GHAZNI CITY (SW) – In Ghazni province, several pregnant women are struggling with shortness of breath during their pregnancy period, sometimes requiring specialized medication that could potentially harm their unborn babies.
Some pregnant women affected by this condition, shared experiencing shortness of breath in the middle months of their pregnancies.
Marziya, one of such women, explained: “I have a problem where my breath becomes very short. I am more troubled at night. For the past two or three months, I have been suffering from this shortness of breath. It is better when I am outdoors, but inside a room or in a crowded place, I find it very difficult to breathe.”
“I did not have shortness of breath before. Now, with my pregnancy, I am experiencing it. I feel like I am suffocating. I haven’t taken any medication yet and just came recently to seek advice,” said Layla, another woman.
Similarly, Parwana, another woman suffering from the condition, reported that the shortness of breath has developed during her second pregnancy.
Parwana said: “I didn’t have any issues with my first pregnancy. Now, I feel short of breath and anxious. Sometimes I feel like to scream. recently, shortness of breath became so severe that I had to seek medication.”
Mohammad Atef Noori, a doctor from Ghazni explained that fetal movement in the womb is a common cause of shortness of breath in pregnant women.
“There are two significant factors; one is the physical activity of the pregnant woman during pregnancy and the second factor is the fetus’s growth inside the womb, which reduces the space available for the lungs. This pressure on the lungs causes frequent shortness of breath due to a lack of oxygen,” he said.
The shortness breath is a temporary issue that resolves after delivery, and according to Noori, no medication is recommended unless the condition is severe. “In severe cases, oxygen may be advised.”
Doctors further recommend that pregnant women engage in light exercise and spend time outdoors to help prevent shortness of breath.
