Mercy's Dr. Lindsay Appel, OB/GYN, Discusses Pregnancy Rhinitis

Anyone who has been pregnant knows there are a host of possible conditions that come along with it.

One of them is pregnancy rhinitis. It's not serious, but can be uncomfortable.

Lisa Gabriel's pregnancy has been trouble free so far, with an exception.

"I have had a very runny nose and have been sneezing a lot," Gabriel said. "It was kind of in the second trimester it started, and then with allergy season it's really picked up."

What Gabriel described is called pregnancy rhinitis.

"We're not exactly sure what causes it. The pregnancy state may cause some swelling of the nasal passages and the mucus membranes of the nose, which may cause increased production and fluid, which causes congestion and feeling very stuffed up, basically," explained Mercy ob/gyn Dr. Lindsay Appel of The Family Childbirth and Children’s Center.

There are some simple ways to manage it.

"You can use over-the-counter nasal sprays that are basically just salt water. Propping yourself up at night can help, and over-the-counter allergy medication -- Claritin or Zyrtec -- or even a nasal spray with a steroid can help as well," Dr. Appel said.

Symptoms should go away after birth, but in the meantime, women should not worry.

"It's not going to hurt the baby. It's not going to hurt the pregnancy. It's just really annoying to be quite honest," Dr. Appel said.

Gabriel said that little bit of annoyance is well worth it as she looks forward to the end of July, and the birth of her first child.

"I'm having a girl. (I'm) super excited," she said.

To view Mercy’s Dr. Lindsay Appel, OB/GYN’s interview regarding pregnancy rhinitis, click here.