Why is magnesium taken during pregnancy? Magnesia during pregnancy: what is important for expectant mothers to know? Why is an IV better?

While carrying a child, a woman can face various threats: premature birth, late toxicosis, placental abruption. All pathological cases must be eliminated urgently, which is why a magnesium drip is given during pregnancy.

This drug is prescribed in a hospital setting to preserve the life of the baby and maintain normal intrauterine development. Magnesia is prescribed during pregnancy at any stage according to the doctor’s indications; the course of treatment should last no more than 7 days.

Magnesia - properties of the drug

Magnesia or Epsom salt is a powder of sodium sulfate, which is used for the preparation of suspensions or intravenous injections. This drug is used in the treatment of gynecological, urological, neurological and gastroentorological problems. Depending on the concentration of magnesium sulfate, it affects the human body differently.

Most often, treatment with magnesium is prescribed as an intravenous drip, because intravenously it can immediately inhibit the passage of nerve impulses: the tone of the uterus decreases, and convulsions stop. When the drug is administered intramuscularly, the painful condition disappears after 40 minutes. However, such therapy during the last months of pregnancy or before delivery may weaken labor activity.

Why is a magnesium drip prescribed during pregnancy?

Magnesium droppers are used during pregnancy to treat and prevent many complications associated with pregnancy. The action of the active substance of the drug can have the following positive effect:

dilates blood vessels, prevention or treatment of thrombophlebitis;
normalizes blood pressure, eliminates hypertensive crisis;
relieves uterine tone during pregnancy;
relaxes muscles, removing excess calcium from the body;
has sedative properties;
eliminates seizures;
improves overall well-being, eliminates drowsiness and fatigue;
replenishes magnesium deficiency;
prevention of fetal development delay due to abruption or lack of oxygen;
eliminates gestosis, has a diuretic effect;
promotes the removal of heavy metals from the body.

Magnesia is also prescribed in the form of a suspension to relieve constipation and metabolism. Intramuscular administration can eliminate many gynecological problems, infections, inflammation of the appendages and ovaries. If the gallbladder or bile ducts are inflamed, pregnant women are given magnesium sulfate intravenously.

Directions for use during pregnancy and dosage

Therapy for treating pathological pregnancy is carried out in different ways. Depending on the duration, nature of the problem and the degree of its severity, the following is prescribed:

Administration intravenously. Most often, magnesium is administered during pregnancy using a dropper. Indications for use: to eliminate cramps, tone the uterus, lower blood pressure, and with oxygen starvation of the fetus. Depending on the patient’s condition, the solution is administered from 5 to 20 ml twice a day.
Administration intramuscularly. Magnesium injections are very painful and are prescribed only in cases of mild uterine tone or high blood pressure. The effect of using the drug occurs half an hour after administration of the drug. A 10 cc syringe with a 25% solution is injected every 4 hours.
Use of the suspension. Powder dissolved in water has a laxative and choleretic effect. This method of administration is safe for the health of the fetus, since magnesium does not penetrate into the blood. Overdose is impossible. To use, you need to dilute 10-30 grams of powder in water and drink half an hour before meals.
Electrophoresis with magnesium solution. This method of physiotherapy is prescribed in cases of thrombophlebitis, gestosis, frequent seizures and epilepsy.

Is magnesia safe?

Drug therapy sometimes causes side effects, especially in cases of self-medication. Therefore, the dosage and course of treatment are prescribed based on the general condition of the patient. It has been proven that the use of the drug can have a detrimental effect on the development of the baby. With the rapid introduction of magnesium into the body, disruption of the woman’s respiratory center and oxygen starvation of the fetus may develop.

Impact on the fetus and the course of labor

Use of the drug during the last trimester may affect labor. In the worst case scenario, a woman's water may not break or her cervix may not dilate. Also, this drug is contraindicated in the first trimester, in the presence of hypotension. In other cases, the effect of a magnesium dropper on the course of labor is favorable.

