Stuttgart, Germany  – Women who experience an irregular heart beat during pregnancy can sometimes treat the problem themselves by trying a few techniques.

A so-called vagal manoeuvre can help slow a racing heart beat, writes Professor Joachim Dudenhausen in a weekly German medical trade magazine published in Stuttgart. It is done by exhaling hard against closed vocal cords. This raises the pressure in the chest cavity, which usually slows down the heart beat. Massaging the throat is another way to calm a racing heart beat, said Dudenhausen, director of obstetrics at Berlin’s Charite hospital.

The problem occurs due to the considerable change in circulation during pregnancy, the report said. It often results in minor anaemia and a slide in blood pressure and when combined can cause the heart beat to rise.

In high risk cases that require medicinal therapy, there are a range of drugs that are harmless to the unborn child. An irregular heart beat or cardiac arrhythmia is common during pregnancy, but in most cases it is a threat to neither the mother nor the child. (dpa)