement of the fingers and wrists, because the median nerve controls impulses sent from the muscles present in your hand. You will perceive a pinching sensation first in your fingers, that will gradually spread to the wrists. The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome become severe, if not treated early.
Pre-Eclampsia
Numbness in the fingers is an indication of pre-eclampsia. It’s marked by the presence of protein in the urine, and elevated blood pressure. It’s a condition that needs an immediate medical checkup. Pre-eclampsia is normally observed during the third trimester, when your baby has grown considerably big. Apart from feeling numbness in the fingers and wrists, you will also experience heaviness in your body. Women who have a prior history of diabetes, renal disorders, or those who are carrying twins, are more vulnerable to this. Abdominal pain, hypertension, fatigue and headaches, are some other symptoms of pre-eclampsia.
Other Reasons
- Pressure exerted on the spine due to expansion of the baby might also cause tingling in the fingers.
- Change in hormones during your gestation period is one of the prime reasons behind numbness in the hands, wrists and fingers.
- Relaxin hormone secreted during pregnancy brings about relaxation in the joints that might cause pinching in the nerves of the fingers.
- If you are pregnant during an extreme winter, then your fingers and hands will frequently become numb. Frost bite, twitching in the nerves, paleness in the hands and fingers, are common during winters.
- If you have suffered from Raynaud’s Disease earlier, then you are more prone to feel numbness in fingers during pregnancy. Blood circulation in the fingers is hampered, which causes numbness.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Diseases like carpal tunnel syndrome, pre-eclampsia and Raynaud’s syndrome, require substantial medical treatment. Doctors will prescribe you medicines that will gradually relieve you from the discomfort. You can simultaneously carry out wrist exercises, that will include coordinated movement of the fingers. This way, blood circulation will be regulated and flexibility of your hands and wrists will be increased. Apart from these, you must keep yourself away from stress and tension. Soak your fingers in warm saline water at least twice a day, especially during the winters, to get rid of the numbness. With proper treatment, the symptoms will gradually disappear and you will experience a healthy pregnancy. No worries!