Restless Legs Syndrome - RLS and Pregnancy

When pregnancy turns the nights restless.

About 21% of pregnant women have restless legs syndrome. It usually begins in the second half of pregnancy, tends to become more severe towards the end, and in most women recedes after the birth. Being told that this is normal in pregnancy still helps nobody who has not slept for weeks.

This volume explains what is known about why RLS develops in pregnancy, how it differs from leg cramps and leg oedema, and which investigations make sense. Iron status is assessed with serum ferritin and transferrin saturation, and the book sets the threshold of 100 µg/l that this series uses for discussing iron treatment alongside the figures the guidelines give.

The treatment section is built around safety: a stepwise plan that begins with the diagnosis and what you can do yourself, then iron, and only afterwards medication - with what is actually known for pregnancy, birth, the weeks after and breastfeeding, where the recommendations rest mainly on expert consensus.

WHAT IS IN THE BOOK

- Frequency, course and what happens after the birth

- What is known about why RLS develops during pregnancy

- Who is particularly at risk

- Telling it apart from leg cramps, oedema and nerve compression

- Which investigations make sense

- Iron: ferritin, transferrin saturation and when treatment is discussed

- Medication in pregnancy and while breastfeeding

- Birth, the weeks after, and what happens next

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

For pregnant women with restless legs, for women planning a pregnancy who already have RLS, and for midwives and everyone who accompanies women through pregnancy.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Volume 19 of 52 in the book series on restless legs syndrome, part "Stages of Life". Every volume can be read on its own. The statements in this volume rest on 137 professional sources, each one listed individually in the reference section.