Should i take antihistamines when pregnant

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Send me expert insights each week in Health Essentials News. If your nose is blocked, you may find it more difficult to sleep, which can add to the other reasons for poor sleep during pregnancy. It's important you take special care with your medicines during pregnancy since some may affect your unborn baby.

One way to reduce your need for hay fever medicines, while keeping your baby safe, is to try to avoid any known triggers or allergens. This can be a challenge if you do not know what you are allergic to. There are allergy medicines that are safe for you to take while you are pregnant, including some - but not all - antihistamine tablets and syrups, eye drops and nasal sprays, including corticosteroids and decongestants.

Your pharmacist or doctor can advise you on what medicines you can take while pregnant to help with your hay fever symptoms while minimising the risk to your baby. While people with allergies cannot prevent the condition, they can try to avoid or reduce exposure to allergens or triggers.

Pollen is a common allergen in Australia, and can be hard to avoid, but to minimise your exposure you could try to:. Symptoms of hay fever are similar to those of the common cold , but unlike a cold, hay fever is not caused by an infection and it is not contagious.

Another common condition in pregnancy is pregnancy rhinitis. Symptoms are very similar to allergic rhinitis but are not associated with an allergic trigger. People with allergies are also more likely to have asthma. While around 8 in every 10 people with asthma also have allergies, not everyone with allergies has asthma. Symptoms of asthma include wheezing when breathing out including after exercise , a persistent cough especially at night , shortness of breath.

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. It can affect children and adults. Hay fever is a common allergy, also known as allergic rhinitis, that can also trigger asthma flare-ups. Read more on Asthma Australia website. Plant pollen is well known as a trigger for seasonal allergic rhinitis hay fever and seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. Read more on National Asthma Council Australia website.

Allergen Immunotherapy AIT has been used for over years and is a proven treatment providing long-term relief for hay fever. Read more on Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia website. Allergic rhinitis hay fever is one of the most common allergic conditions affecting 1 in 5 people in Australia.

ASCIA promotes and advances the study and knowledge of immune and allergic diseases, including asthma. Rhinitis means inflammation of the lining of the nose. Allergic rhinitis means that this inflammation is caused by an allergy. This information is designed as an educational aid for the public. It offers current information and opinions related to women's health. It is not intended as a statement of the standard of care. It does not explain all of the proper treatments or methods of care.

It is not a substitute for the advice of a physician. Ask ACOG.