Restless legs in pregnancy is derived from Restless Legs Syndrome, which is also known as RLS. It is a common condition that affects the ability to relax comfortably without interruptions. Patients that suffer from the condition attempt to stay in a stationary position for a period of time but end up feeling uncomfortable. Soon the feeling of jitters, aching, creeping or even itching begin to occur. By this time, it's either necessary to toss and turn around or actually get up and walk around in order to obtain temporary relief from the pain. It is estimated that around seventeen percent of pregnant women experience one or more of the disturbing conditions. There no specific tests to find out restless leg syndrome. Diagnosis is usually made by characteristic signs and symptoms. Sometimes doctor might ask for blood tests to rule out conditions like iron deficiency anaemia. Some patient may require an overnight stay in sleep clinic, where doctor can study the sleep pattern of the patients and would be able to check for muscle twitching during sleep. Iron deficiency is a know cause of secondary RLS and of course many women suffer from anaemia when they are pregnant so it is logic step to think that this might cause restless legs in pregnancy. You will probably already be on various vitamin supplements during your pregnancy and checks for anaemia should be routine but it may be worth checking with your doctor. Don't take anything without your doctors express permission Mostly RLS isn't connected with any serious medical issues. However, at times, it comes along with other conditions, such as; peripheral neuropathy, which damages the nerves in the limbs probably due to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, alcoholism etc.; iron deficiency; or kidney failure, which is normally accompanied by iron deficiency as well. The female body undergoes massive changes during the nine months of pregnancy. Some of them are wonderful, while many mothers-to-be could really do without a few of them (stretch marks, tired legs and ankles, etc). One common "side effect" of pregnancy is restless leg syndrome, which up to 40% of women can suffer from during part or all of their pregnancy. RLS is found to occur in both females and males, although reports have shown that woman seem to be more affected by the condition. Although RLS can start at any age (in some extreme cases as early as infancy) the patients who are most affected with the strongest symptoms are middle-aged people or older. Most medical practitioners have found that the severity of the condition seems to get worse with age. Patients that are older report experiencing symptoms more often and for longer durations of time. Primary RLS is the type that is caused by genetics. These people are often long term sufferers, and the symptoms often start during childhood. Children struck by RLS are often mistaken as being hyperactive because of their inability to sit still. People with Primary RLS often deal with worsening symptoms as they get older. Primary RLS is the most common type of RLS. This is the condition that people complain about to their doctors. Most doctors and researchers guess at the cause and most agree that it they don't know much about it. Recently it was accepted in medical circles as a medical condition, which is troubling because the first treatment of choice is usually tranquillizers and sometimes opium-based medications.
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