In the case of a long course or increasing dosage, the possible consequences for the health of the fetus are described:

fetal hypoxia;
hypocalcemia, congenital rickets;
birth injuries to the fetus, bone fractures;
decreased blood flow.

If magnesium sulfate is taken shortly before birth, the newborn may experience an excess of this element. The combination of gentamicin and magnesium can lead to depressed breathing in the baby.

Side effects and overdose

There are no side effects of the drug administered intravenously under medical supervision. However, the reaction of a pregnant woman's body to magnesium sulfate is unpredictable. The most common complications from the use of magnesia:

lowering blood pressure;
headaches, weakness, drowsiness, dizziness;
nausea, diarrhea;
distraction;
sweating, increased thirst;
slurred speech, lack of coordination;
increased anxiety, panic attacks;
respiratory failure, pulmonary edema;
arrhythmia.

There may also be a drug-like dependence on the drug: the activity of the respiratory center of the woman and fetus is disrupted, the drug affects the brain. If these symptoms are present, the course of treatment with magnesium is stopped or the dose of the administered drug is reduced.

Is it possible to refuse a magnesium drip?

Many women with a pathological course of pregnancy, and especially with the threat of miscarriage, are given a referral to the pathology department.

When a doctor prescribes a magnesium drip, it is recommended to ask him about possible side effects and the negative impact of the drug on the fetus. If a woman does not want to endanger her unborn child, she has the right to refuse treatment. However, the doctor does not take responsibility for the consequences of lack of therapy.

Contraindications during pregnancy

Despite the popularity of treatment using magnesia, such therapy has contraindications:

individual intolerance, allergy to magnesium sulfate;
calcium deficiency in the body;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
respiratory dysfunction;
arterial hypertension, hypotension, bradycardia;
prenatal period, breastfeeding;
kidney and liver problems;
oncological diseases;
myasthenia gravis.

To avoid the consequences of therapy and not to provoke complications of existing diseases with treatment, the doctor examines and interviews the patient, takes general blood and urine tests. Be sure to take into account all the risks for the baby and the expectant mother from using a dropper with magnesium.

When a pregnant woman is admitted to hospital treatment, she is almost always prescribed magnesium drips. This is a universal medicine that has a positive effect on many health conditions. Doctors' confidence in the safety of the drug is based on many years of experience in treating women with magnesium sulfate. Side effects from treatment are rare, and overdose almost never happens.

The occurrence of problems during pregnancy entails long-term treatment. The most common drug used by doctors to maintain the health of mother and child is Magnesia. But many expectant mothers are worried that it will not harm the baby. In what cases is Magnesia used during pregnancy, and how does it work?

Magnesia dropper during pregnancy - is it possible?

The purpose of such a dropper is to eliminate complications and miscarriages. Why else is a Magnesium drip prescribed during pregnancy?:

normalize high blood pressure;
relax muscle muscles;
remove excess fluid from the body;
saturate with magnesium;
have a calming effect.

Intravenous magnesium during pregnancy will be indispensable if a woman often suffers from cramps, has problems with blood vessels, or edema appears. For many years in a row, all pregnant women in the hospital have been administered this drug. In some cases, only the use of magnesium sulfate will help prevent the threat of miscarriage. During the procedure, you should make sure that the doctor uses a long needle and injects the drug slowly, since if the injection is not deep enough, the skin area will die.

The most important thing is not to use the drug throughout pregnancy, as this can cause hypoxia and breathing problems in the child. The maximum period of use is 7 days.

Research has shown that magnesium sulfate causes bone problems when used over a long period of time. During childbirth, the expectant mother may damage bones or give birth to a child with skeletal problems or calcium and phosphorus deficiency. The most important thing when prescribing a Magnesia dropper is its judicious use. Therefore, the drug should not be instilled for more than 3 days. It is very important at this time to abandon additional vitamin complexes and dietary supplements, as they can only provoke the appearance of side effects.

