Patient's question:
I am 7.5 months pregnant and have been experiencing frequent calf muscle cramps at night recently, which are quite painful. Why could this be happening? Is it due to a nutritional deficiency? How can I prevent it?Doctor's answer:
This is because during pregnancy, the amount of calcium needed by a pregnant woman's body increases significantly, leading to symptoms of calcium deficiency.The main way to supplement calcium is through diet, which involves balancing your meals and appropriately increasing foods rich in calcium, which can generally meet the needs during pregnancy.
Foods rich in calcium include: milk (commercially available fortified with vitamins A and D), dairy products, dried shrimp, small sea shrimp, fish, laver, hair moss, kelp, bone broth, sesame paste, and soy products. Vegetables also contain a significant amount of calcium. These are foods that pregnant women often need to eat, and you can vary them frequently.
By the way, supplements like fish oil, vitamin D, and calcium pills are not the more you take, the better. They can also cause varying degrees of side effects. Overdosing can lead to serious health issues, including poisoning.