Can u get heartburn early pregnancy

Is Heartburn a Sign of Early Pregnancy?| TUMS

There are so many noticeable changes going on in your body when you’re pregnant. But there are also subtle symptoms of pregnancy you may have before you know you're pregnant. You might be wondering, is heartburn an early pregnancy sign?

Let’s take a look at heartburn and how it might relate to pregnancy symptoms, as well as how to manage some discomfort you might be experiencing.

So, Is Heartburn an Early Sign of Pregnancy?

It is—for some women.

Let’s back up a second and define “heartburn” because, for some women, it might be the first time they’ve experienced this digestive symptom. Heartburn is a term that describes a burning sensation in your chest. You feel heartburn when stomach acid refluxes, or seeps back up, into your esophagus, the part of the digestive track that connects your mouth to your stomach.

While every woman’s body is different, and you can certainly experience heartburn and indigestion without being pregnant, heartburn can occur at any point in a pregnancy¹. So, a woman may experience heartburn as an early pregnancy symptom—even before she knows she’s pregnant.

If you have recently been experiencing symptoms of heartburn and indigestion and think you might be pregnant, see your doctor.

Will I experience heartburn while I am pregnant?

Possibly—and likely. Many women experience heartburn beyond their first trimester of pregnancy². There are a few reasons why:

Hormones relax muscles…

During pregnancy, a rising level of the hormone progesterone relaxes the valve (known as the lower esophageal sphincter) that separate the stomach and esophagus. As a result, stomach acids can flow back into your esophagus² and lead to some of the classic uncomfortable heartburn feelings that come with acid indigestion.

…and slow digestion

Additional hormones slow digestion, which mean food may stay in your stomach longer² and lead to a higher likelihood of acid indigestion.

The uterus crowds other organs

Later, as a pregnancy progresses and the uterus expands, it puts pressure on other organs in the abdomen³—including the stomach.

So, a stomach getting pushed out of place, with the food in it lingering longer, and a valve to the throat that’s a bit looser. The result? Heartburn.

A baby with lots of hair?

You might have heard the old wives’ tale that having heartburn while pregnant means you’ll deliver a baby with a more hair on its head. One small scientific study years ago did find a correlation⁴! Make of that what you will.

Treatment for Heartburn and Acid Indigestion During Early Pregnancy

Before jumping into the possible treatment options for pesky heartburn, confirm you are indeed pregnant with your trusted health care provider. They can help you better understand how to approach your symptoms and decide next steps.

If you are indeed pregnant and experiencing heartburn, we recommend taking the following measures to keep your heartburn symptoms at bay. ³

Avoid foods that flare up your symptoms. These might include spicy foods, fried foods or meals, caffeine such as coffee or soda. Create a journal of foods that you’ve noticed might cause upset stomach.
Stay away from large meals just before bedtime. This can trigger acid reflux due to your sleeping position.
Sleep with a pillow wedge that raises your head to deter acid reflux.
Consult with your doctor to determine whether an antacid, like TUMS, would be right for you.

While it’s no fun to experience heartburn and acid indigestion, talk to your care provider about the many tools and resources to help you manage. Whether together you decide you should use TUMS to help manage your symptoms or find comfort in pairing antacids with other preventative measures, you have options.

Read more about heartburn and pregnancy and other heartburn and indigestion-related issues.

Sources

Simerpal Kaur Gill, Caroline Maltepe and Gideon Koren. The effect of heartburn and acid reflux on the severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, April 2009. 23(4):270-272. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2711677/
Juan C Vazquez. Heartburn in pregnancy. BMJ (British Medical Journal) Clinic Evidence, 2015; 2015: 1411. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4562453/
Pregnancy – signs and symptoms. Department of Health, State Government of Victoria, Australia. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/pregnancy-signs-and-symptoms.
Kathleen A. Costigan, Heather L. Sipsma and Janet A. DiPietro. Pregnancy Folklore Revisited: The Case of Heartburn and Hair. Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care, November 2006. Volume 33, Issue 4 p. 311-314. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1523-536X. 2006.00128.x

Indigestion and heartburn in pregnancy

Indigestion, also called heartburn or acid reflux, is common in pregnancy. It can be caused by hormonal changes and the growing baby pressing against your stomach.