Electrophoresis may be prescribed, especially if there is a predisposition to thrombophilitis. The powder is used only in cases of constipation, as it is ineffective. Intramuscular injections of Magnesia relax smooth muscles and relieve uterine hypertonicity. Intravenous drugs reduce the activity of substances that transmit impulses from the nervous system to peripheral nerves, which will allow seizures and lower blood pressure.

In order for the drug to show its maximum effect, it is injected intramuscularly or intravenously. There is another way to take the drug - in powder form. But it is not effective enough, since magnesium sulfate practically does not enter the blood from the intestines.

Intramuscular injections of Magnesia during pregnancy are prescribed only in the 2nd and 3rd semester, the amount of one injection should not be more than 20 ml. The drug is administered intramuscularly to avoid:

blood clot formation;
general improvement of condition;
reducing the risk of premature birth;
reducing increased uterine tone.

Such injections are very painful, so it is necessary to warm up the Magnesia before injection. In some cases, numbness or cramps may occur afterwards.

Magnesia injections are stopped when there are a couple of weeks left before giving birth. After all, it is very important that there are no side effects that could interfere with labor.

Side effects of the drug in the early stages, in the 2nd and 3rd trimester

Injections of the drug should be used only in severe cases or when particularly necessary. In the early stages, certain side effects may appear:

Nausea and vomiting. The body will try to reject the drug, so it is very important to use a small amount when first using it.
The appearance of a headache. You should not take medications that will relieve pain; it is better to wait until the effect of Magnesia wears off.
Pressure drop. In this case, it is important to immediately consult a doctor and not try to increase it yourself.
Dizziness and fatigue. Therefore, if side effects occur during pregnancy, it is important to rest and try to move less.
Diarrhea and flatulence. To prevent such symptoms from becoming too severe, it is advisable to improve your diet and eat small portions.

There will be similar side effects in the 2nd and 3rd trimester, but there may be a risk of preterm labor. In the early stages, Magnesia will be needed only in difficult situations, such as the risk of placental abruption or miscarriage. This is a very important point, since the drug penetrates very deeply and can harm the development of the child at the initial stage of pregnancy.

In the article we talk about magnesium during pregnancy. We tell you why droppers are prescribed with it in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, in which cases I give injections intravenously and intramuscularly. You will learn how the drug affects the fetus, what are the indications, contraindications and side effects, reviews.

Magnesia (magnesium sulfate, Epsom salt) is a medicinal product produced in the form of a white powder or solution. It contains only magnesium salt of sulfuric acid, there are no impurities or additional substances.

Appearance (photo) of magnesia

Due to its wide range of beneficial properties, the product is actively used in various fields of medicine: gynecology, neurology, gastroenterology, etc.

Beneficial features

Magnesia has the following medicinal properties:

relieves pain;
eliminates spasms;
dilates blood vessels;
eliminates and prevents the occurrence of seizures;
has a laxative effect;
has a positive effect on the nervous system;
eliminates swelling;
stimulates the flow of bile;
reduces uterine tone;
has an antiarrhythmic effect.

Methods of application

The healing properties on the body are manifested based on the method of application of magnesium sulfate: orally, intramuscularly, intravenously.

When used orally, the choleretic and laxative effect occurs 1.5-3 hours after taking the suspension and persists for 4-6 hours. The laxative effect occurs due to the fact that the drug promotes the flow of water into the intestinal lumen, as a result of which the stool is liquefied. As their volume increases, intestinal peristalsis begins to work more actively, which leads to defecation.

Also, the therapeutic suspension can be used for poisoning with mercury, barium salts, arsenic and lead. In these cases, it binds to toxic substances, after which it removes them out along with feces.

The use of Magnesia injections intramuscularly and intravenously has anticonvulsant, hypotonic, antiarrhythmic, vasodilating and sedative effects. High doses of the drug can have a hypnotic, narcotic and tocolytic effect.

