One foot swelling in pregnancy: what to know

Mild swelling can occur as pregnancy changes fluid balance and pressure in the pelvis. It more often affects both feet and may vary during the day. Swelling that is clearly greater on one side, especially when it starts suddenly, may reflect a problem with circulation or a clot in a deep vein. Headache, visual changes, pain beneath the ribs, or sudden swelling of the face and hands can also occur with pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy condition involving raised blood pressure and organ stress.

Call your maternity team today for advice about new or unexplained one-foot swelling. Note when it began, whether the calf is tender, and whether the skin feels warm or looks red. Rest with the leg supported, avoid tight socks or shoes, and keep gently mobile if movement is comfortable. Do not massage a painful swollen leg or start medicines without clinical advice.

Seek urgent medical help for one-sided swelling with calf pain, warmth, redness, or difficulty walking. Call emergency services for chest pain, sudden breathlessness, coughing blood, fainting, or severe weakness. Contact maternity triage urgently for severe headache, new visual disturbance, upper abdominal pain, or sudden swelling of the face and hands.

Ask whether you need a blood-pressure check, a leg examination, or an ultrasound; which changes require emergency care; and how to stay active safely while the cause is being assessed.