March 29, 2010 At some point during her pregnancy, a patient
might complain of dizziness or “fainting.” However, the
challenge is to determine if this is an isolated incident or
does the patient need additional tests? True fainting (or
syncope) means that there has been a temporary loss of
consciousness and the patient is no longer standing. This
usually occurs when there is a temporary decrease in the blood
flow to the brain. The most common reason patients faint is
because of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially during the
first trimester. However, hypoglycemia does not explain all
reasons for fainting. During pregnancy, the blood vessels are
opened wide (dilated) which sometimes decreases the amount of
blood flowing within the chambers of the heart. It therefore
beats slower. A slow heart beat (aka bradycardia) produces
symptoms of dizziness or fainting. However, there are also
serious conditions that also cause fainting and it’s important
to know the difference. Listed below are examples of fainting