After Magnesia is administered intramuscularly, it begins to act after an hour, and the effect lasts for 3-4 hours. When administered intravenously, the drug begins to act immediately, and the effect lasts for half an hour.

Magnesia solution is used for electrophoresis, compresses, medicinal baths, as well as local effects on damaged areas.

Release form

Magnesia is produced by many different pharmaceutical companies, but the release form comes in only a few types:

powder for preparing a suspension that is taken orally;
25% solution for intravenous and intramuscular administration in the form of ampoules of 5 or 10 ml.

What is it used for during pregnancy?

Magnesia is also actively used during pregnancy. In this case, it is used to treat preeclampsia, eclampsia, as well as in case of threat of premature birth and associated symptoms.

Late toxicosis, also known as preeclampsia, arterial hypertension and gestosis lead to the appearance of edema and the appearance. If treatment is ignored, complications may arise in the form of vision problems, placental abruption, delayed development of the child in the womb, hemorrhage in the intestines or liver, and kidney failure. And if preeclampsia turns into eclampsia, then in this case the pregnant woman may experience fainting with convulsions, pathological changes in the blood, which can lead to the death of the fetus and mother.

Magnesium droppers should not be used shortly before birth

The use of Magnesia at the first signs of pathological processes in the body of the expectant mother, such as gestosis, edema, protein in the urine or increased blood pressure, will minimize the risk of complications. That is why experts recommend that women with such ailments go to the hospital for conservation and undergo a course of treatment with magnesium sulfate.

According to Western studies, preeclampsia occurs in only 2-8% of all pregnancies. But why is it injected into pregnant women? Let's figure this out.

In Europe and the USA, drips with Magnesia are most often prescribed in the 3rd trimester as a prophylactic agent and for the treatment of preeclampsia.

In Russia, magnesium sulfate is used in the following cases:

the presence of edema - in this case the drug has a diuretic effect;
signs of gestosis: increased blood pressure, swelling, protein in the urine and convulsions (with complications);
magnesium deficiency in the body;
as a sedative;
to prevent or predispose to the development of blood clots;
as a tocolytic agent - for hypertonicity and to relax smooth muscles;
in the complex treatment of placental abruption and fetal growth retardation syndrome.

What benefits does Magnesia bring to the fetus? It protects the child’s nerve tissue, protects against cerebral palsy, has a beneficial effect on metabolism, and is an excellent prevention of low body weight in newborns.

In early pregnancy, magnesium sulfate is used as a tocolytic agent for uterine tone. However, in the 1st and 2nd trimesters, using the medicine for this purpose does not make sense due to the fact that the drug acts on smooth muscles only during its contraction, that is, during contractions. In addition, Magnesia tends to penetrate the placental barrier, as a result of which it is not advisable to use the drug in the 1st trimester, as this can harm the development of the fetus.

Sometimes pregnant women are prescribed electrophoresis with magnesium. The advantage of this technique is the possibility of delivering the substance directly to the uterus, but a significant disadvantage is the presence of contraindications, such as late toxicosis. Based on this, electrophoresis can be used as a prophylactic agent at a high risk of gestosis, but not for its direct therapy.

Treatment and dosage

As we have already written, Magnesia is used orally, administered intramuscularly or intravenously. Let's figure out in what cases and how all these methods of use are practiced:

Magnesia injections are rarely used during pregnancy due to their painful and lengthy administration - the first 3 ml are administered within three minutes. Magnesium is injected intramuscularly into expectant mothers, as a rule, only by emergency doctors if the pregnant woman’s blood pressure has increased significantly. In this case, the drug is mixed with an anesthetic.
A 25% solution of magnesium sulfate is taken orally as a choleretic and laxative.
The intravenous solution is administered slowly, from 5 to 20 ml up to two times a day. Droppers are usually used for this purpose. Rapid administration of the drug is prohibited, as it can provoke oxygen starvation of the fetus and rapid hypotension. Only a doctor can prescribe the exact dosage and duration of treatment, based on the condition of the pregnant woman. Usually the duration of therapy does not exceed 1 week.

