It’s an awesome and wonderful experience, having a baby. But it can also be kind of… unpleasant, at least sometimes, and at least in terms of how it can make you feel. There’s the morning sickness, the changes to your body, the health challenges, and all sorts of weird side effects. None of this detracts from the delight of being a parent… but it’s a whole process to get there.
And now we can add hearing loss to that list of drawbacks.
Pregnancy isn’t usually the first thing you think of when somebody is talking about hearing loss. But pregnancy-associated hearing loss is actually more prevalent than most people might think. It’s not a bad idea to watch out for these symptoms. Pregnancy-associated hearing loss isn’t something you should be concerned about in most cases. In other cases, the cause is a serious issue and could require immediate medical treatment. Is hearing loss during pregnancy irreversible? Well, the answer sort of depends on the root cause, and how fast you treat it.
What are the symptoms of pregnancy-induced hearing loss?
Hearing loss during pregnancy doesn’t show up on a lot of sitcoms or in very many romantic comedies. Things like morning sickness are much more cinematic. People typically don’t expect pregnancy-related hearing loss, because of this. So, it might be helpful to know what to look out for.
Pregnancy-related hearing loss is about more than just turning up the volume on your devices, after all. The most common symptoms include the following:
- Tinnitus: Pregnancy-related hearing loss is frequently associated with tinnitus, or a ringing or buzzing in the ears. In some cases, this tinnitus may even sound like or take on the rhythm of your own heartbeat (this is known as pulsatile tinnitus). You should speak with your physician about your tinnitus, whether hearing loss is also present or not.
- Headaches and migraines: You might also experience an increase in the number of headaches or migraines you get on a regular basis.
- A plugged feeling in your ears: A feeling of fullness in the ears frequently accompanies pregnancy-induced hearing loss.
- Dizziness and imbalance: The inner ear can be affected by pregnancy-related hearing loss, or in some cases a pre-existing problem with the inner ear can be the source of that hearing loss. Whenever your inner ear is not functioning properly, you may experience issues with balance and dizziness with your hearing loss. Pregnancy-related hearing loss is no exception.
- Everything seems quieter: Of course, this symptom of hearing loss is the most apparent. But if it happens suddenly, it’s something called “sudden sensorineural hearing loss”. Any form of abrupt hearing loss during pregnancy should be reported to your healthcare team as soon as you can. You may need emergency treatment to stop the sudden hearing loss from becoming permanent.
These aren’t universal symptoms. You will probably experience some symptoms and not others depending on the root cause of your pregnancy-induced hearing loss. In any event, if you experience hearing loss or any of the related symptoms while you are pregnant, it’s typically a good plan to talk to your doctor. That’s because these symptoms can in some cases be an indication of some rare but bigger issues.
The causes of pregnancy-induced hearing loss
Is hearing affected by pregnancy? Well, perhaps, sometimes. But other parts of your body are impacted by pregnancy and those parts of your body can then affect your hearing.
So, what are the potential causes of pregnancy-related hearing loss? Here are several of the most prevalent causes:
- High blood pressure: When you’re pregnant, high blood pressure can trigger tinnitus and hearing loss. So telling your physician about your hearing loss symptoms is very important. Serious conditions, including preeclampsia, can cause high blood pressure. These are issues that need to be monitored carefully throughout your pregnancy.
- An iron deficiency: Your health, and the health of your baby, can both be impacted in a wide variety of ways by an iron deficiency. Hearing loss can sometimes be one of those impacts for the pregnant person.
- Hormone and circulatory changes: When you become pregnant, your body is doing an exceptional amount of work. As a consequence, all sorts of changes are afoot, both with respect to your hormones and your circulatory system.
- Bone growth: The ability for sound to pass through your ears can be blocked by a disorder called otosclerosis which causes the tiny bones in your ear to grow too fast. Pregnancy causes hormonal changes and other body changes that can lead to this type of bone growth. Otoscerlosis research is still a continuing process, and scientists are still figuring out exactly 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 (such as earwax), this can cause hearing loss whether you’re pregnant or not.
In some situations, the cause of your hearing loss just won’t be all that well understood. The important thing will be to keep an eye on your symptoms and be in regular communication with your doctor.
How do you treat this type of hearing loss?
Treatment of this form of hearing loss will usually depend on the root cause. The question that most people have is: will my hearing return to normal? Once your pregnancy has ended, your hearing should return to normal, or possibly even sooner.
But it’s also essential to get treatment for any symptoms you notice because getting your hearing back isn’t always certain. For example, if bone growth is obstructing your ear canal, you may require additional treatment. Similarly, if you suffer from sudden sensorineural hearing loss, the outcome will depend on how rapidly you receive treatment.
That’s why it’s so important to make sure you report these symptoms to your provider. The next step will probably be a complete hearing assessment to rule out any more serious conditions and try to diagnose the inherent cause.
Protect your hearing
Even when you’re pregnant, while you’re managing so many other things, it’s important to make sure you watch out for and protect your hearing. Getting regular evaluations with us is one of the best ways to do that. Give us a call today to set up a hearing assessment.