You can help ease indigestion and heartburn by making changes to your diet and lifestyle, and there are medicines that are safe to take in pregnancy.

Symptoms of indigestion and heartburn

Symptoms of indigestion and heartburn include:

a burning sensation or pain in the chest
feeling full, heavy or bloated
burping or belching
feeling or being sick
bringing up food

Symptoms usually come on soon after eating or drinking, but there can sometimes be a delay between eating and developing indigestion.

You can get symptoms at any point during your pregnancy, but they are more common from 27 weeks onwards.

Things you can do to help with indigestion and heartburn

Changes to your diet and lifestyle may be enough to control your symptoms, particularly if they are mild.

Eat healthily

You're more likely to get indigestion if you're very full.

If you're pregnant, it may be tempting to eat more than you would normally, but this may not be good for you or your baby.

Find out more about a healthy diet in pregnancy and foods to avoid.

Change your eating and drinking habits

You may be able to control your indigestion with changes to your eating habits.

It can help to eat small meals often, rather than larger meals 3 times a day, and to not eat within 3 hours of going to bed at night.

Cutting down on drinks containing caffeine, and foods that are rich, spicy or fatty, can also ease symptoms.

Keep upright

Sit up straight when you eat. This will take the pressure off your stomach. Propping your head and shoulders up when you go to bed can stop stomach acid coming up while you sleep.

Stop smoking

Smoking when pregnant can cause indigestion, and can seriously affect the health of you and your unborn baby.

When you smoke, the chemicals you inhale can contribute to your indigestion. These chemicals can cause the ring of muscle at the lower end of your gullet to relax, which allows stomach acid to come back up more easily. This is known as acid reflux.

Smoking also increases the risk of:

your baby being born prematurely (before week 37 of your pregnancy)
your baby being born with a low birthweight
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or "cot death"

There's lots of help available to stop smoking. Talk to your midwife or call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044. Find out more about stopping smoking in pregnancy.

Avoid alcohol

Drinking alcohol can cause indigestion. During pregnancy, it can also lead to long-term harm to the baby. It's safest to not drink alcohol at all in pregnancy.

Find out more about alcohol and pregnancy

When to get medical help

See your midwife or GP if you need help managing your symptoms or if changes to your diet and lifestyle do not work. They may recommend medicine to ease your symptoms.

You should also see your midwife or GP if you have any of the following:

difficulty eating or keeping food down
weight loss
stomach pains

Your midwife or GP may ask about your symptoms and examine you by pressing gently on different areas of your chest and stomach to see whether it's painful.

If you're taking prescription medicines

Speak to your GP if you're taking medicine for another condition, such as antidepressants, and you think it may be making your indigestion worse. They may be able to prescribe an alternative medicine.

Never stop taking a prescribed medicine unless you're advised to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who's responsible for your care.

Medicines for indigestion and heartburn

Medicines for indigestion and heartburn during pregnancy include:

antacids – to neutralise the acid in your stomach (some are available over the counter from a pharmacist)
alginates – to relieve indigestion caused by acid reflux by stopping the acid in your stomach coming back up your gullet

You may only need to take antacids and alginates when you start getting symptoms. However, your GP may recommend taking them before symptoms come on – for example, before a meal or before bed.

If you're taking iron supplements as well as antacids, do not take them at the same time. Antacids can stop iron from being absorbed by your body.

If antacids and alginates do not improve your symptoms, your GP may prescribe a medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. 2 that are widely used in pregnancy and not known to be harmful to an unborn baby are:

ranitidine – a tablet you take twice a day
omeprazole – a tablet you take once a day

Causes of indigestion in pregnancy

Symptoms of indigestion come when the acid in your stomach irritates your stomach lining or your gullet. This causes pain and a burning feeling.

When you're pregnant, you're more likely to have indigestion because of:

hormonal changes
the growing baby pressing on your stomach
the muscles between your stomach and gullet relaxing, allowing stomach acid to come back up

You may be more likely to get indigestion in pregnancy if:

you had indigestion before you were pregnant
you've been pregnant before
you're in the later stages of pregnancy

Video: Eating well on a budget

In this video, a dietitian gives advice on how to eat healthily on a budget.

