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Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by theosteomum
I’ll never forget being woken in agony with a leg cramp that struck out of the blue when I was pregnant.
There couldn’t be many worse ways to be awoken from your already crappy pregnancy sleep!
In this post, we’ll discuss:
What exactly are leg cramps during pregnancy?
Cramping is an involuntary contraction of a muscle, meaning that you have no control over it.
Outside of pregnancy, common reasons for cramping include :
- dehydration,
- taking certain medications, and
- over-exercising.
Unfortunately for mothers-to-be, pregnancy is the most common cause of muscle cramps.
Cramping of the leg muscles, and in particular the calf muscles, is extremely common during pregnancy.
The most common time for it to occur is during the night.
It can also occur with sudden stretching or unexpected movements.
Leg cramps during pregnancy usually last around a few minutes, and will literally stop you in your tracks.
Thankfully, they often pass almost as quickly as they started.
You may feel a bit of leftover pain or tightness in your calves following leg cramps.
Aside from this pain though, they are not dangerous and not necessarily a sign that there is anything wrong with you or your baby.
If you’re also suffering from pelvic pain in pregnancy, adding leg cramps into the mix can make life genuinely miserable!
If you need some further help with this, I’ve written some helpful and informative post about pelvic pain in pregnancy pain here and here.
How common are leg cramps during pregnancy?
According to this study, over half of all women will experience leg cramps during pregnancy.
Knowing this can give you some reassurance that what you’re experiencing is totally normal.
In another study, it was found that:
- Around half of the women who suffer leg cramps during pregnancy began suffering with them after their 25th week of pregnancy (so towards the end of their second trimester)
- 75% of women suffer leg cramps twice per week or less
- 8 out of 10 women only suffer from leg cramps during pregnancy at night.
What causes leg cramps during pregnancy?
No-one really knows for sure why women suffer leg cramps during pregnancy.
There are, however, a few very plausible theories as to why leg cramps during pregnancy occur.
These include:
A slower rate of blood flow back from the legs towards the heart:
Under “normal” circumstances, i.e. when you’re not pregnant, blood usually flows back from the legs fairly easily.
When you are pregnant, your uterus acts almost like a plug.
Just like if when you leave the plug in the sink, and the water doesn’t drain.
This slows the rate of fluid flow back from the legs, meaning that the calves have to work harder to pump blood back up the legs.
No wonder they get sore!
Blood volume increases:
During pregnancy, the overall volume of your blood increases anywhere from 20% to 100%.
So your body has to deal with anywhere from 1/5 more blood, to double the amount of blood that it usually has!
This means that every element of your circulatory system has to work harder to pump this extra blood around.
Imagine you had to do double the amount of work as you usually would during the day- you’d feel pretty tired and sore too!
Hormonal changes:
Levels of the hormone progesterone skyrocket during pregnancy.
This can weaken and stretch the walls of your veins, which pump blood back towards your heart.
When this combines with an increase in blood volume, it’s a recipe for pain!
To get an idea of how this might look, imagine how thin a balloon gets when you blow too much air into it.
Basically there’s more blood that needs to be pumped by a system that can’t do it as well.
The blood will tend to pool in the legs, which can lead to a buildup of substances that can cause leg cramps.
What might affect leg cramps during pregnancy?
It’s possible that your diet may be having an effect on your leg cramps during pregnancy.
A number of studies have investigated whether a mother’s diet has any effect on whether they suffer leg cramps during pregnancy.
Some studies say it does, others say it doesn’t.
So I guess the answer is a maybe.
In the studies that suggested that diet does have an influence, the nutrients that seemed to play the best role in preventing or minimising leg cramps during pregnancy were:
- Magnesium, and
- B-vitamins.
All of these factors seem to result in a buildup of lactic and other acids in your legs (which commonly occurs after exercise).
This leads to a contraction in the muscles that you have no control over, which can become painful.
What doesn’t influence leg cramps during pregnancy?
There are a couple of factors which you might assume would be having an impact on your leg cramps during pregnancy.
However, research indicates that this just isn’t the case.
Two major factors that don’t seem to have an impact on whether you develop leg cramps during pregnancy are:
Your Age:
Mothers-to-be of all ages seem to be equally likely to develop leg cramps during pregnancy.
Your Job:
It doesn’t seem to make a difference whether you do a job that is more sedentary, or if you work physically hard.
Women who do all types of work seem to have the same chance of experiencing leg cramps during pregnancy.
How to manage leg cramps during pregnancy:
There are a few ways to help minimise or even prevent leg cramps during pregnancy.
Gentle calf massage:
Your calf muscles are working overtime during pregnancy.
Just like any other time of your life when your muscles are working hard, they really love it when you give them some TLC!
Some pregnant women attending my clinic are a little hesitant about calf massage.
This is understandable, as there are a few things you need to be aware of before starting out.
Important safety notice!
