Sharp chest pain during pregnancy

[AngieP]

Hi there, I'm reaching out to see if anyone could please shed any light on the chest pain I'm experiencing? I'm currently pregnant with my second child and have been experiencing episodes of chest pain during the first trimester. The pain often wakes me from sleep. I can best describe it as repetitive quick sharp stabs on my left side. These electric zaps go on for a few hours and then disappear. I find sitting up helps alleviate the pain. I also notice that the veins in my hands which are normally very prominent disappear. My hands also often become icy, generally I feel cold all over when the chest pain comes on.

I've been taking 25mg of Metoprolol morning and night to help manage my POTS for the last 10 years. I'm used to having chest pain on and off, but being pregnant I feel a bit more vulnerable.

When I saw my cardiologist about this pain last year, he did not feel it was cardiac related. He said it was unlikely to be something like Prinzmetal angina when I put this forward to him. This is reassuring but to help me mentally cope with the pain, I'd like to have some understanding about what my body is doing. Perhaps it's a circulation issue? After last night's chest pain, I woke up with a headache and heavy head. Not sure if this is related. 

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post.  

[Pistol]

@AngieP I have prinzmetal angina, and I too get chest pains especially at night, but for me it is a dull, heavy and sometimes squeezing pain. I also get the cold hands and feet during these episodes, which - I am told by my cardiologist - is the same cause as the angina: excessive vasoconstriction, or vaso-spasms. 

You describe waking with a heavy head - this could be from insufficient circulation to the brain. In some women the weight of the child can cause this when supine, but I assume that in the first trimester this is not the case. Have you asked your Ob/GYN about this?