Hearing and vestibular complaints during pregnancy

Hormonal dysfunctions in women during pregnancy can cause vestibular and/or cochlear disorders. AIM: to study hearing and vestibular complaints in pregnant women. MATERIAL AND METHOD: this is a prospective study. 82 pregnant women participated on this study. For hearing and vestibular complaints, a questionnaire proposed by Castagno (1994) was employed. RESULTS: we could observe that tinnitus was the main auditory complaint (33%), although with no differences between the groups. Tinnitus was present among 52.44% of the pregnant women, mainly in the Group 2. According to symptoms related to dizziness, vertigo was the main auditory complaint in first trimester, whereas instability and gait unbalance were more frequent in the second trimester, and instability and tendency to fall in the third trimester. Nausea was the main symptom associated with dizziness in pregnant women, being more frequent in the first trimester of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: women during gestation have auditory and vestibular complaints, mainly dizziness and tinnitus.