During the administration and use of Magnesia orally, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the pregnant woman, since the more the drug is used, the higher the risk of developing side effects. While using the drug, doctors monitor the patient's cardiac and pulmonary activity, as well as her electrolyte balance, using blood and urine tests.

Interaction with other drugs

The drug can be used only as prescribed by a doctor, taking into account its interaction with other medications. Magnesia is a calcium antagonist; for this reason, calcium chloride or calcium gluconate neutralize the effect of the drug, as a result of which it is used in case of overdose. Magnesium and calcium preparations are injected into different veins.

Diuretics can cause too little or too much magnesium in the body. The drug should be used with caution in combination with medications that depress the central nervous system. In the presence of renal pathologies, magnesia is used in no more than 20 mg for 2 days.

Magnesium sulfate may cause nausea and vomiting

Contraindications

Magnesia during pregnancy brings not only benefits, but also harm. It is prohibited to use the drug in the following cases:

renal failure;
intestinal obstruction;
bradycardia;
respiratory depression;
period before childbirth;
atrioventricular block;
rectal bleeding;
dehydration.

Side effects appear as follows:

bradycardia;
decreased blood pressure;
vomit;
increased sweating;
bloating;
spastic pain;
thirst;
nausea;
arrhythmia;
asthenia;
feeling of anxiety;
stomach upset;
polyuria;
decrease in body temperature;
CNS depression;
flushing of the face;
asthenia.

Side effects may also affect the child:

A newborn may experience symptoms of magnesium poisoning, which include difficulty breathing and neuromuscular depression. This happens when intravenous drips are used in a pregnant woman shortly before giving birth.
When prenatally acquired magnesium sulfate is combined with the antibiotic gentamicin, which is administered after birth and passes into breast milk, respiratory depression may occur in the newborn.
Prolonged intravenous administration can cause persistent hypocalcemia and congenital rickets in the fetus.

Content

Why is Magnesia sometimes prescribed to a pregnant woman? This happens if problems begin with the health of the expectant mother or the condition of the fetus in the womb. The use of magnesium during pregnancy regulates, reduces the tone of the uterus, relaxes muscles, prevents the development of complications, miscarriage, and the risk of premature birth.

Why do you need magnesium sulfate during pregnancy?

Magnesium sulfate has a huge range of action; its beneficial qualities help doctors provide assistance to expectant mothers for the treatment of various pathologies. It has hypotensive, antispasmodic, anticonvulsant properties, pacifies arrhythmia, dilates blood vessels, soothes, acts as a laxative, choleretic and tocolytic agent. Magnesia stabilizes the condition of a woman’s body, relieves cramps, relaxes the muscles of the uterus, prevents the threat of miscarriage, and lowers blood pressure.

Magnesia for pregnant women in powder form

Epsom salt used to be a white powder that has been used to treat seizures for over a hundred years. A bitter suspension is prepared from it; it acts as a choleretic agent and a strong laxative. The urge to defecate occurs frequently, several times in a short time, they are dangerous for a pregnant woman, as they can cause an increase in the tone of the uterus and provoke contractions. To avoid the threat of miscarriage, magnesia powder is rarely prescribed to pregnant women, only as directed and under the supervision of a gynecologist.

Electrophoresis with Magnesia during pregnancy

Pregnancy dictates the rules for the treatment and prevention of painful conditions of the expectant mother. Physiotherapy is a safe, gentle, effective method. Under the influence of a low-power electric current, particles of the medicinal substance penetrate deeply through the pores of the skin or mucous membranes, accumulate and are delivered to the desired organ. The load and impact on the body of a pregnant patient is minimal - this is a big advantage of electrophoresis. Even with the introduction of small doses of drugs, a long-lasting therapeutic effect is achieved.

