Why do my ears pop when I’m pregnant? Like so many other changes during pregnancy, it could be related to hormonal changes. It could also mean that you have an ear infection, too much wax, or an eustachian tube dysfunction. In short, if your ear has started popping out of the blue, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
Meanwhile, while you’re on hold to make an appointment, let’s talk about ear popping in pregnancy. Specifically, we’ll go over the symptoms and treatment.
Is ear popping an early sign of pregnancy?
As far as I know, ear popping doesn’t mean that you’re pregnant. Generally, ear problems don’t show up until the third trimester (unless you have an ear infection).
Is ear pressure normal during pregnancy?
Ear pressure isn’t necessarily normal during pregnancy. In fact, there are ear, nose, and throat problems that show up more often in pregnant women.
If you’ve noticed that your ears feel more full, it’s probably because your body is retaining more water. In the first 2 trimesters, your body is adding plasma volume. By the third trimester, you’ve got extravascular fluid, too (hence the swollen ankles and feet) (1).
What happens during pregnancy to make ears pop?
You probably know that your metabolism is faster when you’re pregnant because you are using more oxygen and your heart is pumping more to take care of the baby. Meanwhile, since your body is holding onto more plasma and water to help the baby get nutrients, you end up with a “boggy mucus membrane”. That’s a direct quote from the National Institute of Health study (1).
In other words, your insides are swollen with water and it’s affecting your ears. It’s like when you have a cold and your sinuses are full.
To make things worse, estrogen and progesterone are at their highest in the third trimester. They directly affect the mucous membrane of the nose and throat (1).
What is eustachian tube dysfunction during pregnancy?
So, since your mucous membranes are swelling with all this extra fluid, you might end up with your ears clogged. It makes it so that you can hear your own body’s sounds more clearly than external sounds. (That’s called autophony). It’s a type of hearing loss that’s usually temporary (1).
If your eustachian tube is plugged (with ear wax, extra fluid, or an infection), your ears can’t equalize the air pressure between the middle ear and the outside world.
As the fluid shifts, sometimes you’ll hear a pop. Other times you might hear a roaring sound. It might seem worse when you’re sitting up or standing.
Having your ears stuffed up can also cause you to feel vertigo. It messes with your balance. And you might feel dizzy and nauseous. These are symptoms of Ménière’s disease. On the bright side, doctors can treat nausea and vomiting with metoclopramide (1).
But the bad news is that decongestant medication doesn’t fix these particular ear problems. It might even make the symptoms worse.
Diuretics to get rid of excess fluid are a bad idea, too. They lower blood pressure and volume and that can harm you and the baby (1).
So what can you do to stop your ears from popping, roaring, or hurting when you’re pregnant?
What is the remedy for ear popping?
If your ears are bothering you because of eustachian tube dysfunction, it won’t do you any good to yawn or chew gum or try to pop your ears like you would on an airplane (2).
Instead, try laying down. At the least, lower your head as much as you can and see if it helps. It’s not a permanent solution, but it can give you a rest from the annoying popping and pressure.
How do you relieve ear pressure when pregnant?
Another safe and easy way to relieve ear popping and pressure is to breathe warm, humid air. No, stepping outside in Georgia during the summer isn’t good enough. Use a humidifier or a steamer.
How to treat blocked ears in pregnancy?
If laying down and using a steam inhaler doesn’t help your ears, you should ask a doctor for help. Please don’t try to dig wax out of your ears with tools you saw advertised on the Internet. This includes cotton swabs because you can end up shoving the wax deeper and making the problem worse (2).
Don’t try sticking lit candles into your ear canal. This is called ear coning or ear candling and I probably shouldn’t even have brought it up. Just don’t do it.
Instead, the doctor may prescribe ear drops to soften the wax or may irrigate your ears to clean them for you.
In summary, lay down when you can to stop your ears from popping and feeling full. Check with your doctor about your symptoms. And here are some ear treatments that may help:
Vicks Personal Sinus Steam Inhaler
If you’ve never tried a steam inhaler when you’re congested, you’re missing out. The Vicks personal inhaler only takes from 5 to 15 minutes to provide hours of relief. You can use it with or without the menthol-scented VapoPads.
It’s made to use a couple of tablespoons of tap water, nothing special. There’s no filter to clean. It’s pretty straightforward to use. Plus, it doesn’t get too hot.
Fill it up, plug it in, and turn it on. It has a soft face mask to concentrate the steam so you can get up close and personal with it. Adjust the intensity of the flow, then breathe deeply and relax.
If you’ve got more than one person in the family that wants to use it, just be sure to sanitize it before handing it over. I wipe the mask with rubbing alcohol.
And if you use it often with tap water, you’ll want to occasionally descale it with vinegar. The instructions are in the box.
Ear Drops for Swimmers Ear
Have you ever had water trapped in your ears after swimming? I had it happen after a shower once.
There are a few different ways to get water out of your ears. One is to lie on your side and pull gently on the outer ear to open the ear canal and let the fluid drain out.
Another way is to use an ear dryer – more on that in a moment.
