Can I get pregnant if I have a herniated disc?

For women, having lumbar disc herniation will not affect pregnancy, but it should be noted that once the patient becomes pregnant, the lumbar disc herniation may worsen. Moreover, for patients with lumbar disc herniation who have already improved, once pregnancy occurs, it may induce a recurrence of the disease. Therefore, attention should be paid to this aspect, and patients should strengthen care and good conditioning in normal times.

How to care for lumbar disc herniation

1. Diet care

Because patients suffer from pain, fever, and consume a lot of calories, and the pain makes them lose their appetite, they are guided to take small meals and make reasonable combinations, such as high-calorie, high-protein, and high-vitamin foods, eat more fruits, drink more water, and eat more vegetables rich in fiber, keep bowel movements smooth, and avoid straining during defecation to induce pain. If the patient experiences abdominal distension, rectal ventilation or senna tea should be given.

2. Posture Care

The patient is in a forced position, and turning over is often stopped suddenly due to pain. The patient should be turned over during the interval between pains or after taking analgesics. The movement should be gentle, and a waist belt should be worn if necessary to protect the waist and keep the waist fixed without bending or twisting. The patient's shoulder blades and hips should be held by hand while turning over. The back can be supported by a soft pillow, and contaminated bed sheets should be replaced at any time to make the patient comfortable. Because patients are under absolute bed rest and have reduced self-care abilities, they require meticulous care from nursing staff, who should strengthen basic nursing work and at the same time guide and encourage patients to do functional exercises for their limbs during pain intervals to prevent disuse muscle atrophy and joint stiffness.

3. Medication Care

Be prepared to master the time and dosage of medication, and pay attention to drug reactions and complications. Discitis is caused by a low-grade purulent bacterial infection in the intervertebral space. Since the nucleus pulposus tissue mainly relies on tissue fluid for nutrition and lacks blood supply, it is difficult for antibacterial treatment to reach effective bactericidal concentrations locally. Early, sufficient and effective antibacterial drug treatment, combined with the use of glucocorticoids, is currently the main means of treating discitis, and the medication is generally used for >3 weeks. Therefore, antibiotics must be administered on time and in sufficient quantities.

4. Insomnia Care

Such patients suffer from varying degrees of insomnia due to severe pain, and insomnia aggravates the pain response. Therefore, special attention should be paid to such patients during night care, visitors should be persuaded to leave the ward early, and patients should be told not to drink strong tea, coffee or other foods that affect sleep. Patients can be guided to drink milk before going to bed, relax their whole body, listen to soft music and other methods that help them sleep. If necessary, use sleep-aiding drugs in moderation as prescribed by the doctor.

5. Guidance during the rehabilitation period

Generally, patients should observe the disappearance of symptoms and signs, normal body temperature and erythrocyte sedimentation rate one week after stopping hormones, and start back muscle exercises. They should get out of bed and move around after protecting their waist. The amount of activity should be increased as appropriate. Normal activities can only be resumed after the affected disc space has fused. Since patients have osteoporosis throughout the body at this stage, they should not bend over to bear weight or do physical labor for at least 6 months to prevent fractures from accidents such as falls. Pay attention to increasing calcium intake in the diet or taking appropriate oral calcium supplements.