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Vertigo during pregnancy refers to symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, and tinnitus that occur during the late stage [third stage] of pregnancy. It is also known as "vertigo during pregnancy."

This condition is not entirely the same as those who inherently suffer from vertigo. Morning sickness can sometimes also cause vertigo, but it does not fall within the scope of this condition.

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1. Yin Deficiency with Yang Hyperactivity︰Five or six months into pregnancy, symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, irritability, palpitations, insomnia, aching pain in the lower back and spine, weakness in the legs, or occasional flushed complexion may occur. The tongue appears red with little or no coating, and the pulse is wiry, thin, and slippery. This indicates yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity.
2. Deficiency of Both Qi and Blood︰pregnancy late stage [third stage], dizziness and blurred vision, aggravated by movement, palpitation and shortness of breath, low voice, irritability and insomnia, mental fatigue and anorexia, dry skin, pale complexion, pale lips. The tongue texture is pale with thin white coating, and the pulse is thin, slippery, and weak. This is a deficiency pattern. Jingyue Quanshu states in the "Vertigo Chapter": "There is no vertigo without deficiency." It is often caused by constitutional spleen and stomach deficiency, insufficient production of qi and blood, or severe morning sickness damaging stomach qi, leading to deficiency of qi and blood that cannot ascend, thus causing vertigo, tinnitus, and blurred vision. The treatment should focus on tonifying qi and nourishing blood, tonifying and replenishing the heart and spleen. The recommended formulas are Returning to Spleen Decoction or Eight Precious Ingredients Decoction.
3. Spleen Deficiency with Phlegm Retention︰pregnancy late stage [third stage], dizziness with blurred vision, heaviness of head, chest and diaphragm fullness, nausea with poor appetite, limb fatigue, scanty urine, pale tongue texture with white greasy coating, slippery and weak pulse. Belongs to yang deficiency. The superficial manifestation is phlegm stagnation. Clinically, yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity is more common. This is because after pregnancy, yin-blood gathers to nourish the fetus, leading to liver-kidney yin deficiency, water failing to nourish wood, resulting in insufficient nourishment, liver yang hyperactivity that disturbs the seven orifices and causes vertigo; spleen deficiency with phlegm vertigo occurs due to inherent spleen-stomach weakness, and as pregnancy reaches the late stage [third stage], the uterus with appendages gradually enlarges, affecting qi movement and impairing spleen function, leading to damp accumulation and phlegm formation, where yin qi and yang qi meet and obstruct, preventing clear yang from rising and turbid qi from descending, thus causing vertigo. The key points of differentiation are: for yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity vertigo, symptoms include dizziness with blurred vision, tinnitus, and signs of liver-kidney yin deficiency (aching pain in the waist, soreness and weakness in the legs, scant or no tongue coating) and ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang (irritability, flushed complexion, red tongue texture, wiry and thin pulse); whereas spleen deficiency with phlegm vertigo involves dizziness with a sensation of heaviness in the head, accompanied by spleen yang deficiency and internal phlegm-dampness (chest and diaphragm fullness, nausea with poor appetite, limb fatigue, scanty urine, pale tongue texture with white greasy coating, slippery and weak pulse). For yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity vertigo, treatment involves nourishing yin and clearing heat, pacifying the liver and subduing yang, using Lycium and Chrysanthemum Rehmannia Decoction, or All-Along Decoction with Skullcap Root, Uncaria, and Abalone Shell. For severe cases, add raw Fossil Bone, raw oyster shell, Anemarrhena, and Phellodendron Bark; for spleen deficiency with phlegm vertigo, it is appropriate to invigorate the spleen and resolve phlegm, regulate qi, and eliminate dampness, using Six Gentlemen Decoction, or Two Old Ingredients Decoction.

Vertigo during pregnancy is mostly caused by yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity. If the condition progresses, symptoms such as headache, swelling of the hands, feet, and face, blurred vision, scanty urine, and even nausea and vomiting often occur. This indicates the stirring of liver wind. If not treated promptly during deficiency, it may lead to eclampsia. Therefore, vertigo during pregnancy should be treated early to avoid worsening the condition.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Puji Fang．Pregnancy Diseases Section: "For pregnancy-related dizziness, blurred vision, swelling of the cheeks and neck, it is due to fetal qi disease damaging the liver, heat toxin attacking upwards, pain at the taiyang acupoint, vomiting, and stiffness in the back and neck, leading to visual disturbances. If accompanied by excessive phlegm, the condition is critical and requires immediate administration of Wind-Dispersing Powder."
2. Puji Fang．Pregnancy Diseases Section: "Asparagus Root Decoction is used to treat wind-heat in the liver meridian during pregnancy, which attacks the eyes and can lead to blindness... This condition often arises from staying in overly warm and enclosed spaces, wearing heavy clothing, or consuming excessive heat-inducing foods and supplements, leading to extreme fetal heat and liver congestion, with wind rushing into the brain."