Lots of bodily changes happen during those first precious weeks of pregnancy, including potential spikes in body temperature. While most hot flashes and temperature changes during pregnancy are nothing for expectant moms to become overly concerned with, excessive heating must be avoided to help ensure your future child’s development, according to the Mayo Clinic and Pregnancy Today. Likewise, if you do find yourself dealing with a lot of unwanted heat during pregnancy, you must not take aspirin or ibuprofen; if you need to take a pain reliever to reduce painful pregnancy-related symptoms or the common cold, it is safest to use acetaminophen.

Identification

Taking your temperature is a great way to identify whether your body heat levels are rising, according to the Mayo Clinic. Hot flashes are usually indicated by sudden flushing, night sweats and a general feeling of heat in certain parts of the body such as the neck.

Causes

Raised body temperature and hot flashes are usually caused by hormone surges during pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic. Body temperature in all menstruating women also increases slightly after ovulation.

Time Frame

Hot flashes and raised body temperature can happen anytime during pregnancy but are more common soon after conception, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you’ve been hoping to conceive and regularly check your body temperature in the morning, a raised body temperature for more than two weeks may very well indicate that a new addition in on its way.

Prevention/Solution

You can’t prevent all hot flashes or body temperature spikes, especially during pregnancy, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Mayo Clinic. However, avoiding spicy foods and hot beverages may help reduce your risk of unwanted body heat. Also, while pregnant women should regularly exercise if physically able, it is important to avoid overheating. Cool washcloths, fans and regular drinks of water and other healthy beverages might help alleviate your feelings of heat.

Warnings

A serious fever during pregnancy can harm you and your baby, so it’s important to distinguish between normal pregnancy symptoms and potential problems, according to Pregnancy Today and OTIS. If your temperature spikes above 100.4 degrees F, immediately call your doctor. Fevers exceeding 102 degrees F are especially prone to causing potential birth defects such as spina bifida; the first trimester is the most critical time to watch carefully for high fevers.

Photo Credit

• thermometer image by Aleksandr Lobanov from Fotolia.com