Leg sensations and twitching during pregnancy

[Shaz92]

I’m currently 17 weeks 4 days pregnant and for the past 3 weeks I’ve been dealing with weird symptoms I’m not sure are pregnancy related. It started of with tingling sensations in my legs which happened when I was resting (felt like my nerves). It has now progressed to muscle twitching in my legs and sometimes over parts of my body like me arms and back. It’s not muscle cramps as they rarely hurt, it’s just involuntary movements of my muscles and it’s a nuisance as it happens when I’m sitting or laying down all throughout the day. I wake up in the morning feeling fine and within a few minutes the sensations and twitching starts. Im wondering if anyone else has experienced this or whether it’s a underlying non pregnancy related health condition that’s causing it? I managed to schedule a blood test for iron deficiency on Monday but my GP doesn’t seem to be taking it seriously.

[Purpledoggy]

Did your GP offer any suggestions as to what it might be? It could be restless leg syndrome, which is fairly common in pregnancy, although usually third trimester. Calcium and magnesium deficiencies can also cause odd twitching - I supplement with both as I don't eat dairy so if your intake of either is low you could try bumping up intake through a supplement or foods. Your GP should be diagnosing this properly, though, so if they are being unhelpful ask for a second opinion. xx

[Shaz92 in reply to Purpledoggy]

Yes, my dr said restless leg syndrome or it could be muscle cramps he said they are common in pregnancy and don’t always have to hurt, but these are so quick they are definitely more towards twitches than cramps. I don’t drink milk but have cheese and yoghurt so maybe low ca and mg. I will wait to see the results of my blood test and if everything comes back normal will ask the doctor to do more about it, thank you. I wanted to get supplements but overall unsure about what to get and how much to take.

[Purpledoggy in reply to Shaz92]

The WHO recommend 1200mg calcium a day for pregnant women. If you don't drink milk, basic Rennie indigestion tabs are actually an easy way to get calcium without having to swallow massive tablets - each tablet is 272 mg of calcium. I don't consume dairy at all so drink fortified almond milk.

Recommendations for magnesium vary but 300-400g a day is the range of RDA. Magnesium glycinate is better absorbed than other magnesium salts (I buy the Gower one from amazon and take 3 tabs a day = 375 mg). Magnesium is a recommended intervention by the WHO for leg cramps in pregnancy (apps.who.int/iris/bitstream.... The evidence for efficacy is relatively weak but supplementation is not considered hamrful ie you have nothing to lose by trying it.

Calcium, magnesium, and iron compete for absoprption when you eat them together so space them during the day and from your prenatal vitamin so that you absorb the iron from it. xx

[Shaz92 in reply to Purpledoggy]

Thank you for this my sister has been telling me to get Rennie because I was dealing with the worst indigestion constantly burping, I’ll get that today I just second guess taking anything when I pregnant. I will also look into the calcium tablets I definitely am not getting 1200mg. Thanks a bunch X

[Lou9]

Are you on any medications like anti-depressants? I only ask because I had a brief stint with them and they caused me to have body wide muscle twitching. Or have you had your covid vaccines recently as I’ve heard reports of the vaccine causing muscle twitching too. Hope you get to the bottom of it soon. Try magnesium - you can dissolve it in water to drink or you can buy flakes for the bath. Would also be good to have your ferritin levels checked as at one point mine was 12 and the twitching was definitely worse at that point. X

[Shaz92 in reply to Lou9]

Hello, no medications other than pregnancy vitamins which I started taking after the leg sensations but prior to the twitching. I have not had the vaccine but I did have covid week 11-12 of my pregnancy? I had leg aches during covid but it seemed to go away afterwards maybe it could be related? I have a blood test on Monday which is for ferritin, folate and FBC as someone said it maybe restless leg syndrome due to anaemia but at this point it’s not just in my legs. A lot of people have said magnesium I think I’ll try it, thank you.

[Pnw2020]

Hi. I’ve always had restless legs and have found it much worse in pregnancy. I take a magnesium supplement and also use magnesium gel or spray. Have a look at BetterYou. I also have long soaks in epsom salts or magnesium flakes. My muscles feel much more relaxed afterwards. For me I think it is worse due to not exercising as much as I would and so I am often pacing around the house when working or at night as that does give temporary relief.

Also try and keep well hydrated and perhaps some gentle yoga and pilates. I also tried compression socks which I think help during the day but I can’t tolerate them at night.

[Shaz92 in reply to Pnw2020]

Thank you! I used to weight lift and have a lot more muscle and work out atleast 3 times a week and since I’ve been pregnant I’ve stopped. Sometimes my body feels so weak but when I go for a long walk I end up feeling better. Do you use the magnesium Before bed?

[Pnw2020 in reply to Shaz92]

I take a supplement with/after food as the magnesium gel etc before bed. Wishing you a successful pregnancy x

[LizzieBW]

Yep, for me this has been a completely normal side effect of pregnancy, irritating as heck but nothing to worry about. Restless legs and it can definitely correlate with low iron for some women, like others have suggested. I have found if I keep my legs raised for a while before bed I'm less likely to suffer overnight. Keeping my legs and feet cool and staying really hydrated has also helped. All the best. Xx

[Shaz92 in reply to LizzieBW]

Thank you!

[Shaz92]

Just thought I’d update incase anyone comes across this with similar symptoms, my doctor has phoned and confirmed I have iron deficiency and so will need to take iron tablets.