Low Potassium during pregnancy

Have you been tester for Primary Hyperaldoseronism?

Symptoms of Low Potassium

Potassium shortage in pregnancy can cause fatigue, muscle cramps, abnormal heart rhythms, constipation and weakness. According to the American Pregnancy Association, low potassium during pregnancy can result in swelling, also called edema. Swelling is most conspicuous in the third trimester. If you experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately to determine the level of potassium in your blood.

 

Causes of Low Potassium

A potassium deficiency during your pregnancy seldom arises from a shortage in your diet, says BabyCenter; rather, low potassium levels are usually the outcome of long-term or severe diarrhea and vomiting or the use of diuretics -- medicines that aid the elimination of extra fluid from your body. If you are having three watery bowel movements a day, make sure to keep yourself hydrated, advises the American Pregnancy Association. While diarrhea is rarely dangerous, you should not take it too lightly, especially when you are pregnant. Mild to moderate nausea along with occasional vomiting won't affect your baby's health, but severe and prolonged vomiting has been associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, says BabyCenter.

It also happens to me last 2013 with 2nd baby and I'm in my third trimester.. it's 1st level hyphochalymic paralysis.. I've been in the hospital for a week and I also experience the same thing with yours, my doctor said it's also hereditary..and I'm scared again cos I'm in my 3rd baby which I'm is in third trimester.. hopefully It won't happen it again

4 years ago I was pregnant with my son. In my 3 trimester I started to have problems with my BP and ended up having an emergancy c-section because of it. The day after my son was born i started to get weak, and couldn't really move my neck or walk. They still released me a few days later. Once i came home, I couldn't walk, or shower. My husband had to bathe me and then i was rushed back to the hospital. My BP was at stroke level, and found out that my potassium was very low. They gave me an IV of potassium and my BP went down and i was able to walk out of the hospital and home to hold me baby finally. They tried weening me off potassium pills and started to get weak and BP up again. Finally sent me to see a kidney specialist and found out i have Renal Indiffecency/Low Potassium. Now I take a water pill that helps my BP and regulate my potassium, and see the dr every 6 months for blood work. Will have to do the rest of my life. Now sure how my pregnancy did this.

I had the exact same thing happen to me that Melissa did. Funny thing they didn't discover mine til delivery and then they discharged me from the hospital without saying a word to me. 4 nights later I ended up back in the hospital with my potassium so low they said I should've died. I went to a kidney specialist who swore my renal gland was failing and did a bunch of test confident that I would have to have surgery to get it removed. Luckily everything came back normal but then she was really stumped. 12 weeks postpartum everything went back to normal. All the doctors involved in my care said it had to have something to do with all the extra hormones since it went back to normal once they were all cleared from my body. Who knows if that is true but I haven't had a problem since. It's been almost 4 years - I'm now pregnant with my 3rd at 32 weeks and haven't had any problems yet so hopefully I will be ok. Good luck ladies!

I'm in the hospital right now being pregnant with low potassium. only because it was mainly caused from dehydration. Pregnant people tend to dehydrate easier causing you to lose the potassium. drink lots of fluids during your pregnancy hope this helps.

This happened to me, at my 36 week apt I went in my bp was stroke level. They sent me to hospital where they found out my potassium was 1.8. I received iv and oral potassium. I saw in some comments it was from dehydration, I know mine couldn't be from that I drank so much water every day. I was at the point that I thought I drank to much water. I was in the hospital for 4 days, then all of a sudden my bp went back up. In the middle of the night I started hemoraging and was taken into emergency c-section. My placenta abrupted. My son and I made it out fine, but to this day I have no clue why my potassium dropped then my placenta abruption. I was tested for preclampia but it was negative.

My daughter in law has had the same issue both pregnancies doctors have no clue her potassium levels are fine until her third trimester and until after she delivers

My goddaughter is currently hospitalized in a California hospital during pregnancy with hypotension 80/33 accompanied by hypokalemia but without potassium excretion in her urine, and refractory to large doses of IV potassium. Without nausea or vomiting. Any data bases for this syndrome or contact info.

My daughter has been up to hospital twice now for this. Baby is fine so far but potassium is very low and BP keeps going up. Ugh still no answers

Vomitting diarrhea dehydration can cause to loose potassium. Also many medication leech from body like steroids antibiotics such as amoxicillin clarithromycin z pack fluroquinines also steroids diuretics. Low magnesium could affect potassium. Hormones can affect potassium too so it could be to do with that. Yous could have been running low before pregnancy then bottomed out during. Antibiotics leeches potassium from the cells. It's a horrible condition due to repeated infections Iv been constantly dealing with low k. I almost died from low k because they didn't think it was that low at 3.4 I collapsed in paralysis. Then my bloods kept coming out falsely elevated when really I'd no potassium in stores at all. My legs were bruised from cramping weak heart could barely walk hurt like he'll everywhere I was as close to dead I knew I must be so low on something. I should have been intravenously but no one recognized the error in the bloods . After only 5 supplements my bloods potassium shot up ten points which is impossible n no doc copped this on. I suffered profoundly n was written off as mad. I continued to get worse n was bedridden in my brothers for a month before a nurse rang to say my potassium was a little bit low. I knew this was why I was sick as soon as I started potassium I felt better no more heart palps or excess thirst. I later learned some ppl are empty at only 3.4 levels n that ppl with metabolic issues or too acid blood can falsely raise serum k levels n that's why . It was the most horrific experience of my life! N here I am still dealing with it but now I know how to manage it n recognize symptoms. Eveeytime I get sick it's always a hidden illness hard to see or something. It takes months to build it back up! Iv can get a lot more in but Iv had to deal with it all myself coz no doc knows that much about it. I wish my k had not been falsely elevated n just got the treatment but I didn't. Also whenever I take potassium chloride my blood levels still raise a lot Iv to be off supplements for at least 3 days for overall body store level.I know everything about potassium now.

Bulimia and anorexia is truly killing all of us

Autism could have been caused because of the low potassium from the mother (her deficiency). It's just not studied enough, but is widely known the electrolyte balance is important for fetal development.