Magnesia intravenously during pregnancy

Sometimes gentle treatment methods are not enough, then you have to move on to injections: intramuscular and intravenous. Magnesia is not recommended in the early stages of pregnancy; it is replaced by Papaverine and No-shpa. In the 2nd and 3rd trimester, magnesium sulfate solution is allowed, so hospitals and antenatal clinics use injections. The concentration and amount of the drug depends on the health of the woman and the condition of the fetus in her womb. Intramuscular injections of Magnesia are painful, so doctors often resort to intravenous administration of the medicine.

A solution of magnesium from an ampoule can be administered undiluted, but more often it is diluted with a solution of sodium chloride or 5% glucose. As a rule, 20 ml of 25% magnesium sulfate is injected into a vein once - this is the most common dose. How many times injections with Magnesia are given depends on the diagnosis and condition of the woman. For example, if a patient has the first degree of nephropathy, the medicine is injected 2 times a day, for the second degree - 4 times a day.

For manipulation, a long needle is used, the medicine must be heated. Despite the ease of administration, complications are possible: an inflammatory process may develop at the injection site. Therefore, such a procedure cannot be performed at home: it must be done by a professional in a medical institution. Magnesia is administered slowly, otherwise the patient will experience pain, weakness, fever, and dizziness. Pulse and blood pressure should be monitored at the end of the procedure.

Why is Magnesia given to pregnant women?

One of the safe and effective ways to use Magnesia during pregnancy is through droppers. They are used to prevent possible complications during pregnancy and maintain the overall tone of the body. How long the process of drip infusion of the drug lasts and how often the procedure is performed depends on the patient’s condition. In any case, the decision is made by the doctor, strictly individually. During pregnancy, magnesium is not injected intravenously very quickly - this makes it easier for the patient to tolerate this manipulation.

Indications for drip

Why is Magnesia given to pregnant women? The indications are as follows:

there is excess fluid in the body, there is swelling on the body;
increased blood pressure;
there is a predisposition to thrombophlebitis or the disease has already been diagnosed;
gestosis (late toxicosis);
the presence of convulsive attacks, epileptic syndrome;
increased tone of the smooth muscles of the uterus;
lack of magnesium in the body;
poor general health, weakness, insomnia, irritability;
suspicion of the possibility of placental abruption and fetal growth restriction syndrome.

In what cases is Magnesia contraindicated for pregnant women?

Despite all the benefits of the drug, it is necessary to say about contraindications for its use:

An overdose of magnesium is dangerous; it can lead to respiratory problems.
Magnesia during pregnancy is contraindicated for low blood pressure; it can lead to weakness, drowsiness, headache, vomiting, sweating, anxiety, and speech disorders.
Magnesium sulfate is incompatible with calcium supplements, is not used in the early stages of pregnancy, and is discontinued in the prenatal state.

Side effects of magnesium sulfate

Despite all the undoubted benefits, the use of magnesium sulfate can lead to side effects. These are headache, anxiety, increased fatigue, weakness, sweating, dizziness, nausea, an increase in the amount of urine that occurs as a result of rapid intramuscular or intravenous administration of the drug, exacerbation of inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, thirst, flatulence, stomach cramps, respiratory failure and pulmonary edema.

How to make a drip with Magnesia during pregnancy

Magnesia droppers may cause discomfort as a burning sensation is felt during administration. Magnesia must be administered slowly, the pregnant woman must be in a horizontal position, sudden body movements can cause dizziness and nausea. It is very important to strictly adhere to the dosage prescribed by the doctor and frequency of administration. With rapid administration of the drug, fever occurs, breathing becomes more frequent, and heart failure occurs. How long a pregnant woman is given magnesium drops depends on the severity of the disease.

