Minerals are very much needed for the body, but some of them have more value than others, potassium is certainly one of them. It contributes positively to body function in more than just one way, but its best role is serving as something of a keeper. One thing potassium does is help the body retain water, and as we all know being properly hydrated with sufficient body water content is massively important. Perhaps even more so when a woman is pregnant, so is there any concern about low potassium during pregnancy?

That’s what we’ll look at here with this blog entry, and it goes without saying that a woman must be in the best of health during the 9 months she’s carrying a child. Everyone will know that a woman should be supplementing with folate while pregnant, and most pregnancy vitamins will have both folate and potassium included in them. We’re going to focus on potassium and pregnancy here, and the value it has for pregnant women plus the side effects of low potassium during pregnancy.

The simple fact a woman is pregnant will mean that here potassium levels are going to fluctuate, and too much potassium can be a problem in the same way low potassium during pregnancy can be. For most women it’s in the first trimester of their pregnancy that their potassium levels will be at their lowest. If they’re especially low and she isn’t feeling well because of it then that is usually because of low progesterone hormone levels, hyperthyroidism, or because of a matching magnesium deficiency.

Great Normalizer

Enough potassium in the blood really does make a difference for women who are pregnant. The fetus is going to need it to grow and develop, and her body will also be using it for muscle contraction, neural communication, and if she had diarrhea or especially bad nausea then that can be because of low potassium during pregnancy too. Bananas are loaded with potassium, and the reason a doctor may recommend a pregnant women eat more of them is the potassium can also help with constipation. It will also reduce dizziness during pregnancy.

One thing that any woman who’s become pregnant will tell you is that it’s exhausting going through the day with all that excess weight, and being potassium deficient can mean being low energy while pregnant and chronically exhausted is that much worse. This is one of the things that not a lot of people will be aware of with low potassium during pregnancy. Last but not least the right amount of blood potassium will reduce the risk of preeclampsia for pregnant women. Doctors may recommend pregnant women take K-Dur during pregnancy if they have very low potassium levels.