Media last reviewed: 13 January 2021
Media review due: 13 January 2024

Heartburn during pregnancy. How to get rid of it?

One of the constant companions of pregnancy (in more than 80% of cases) is an unpleasant burning sensation behind the sternum - heartburn.

The feeling of heartburn occurs when the acidic contents of the stomach enter the esophagus. Normally, this is impossible, since there is a narrowing between the esophagus and the stomach - the so-called lower esophageal sphincter, the muscle tone of which is regulated by the nervous and hormonal systems.

2 main causes of heartburn during pregnancy

In early pregnancy, during the first trimester of pregnancy, heartburn occurs due to a sharp increase in the level of the sex hormone progesterone. Progesterone relaxes all smooth muscles, incl. and muscles of the lower esophageal sphincter. This results in backflow of acidic contents into the esophagus. Usually this type of heartburn goes away by 13-14 weeks of pregnancy.

In the later stages of pregnancy, in the third trimester, due to the displacement of the internal organs, the stomach is squeezed and lifted, and thus the acidic contents more easily overcome the barrier between the stomach and esophagus and provoke a feeling of heartburn. nine0003

This must be understood!

Folk remedies for heartburn during pregnancy: milk, soda, seeds are unacceptable treatments. With their continued use, complications can occur.

Milk is not an adult dietary product. Most people develop physiological lactose intolerance after the age of 2 years, and excessive consumption of milk (more than 1-2 glasses per day) can cause diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain. nine0017 Taking soda to suppress heartburn during pregnancy provokes an increase in the amount of gases and causes a "mirror response" of the stomach to a sharp alkalization of the contents - an increase in the acidity of the stomach and an increase in the alkalinity of the blood. This can provoke a feeling of heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

How to get rid of heartburn during pregnancy?

What can and cannot be done during pregnancy with heartburn? First of all, it is necessary to avoid taking foods that can increase the increase in stomach acidity - these are fatty, spicy, heavy foods. It is also not recommended to consume chocolate, coffee, freshly squeezed juices. nine0003

Recommended for heartburn during pregnancy to eat more vegetables and cereals. Eating should be fractional - about 5-6 times a day in order to evenly distribute the load on the stomach during the day, so that the gastric juice is always with food, and not in a free state.
Try to avoid stress, adhere to a normal mode of work, rest, sleep. After eating, walks are required (in no case do not lie down). The position of the body during the day should be such as not to increase intra-abdominal pressure - while sitting, do not cross your legs, the level of the knees should not be higher than the level of the hips. It is recommended to lie with a slightly raised upper body. nine0003

Preparations during pregnancy for heartburn.

The simplest and most reliable remedy is still alkaline water, bananas, pears, peeled peaches (but the doses should not be excessive). If there is no effect, they resort to well-established drugs that can be used to combat heartburn: Rennie or Gaviscon forte (WARNING!!! Self-medication can be harmful to your health).

MC "Academy of Your Health" recommends that you consult with a professional gastroenterologist or gynecologist to solve the problem associated with heartburn during pregnancy. The doctor will be able to competently assess the causes of your heartburn and offer an optimal and harmless treatment regimen, taking into account concomitant pregnancy. nine0003

Author: Dushinsky Yuri Sergeevich

why it occurs and how to get rid of it

The prevalence of heartburn increases from the 20th week of pregnancy and covers the vast majority of women by the time of delivery. Usually, the symptom is provoked by the "heavy" food eaten the day before, so it can be repeated many times throughout the day, and one episode of heartburn lasts minutes or even hours. In addition to heartburn itself, there may be belching of air, pain behind the sternum, and swallowing is disturbed ¹ .

Causes of heartburn in pregnant women

There are a number of factors that predispose to heartburn during pregnancy. These include2:

episodes
heartburn before pregnancy

multiple pregnancy

overweight before or
significant weight gain
during pregnancy

The main causes of heartburn in pregnant women are divided into: mechanical (physical) and hormonal ² .