Most pregnant women are very wary of any medications that the doctor prescribes, trying to protect the unborn baby from their effects. A negative attitude towards pharmaceutical products is quite justified, since almost any box of pills contains a warning about a possible risk to the fetus or a lack of information about the effect of the medicine on the course of pregnancy. This is why many expectant mothers are distrustful even of prescribing magnesia injections during pregnancy for serious reasons.

Magnesium sulfate in the form of a medicinal solution has been successfully used in obstetrics for several decades. Despite this, magnesium injections during pregnancy are not suitable for everyone, so they are prescribed by doctors with extreme caution. Let's consider what effect the drug has, as well as the main indications for magnesium injections during pregnancy.

Magnesium sulfate for pregnant women: a cure for all ailments?

As early as the early 20th century, magnesia was used as a treatment for seizures. Later, magnesium sulfate injections began to be prescribed during pregnancy, since the drug had an excellent tocolytic effect, that is, it was able to relax muscles and reduce the tone of the uterus when there was a threat of premature birth. In addition, intravenous administration of magnesium in modern medicine is one of the primary actions in the development of severe preeclampsia and hypertensive crisis, as it helps lower blood pressure by normalizing the tone of arterial vessels.

IMPORTANT! In obstetrics, intramuscular injections of magnesium sulfate solution are practically not used, due to the pain and inconvenience of administering the drug in this way. A high therapeutic effect is provided by a magnesium dropper during pregnancy at the rate of: 20-25% solution in an amount of 5-20 ml per 150-200 ml of 0.9% NaCl solution for intravenous drip administration for several hours.

Magnesia injections during pregnancy are also prescribed for:

edema syndrome, as well as urinary retention;
epileptic seizures, convulsions during eclampsia;
poisoning with salts of heavy metals;
imbalance of microelements and lack of magnesium in the body;
hypertensive crisis.

IMPORTANT! Magnesia injections during pregnancy can be prescribed from the 16th week until the end of the gestational age.

How dangerous are magnesium injections during pregnancy?

During all this time, large-scale clinical studies of the effect of magnesium sulfate on the fetus have not been conducted, however, the experience of long-term use of the drug confirms its relative safety.

Despite the widespread use of various drugs during gestation, we should not forget that any of them is potentially dangerous. Take, for example, the well-known harmless paracetamol, which is prescribed from the first months of life: the drug causes an allergic reaction in many people, including anaphylactic shock. That is why the prescription of any pharmaceutical product during pregnancy must be justified. Usually on the packaging of magnesia injections for pregnant women it is written that the medicine is prescribed with caution, and only if the benefit outweighs the risk to the health of the fetus.

IMPORTANT! Due to the negative impact of long-term use of magnesia on the mineral metabolism of the fetus with the subsequent development of bone abnormalities due to a lack of calcium, the drug is prescribed during gestation for a period of three to seven days. The last administration of magnesium sulfate should be no later than a few hours before the onset of labor, as the drug relaxes the muscles of the uterus and prevents its active contraction.

In what cases are magnesium injections contraindicated during pregnancy?

The main contraindications to the use of the drug are directly related to its tocolytic, sedative, antispasmodic, anticonvulsant, diuretic and hypotonic effects. These include:

low blood pressure (hypotension) and slow heart rate (bradycardia);
severe kidney disease with impaired excretory function;
cardiac conduction disorders, including AV block;
respiratory failure due to depression of the respiratory center (consequences of head injury, anesthesia, drug overdose);
cancer formation;
acute course of diseases of the digestive system;
the likelihood of labor starting in the next 2-3 hours;
hypersensitivity to the drug.

What side effects should you expect after magnesium injections during pregnancy?

In rare cases, when administered magnesium, certain side effects may occur, including increased heart rate, sweating, fever, drop in blood pressure, weakness, and headache. As a rule, these symptoms appear when the dosage of the drug is incorrectly calculated or when it is administered quickly.