Otherwise, you can use drying ear drops or eardrops like these that reduce throbbing, itching, and irritation.
Keep in mind that this is a homeopathic formula and a product that’s not evaluated by the FDA. It’s smart to have your doctor take a look at it before you use it.
It consists of herbs like chamomile and belladonna to reduce pain, fever, and so on. Tilt the head and put 3 to 4 drops into the ear. Let them settle for a few minutes before putting the head upright.
Wally’s Natural Products Organic Ear Oil
Some people put mineral oil into their ears to force out water. You can also try a natural plant oil like this. It’s a blend of sweet almond, lavender, tea tree, echinacea, garlic, and mullein extract. I haven’t personally tried it, but others have said that it eases itching and discomfort.
Mack’s Ear Dryer
I mentioned drying ears, but I wouldn’t recommend pointing a hair dryer at them. It’s far too noisy. Instead, this device was developed by an ear, nose, and throat doctor. Every detail, from its shape to the temperature and pressure of the airflow, was designed for performance and comfort.
It works so well that the US swim team uses it to dry their ears!
It takes about a minute to get rid of excess moisture so that you can pop in a hearing aid or get on with the rest of your day. As a result, it may be soothing for pregnant women with ear problems. If you’ve tried it, I’d love to get your feedback. It works great, but since I’m not currently pregnant, I couldn’t give it a true trial run.
My Heating Pad for Pain Relief
You can’t go wrong with a heating pad. This one is stuffed with hypoallergenic rice and flaxseed. Pop it in the microwave for a minute then lie down with your afflicted ear on top of it. Relax and let the warmth soothe you.
This natural heating pad is also helpful for relieving sore muscles and cramps when you have your period again in the future. It’s also very nice at the foot of the bed in the wintertime.
If there’s any downside it’s that it’s not washable.
Super Soft Adult EarPlanes Ear Plugs
Have you ever flown and had your ears get plugged and they don’t clear even after you land? It’s the worst. I once spent the first two days of a vacation unable to hear anything but myself chewing and breathing. Gum didn’t help and neither did plugging my nostrils and blowing.
But ear plugs like these would’ve saved the day. They are specifically designed to help your ears adjust to a change in air pressure. They greatly reduce stress on the eardrum and prevent that painful pop during a change of altitude.
These plugs are made of soft silicone so they are latex-free. Deep inside they have a tiny ceramic filter that takes care of the air pressure problem. What I’m curious about is whether they would help temporarily resolve a eustachian tube dysfunction.
They also happen to reduce noise up to 20 dB. That cuts down on the annoying engine sounds but doesn’t stop the wearer from understanding conversations.
The manufacturer also has an app that uses a smartphone to measure air pressure and warn you when it’s time to put in the earplugs.
Choose either adult or child size (some of us have small ears).
When should you be worried about ear popping in pregnancy?
If your ear pops every now and then, bring it up with your doctor. Explain what you notice when it happens, like if it’s throughout the day or only when you’re doing certain activities.
Some pregnant women experience tinnitus, a ringing in the ears. It can range from occasional and mildly annoying to really bad. You should discuss that with your doctor, too.
But if you feel pain in your ear – whether dull, sharp, or burning – that requires more urgent attention. The same goes if you see swelling or redness or yellow liquid draining from the ear. If you have a fever, your ears itch, and have a headache along with your ear problem, visit the doctor as soon as you can. Preferably, go to the ER if you have a combination of these symptoms.
It’s crucial to not delay treatment when you have an ear infection because it can lead to deafness (3).
If for some reason you don’t have insurance, find a way to get medical advice all the same. It may require visiting a free clinic or seeing if the hospital can write off your visit for charity. I hope one day that medical care will be a human right for everyone on the planet.
Do you need to see an ENT for ear popping in pregnancy?
That’s a good question. I would recommend starting with your OB/GYN or doctor who can then refer you to a specialist if necessary. If your symptoms are mild enough that they go away when you lie down or do steam inhalation, you may not need further treatment.
Does ear popping stop after pregnancy?
Fortunately, most women find that their ears stop popping and feeling full in the days and weeks after they give birth. As their bodies get rid of the excess fluid and the hormone levels stabilize, the ears go back to normal.
Hang in there. One day you can blackmail your child with all the challenges you faced being pregnant. But in the meantime, be patient, take good care of yourself, and look forward to feeling better soon.
Sources:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3918343/ Shiny Sherlie V, Varghese A. ENT Changes of Pregnancy and Its Management. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014 Jan;66(Suppl 1):6-9. doi: 10.1007/s12070-011-0376-6. Epub 2012 Jan 15. PMID: 24533353; PMCID: PMC3918343.
2. https://yourhealth.augustahealth.org/2017/04/26/what-the-health-my-body-will-do-what-when-im-pregnant-the-six-pregnancy-symptoms-you-need-to-know-about/ 6 pregnancy symptoms you aren’t expecting, published 5 years ago by Augusta University Health
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/ear-infection-while-pregnant Treating an Ear Infection During Pregnancy, Last medically reviewed on April 27, 2021