It’s an awesome and wonderful experience, having a baby. But it can also be sort of… uncomfortable, at least sometimes, and at least when it involves how it can make you feel. There are all kinds of weird side effects, like morning sickness, health challenges, and changes to your body. None of this takes away from the delight of being a parent… but it’s a whole undertaking to get there.
And now there’s another potential small drawback to add to the list: hearing loss.
Pregnancy isn’t normally the first thing you think of when somebody is talking about hearing loss. So it might be a surprise to learn that pregnancy-related hearing loss is rather common. This means that these symptoms are worth watching out for. Pregnancy-induced hearing loss isn’t something you should be worried about in most cases. Unfortunately, sometimes the cause is a more serious problem that could call for swift medical attention. Is hearing loss during pregnancy irreversible? Well, it could be, depending on how fast you address it and what the underlying cause is.
Pregnancy-related hearing loss symptoms
You generally won’t hear about pregnancy-related hearing loss in pop-culture. It isn’t nearly as cinematic as things like morning sickness. This means that, generally, people may be less likely to anticipate pregnancy-related hearing loss. So, it may be helpful to know what to look out for.
Pregnancy-related hearing loss goes beyond simply cranking up the volume on your devices, after all. The most common symptoms include the following:
- Tinnitus: A ringing in your ears, called tinnitus, is frequently linked to pregnancy-related hearing loss. The rhythm and sound of your tinnitus symptoms can, in some instances, sound like your own heartbeat which is called “pulsatile tinnitus”. You should speak with your physician about your tinnitus, whether hearing loss is also present or not.
- A plugged feeling in your ears: A feeling of fullness in the ears frequently accompanies pregnancy-related hearing loss.
- Headaches and migraines: Regular headaches and migraines can also be more consistent.
- Everything seems quieter: Of course, this indication of hearing loss is the most apparent. But a condition known as “sudden sensorineural hearing loss” comes on abruptly and can be more obvious. Any type of abrupt hearing loss during pregnancy should be conveyed to your healthcare team as soon as possible. In order to prevent sudden hearing loss from becoming irreversible, you might require emergency treatment.
- Dizziness and imbalance: In many instances, pregnancy-induced hearing loss can affect the inner ear (or, in some situations, whatever is affecting the inner ear is also causing hearing loss). Your hearing loss may be accompanied by dizziness and balance problems if you have a problem with your inner ear. And that also applies to pregnancy-induced hearing loss.
These aren’t universal symptoms. Depending on the underlying cause of your pregnancy-related hearing loss, you might experience some symptoms but not others. Either way, it’s a good plan to talk to your doctor if experience any of these hearing loss symptoms. That’s because these symptoms can sometimes be a sign of some rare but bigger issues.
What causes pregnancy-induced hearing loss?
Is hearing impacted by pregnancy? In some cases, possibly. But other parts of your body are impacted by pregnancy and those parts of your body can then impact your hearing.
So, what are the likely causes of pregnancy-related hearing loss? Here are some of the most prevalent causes:
- An iron deficiency: Your health, and the health of your baby, can both be affected in a wide variety of ways by an iron deficiency. Hearing loss can sometimes be one of those effects for the pregnant person.
- Bone growth: There’s a rare affliction called otosclerosis where the tiny bones in your ear start growing more rapidly, and this accelerated growth prevents sound from passing through your ears. In pregnant individuals, this quicker bone growth might be caused by alterations in your hormones or other changes in your body. Otoscerlosis research is still an ongoing process, and scientists are still figuring out just how much it affects hearing.
- Some of the typical things: If you get an ear infection, a sinus infection, or any kind of obstruction in your ear (like earwax), this can cause hearing loss whether you’re pregnant or not.
- High blood pressure: Hearing loss and tinnitus can be the outcome of high blood pressure which can be caused by pregnancy. So telling your physician about your hearing loss symptoms is really important. Serious conditions, including preeclampsia, can cause high blood pressure. These are issues that need to be monitored carefully throughout your pregnancy.
- Hormone and circulatory changes: When you become pregnant, your body is doing an exceptional amount of work. Your hormones and circulatory system are experiencing lots of changes, as a result.
Sometimes, the cause of your hearing loss could be hard to identify. The important thing will be to keep track of your symptoms and be in frequent communication with your provider.
How do you treat this kind of hearing loss?
Treatment of this kind of hearing loss will usually depend on the root cause. The question that most individuals have is: will my hearing return to normal? Once your pregnancy has ended, your hearing should go back to normal, or maybe even sooner.
But it’s also essential to get treatment for any symptoms you observe because getting your hearing back isn’t always certain. For instance, if bone growth is blocking your ear canal, you could require additional treatment. The results will also depend on how quickly you get treatment when it comes to sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
For this reason, reporting any symptoms to your doctor is so important. You might then go through a comprehensive hearing screening or evaluation to help get to the bottom of your symptoms (or at least eliminate any of the more severe possible impacts).
Protect your hearing
Protecting your hearing is something you should watch out for particularly when you’re pregnant. One of the best ways to do that is to stay in touch with us and with your care team. Schedule a hearing examination with us as soon as possible.