The mechanical cause of is an increase in the size of the pregnant uterus. The growing uterus displaces and compresses other organs in the abdomen, which increases intra-abdominal pressure. At the same time, the stomach is “squeezed” to the diaphragm, the locking mechanism that separates the esophagus from the stomach is weakened, which predisposes to the development of hiatal hernia. In general, the described mechanisms often lead to acid reflux - the backflow of gastric contents into the esophagus, accompanied by heartburn ² .

Hormonal causes include an increase in progesterone production. Progesterone reduces the tone of the smooth muscles of the uterus, protecting the pregnancy from the threat of termination. In the same way, progesterone acts on other smooth muscle organs. Under the influence of hormones during pregnancy, there may be a decrease in the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter and a weakening of intestinal motility, including due to a violation of the sensitivity of intestinal receptors to biologically active substances - serotonin and histamine. As a result, food can linger in the stomach, increasing the likelihood of acid reflux. Due to the weakening of peristalsis, there is also a risk of constipation and changes in the intestinal microflora ² .

First trimester

A complaint in pregnant women at an early stage appears due to toxicosis with repeated vomiting, when the mucosa of the esophagus is constantly irritated by vomit ¹ .

First trimester

A complaint in pregnant women at an early stage appears due to toxicosis with repeated vomiting, when the mucosa of the esophagus is constantly irritated by vomit ¹ . nine0003

Second and third trimesters

In the second and third trimesters, symptoms may occur due to decreased pressure in the esophagogastric sphincter and functional failure of the upper stomach ¹ . Also, in late pregnancy, the factors provoking heartburn may include an increase in intra-abdominal pressure due to an increase in the volume of the uterus and an increase in the level of gastrin in the blood of pregnant women ¹ .

Second and third trimesters

postpartum period nine0007

Unfortunately, the symptoms of heartburn do not always disappear without a trace after childbirth: about 20% of women who experience heartburn during pregnancy also notice it in the postpartum period ² . It is possible that the development of heartburn in the postpartum period may be associated with the lactation period, this relationship has yet to be established. According to the instructions for the medical use of the drug Maalox®, the absorption of combinations of aluminum hydroxide and magnesium salts in the mother is limited, therefore, Maalox® can be used during lactation after consulting a doctor. For occasional heartburn, use 15 ml or 1-2 tablets of Maalox® once . ^4-6

Symptoms of heartburn in pregnant women

Heartburn is an unpleasant burning sensation, warmth behind the sternum, which can spread to the neck area ³ . The symptom may appear about an hour after eating. Often entails heartburn eating fried, spicy, fatty, sour foods, as well as overeating. Physical activity and changes in body position, such as leaning forward or lying down, may increase heartburn symptoms ³ . In pregnant women, heartburn is often accompanied by belching and difficulty swallowing ¹ .

Heartburn is an unpleasant sensation of burning, warmth behind the sternum, which can spread to the neck area ³ . The symptom may appear about an hour after eating. Often entails heartburn eating fried, spicy, fatty, sour foods, as well as overeating. Physical activity and changes in body position, such as leaning forward or lying down, may increase heartburn symptoms ³ . In pregnant women, heartburn is often accompanied by belching and difficulty swallowing ¹ .

Why is heartburn dangerous in pregnant women?

Heartburn that occurs during pregnancy may increase the chance of developing GERD after childbirth. Moreover, the risk of developing the disease is proportional to the number of births. It was noted that in the presence of heartburn in the 1st pregnancy, GERD subsequently develops in 17.7% of women , and two pregnancies with heartburn increase this figure to 36% ² .

It is important to note that if heartburn occurs during pregnancy, it is imperative to consult a doctor, since heartburn can manifest other diseases of the digestive system, including severe pathology of the gestation period - acute fatty liver of pregnant women. In this case, heartburn is short-lived at first, then its intensity and duration increase, accompanied by painful swallowing of not only food, but also liquids. Heartburn in this case is often accompanied by vomiting of the color of "coffee grounds", weakness, lethargy. Such a dangerous condition requires close medical attention and control ¹ .

Heartburn that occurs during pregnancy may increase the chance of developing GERD after childbirth. Moreover, the risk of developing the disease is proportional to the number of births. It has been noted that in the presence of heartburn in the 1st pregnancy, GERD subsequently develops in 17.7% of women , and two pregnancies with heartburn increase this figure to 36% ² .