If any of the following apply to you, you’d be best to avoid calf massage during pregnancy, or at least speak to your medical caregiver first to get the all clear:
- High-risk pregnancy
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH)
- Preeclampsia
- Previous pre-term labor
- Experiencing severe swelling, high blood pressure, or sudden, severe headaches
This is because pregnant women are at a slightly higher risk than others of developing clots in their veins.
It’s possible that massage can dislodge these clots and cause serious complications.
However, it’s generally considered safe to apply light massage to the calves if these factors don’t apply to you.
You can either do this yourself, or better yet have a partner or friend do it for you.
Better still, find a massage therapist who is trained in pregnancy massage to help you.
Bliss!
If you’re taking the DIY-road, strokes should be long and relatively light, and moving upwards in the direction of your heart.
This will help promote fluid flow and reduce the buildup of lactic acid that can contribute to leg cramps during pregnancy.
Gentle calf stretching:
To stretch your calves, stand near a wall and place one foot behind the other.
Keeping the back knee straight, gently lean towards the wall and feel the stretch down the back of your leg.
Hold this for around 30 seconds, and then swap to stretch the other leg.
Alternatively, you could stand with your heels hanging off the edge of a step, and gently lower one heel down at a time.
Magnesium supplements:
Magnesium is an essential mineral. It plays a role in over 300 of processes in your body, and is especially important in allowing proper muscle contraction.
Rich dietary sources of Magnesium include:
- Green leafy vegetables
- Legumes
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole-grains
However, even when eating a well-balanced diet, some pregnant women may find that they fall short of their magnesium requirements.
That’s where supplements come in.
Research has shown that Magnesium supplements can help reduce both the frequency and the intensity of leg cramps during pregnancy.
In this study, pregnant women were given Magnesium (in the form of magnesium bisglycinate chelate at 300 mg per day).
They found that women who took this preparation not only had 50% less leg cramps than pregnant women who weren’t taking it, but when cramps did occur, they were only half as bad.
There are two main ways you can use Magnesium supplements:
- Orally- in a powder or tablet form, or
- Absorbed through your skin- in the form of creams, oils or bath flakes
Both ways have their strengths and potential weaknesses.
Magnesium tablets or powders:
Magnesium supplements usually come as either:
- Tablets, or
- Powders
Like with anything in life, you really do get what you pay for.
Magnesium is best absorbed by the body in a particular form, which is why I recommend this supplement here.
The Benevolent Nourishment Magnesium Complex is formulated to survive the harsh acidic environment of the stomach.
This means that unlike with some other, cheaper formulations, you can actually absorb what you’re taking rather than just passing it out again.
Some people suffer diarrhoea when taking magnesium tablets or powders.
The blend of magnesium preparations in this magnesium complex means you’re much less likely to be running to the toilet with this complex than you are when taking other types of magnesium.
Magnesium oils or flakes:
In recent years, there have been a number of different types of oils, bath salts and bath flakes containing magnesium appear on the market.
Many of these preparations claim that the absorption of magnesium is greater through the skin than it is through your digestive system.
In theory, this makes sense.
However, evidence is mixed as to whether this is actually true.
Nevertheless, for a variety of reasons, some people still prefer not to take magnesium orally.
If you fall into this category, I highly recommend you try a magnesium spray, or a bath laced with magnesium flakes. If you’ve got sensitive skin, look for a formulation also containing soothing elements such as aloe vera.
What doesn’t help leg cramps during pregnancy?
In the past, pregnant women have been prescribed either sodium chloride (salt) tablets, or quinine to help with their leg cramps.
Whilst both of these appeared to give relief from leg cramps, they are now no longer recommended.
Salt tablets may increase blood pressure.
There is an increased risk of preeclampsia or eclampsia when your blood pressure is elevated.
Quinine should not be taken during pregnancy.
It may be directly harmful to your baby.
What to do if you get a leg cramp during pregnancy?
If, despite your best efforts with all of these tips, you end up suffering a dreaded leg cramp, here is what you should do:
- Try to stretch it out gently. It’ll probably be a little painful at first, but it’ll help it to pass more quickly.
- Gently massage the affected leg.
- You may like to apply a warm compress such as a wheat bag or hot water bottle.
- Sleeping with the affected leg slightly elevated may help improve the fluid flow from the leg and minimise the chances of it happening again.
In summary:
Leg cramps during pregnancy are a common and often painful condition.
Around half of all pregnant women will suffer from them from some point in their second trimester onwards, most commonly during the night.
There are a few possible hormonal and mechanical reasons behind leg cramps during pregnancy, but no one really knows for sure why they occur.
Calf massage or stretching, as well as some form of magnesium supplementation may offer relief.
Avoid salt tablets or quinine medications.
How did you go?
Have you tried out some of these strategies to help your leg cramps during pregnancy?
I’d love to hear your feedback!
If you liked this article and know of other pregnant ladies who would find it helpful, don’t forget to share it!
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