Hay fever

Hay fever, also known as pollen allergy, is not harmful to pregnancy. However, you can experience persistent sneezing, sniffling or a blocked feeling in your nose and cavities. It is tiring, may keep you from sleeping, which makes you feel less fit as a pregnant woman. So, what can you do about this?

TIPS FOR HAY FEVER

• When you are pregnant it is better to use as little medication as possible. So, try to reduce your hay fever complaints as much as possible with the following lifestyle advice *:
• Wear (sun)glasses when you go outside, this protects your eyes from the pollen.
• Try not to rub your eyes if you are itchy. This often only makes things worse.
• Soothe itchy eyes with wet cotton balls or cucumber slices.
• Take some extra rest during the day if you have had trouble sleeping at night.
• Keep the windows closed when driving. And turn off the outside air vent if you're driving through an area with lots of trees and grasses.
• Avoid gardening.
• Do not hang your laundry outside to dry; pollen can easily settle in textiles.
• Keep the windows closed in your house or have pollen-resistant screens installed. Do you want to air out your house? Only do this in the morning or after a spell of rain.
• Do not eat honey as it may contain pollen.
• Wash and brush your hair daily before going to bed so that no pollen ends up on your pillow.
• Smoking during pregnancy is not recommended for many reasons. In addition, it can also make your hay fever complaints worse.

MEDICINES

Despite the above tips, if you still suffer from your hay fever, there are various products that you can also use during pregnancy:

• The use of a nasal spray containing beclomethasone or budesonide is preferred.
• Eye drops with cromoglicic acid are also safe to use.
• If it is necessary to take a tablet, use loratadine or cetirizine.

Use these products preferably short-term and only in case of complaints. Would you like information about other medicines for hay fever? Please contact your midwife or the pharmacy.