Tip: If you have recently returned from a vacation in an exotic country with nausea and diarrhea and find out you are pregnant, see your doctor as soon as possible.

Gastroenteritis

One common cause of diarrhea during pregnancy is gastroenteritis or stomach flu. It is caused by bacterial or viral infections: norovirus, rotavirus, E. coli, salmonella, which enter the body through contact with contaminated surfaces, dishes, food and water.

Gastroenteritis usually lasts about three days. However, severe illness is a health hazard, especially during pregnancy, as it can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and lead to preterm labor.

The main symptoms of gastroenteritis are diarrhea without blood, nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps and pain, slight fever, headache and muscle pain.

Take extra precautions to reduce your risk of getting sick: frequent handwashing and surface disinfection. If the expectant mother has small children, they are not recommended to use the same cutlery.

Risks of diarrhea during pregnancy

Usually diarrhea during pregnancy is not a cause for concern. However, you should consult a doctor if the following symptoms occur during this period:

• Diarrhea for more than two days;
• Blood or mucus stools;
• Sudden weight loss;
• Pain in the abdomen;
• Dehydration.

How to treat diarrhea during pregnancy

If you have diarrhea during pregnancy, drink plenty of fluids, avoid foods high in fat and sugar, avoid dairy products, and caffeinated drinks.

Dehydration is a serious risk, especially during pregnancy, so electrolyte balance should be restored first with fluids and simple foods:

Find out about your body's ability to break down lactose and gluten with the Atlas Microbiota Test.

Stomach pain and heartburn during pregnancy

Many women experience stomach pain during pregnancy, especially in the upper part of the stomach, as well as heartburn - a burning sensation in the chest and esophagus.

This is more common in the third trimester, after about 27 weeks. This is an unpleasant but natural phenomenon during pregnancy: the baby grows inside the uterus and presses on other organs, including the stomach. And hormones cause the muscles to relax, which causes acid from the stomach to enter the esophagus and irritate it. In addition, pain can be caused by problems with certain organs such as the gallbladder, or inflammation of the pancreas.

Symptoms of heartburn during pregnancy:

• Burning in chest and esophagus;
• Feeling of overeating, heaviness or bloating;
• Belching, including with acid and/or food particles;
• Nausea.

It is unlikely that you will be able to avoid cramps and heartburn during pregnancy. However, some tips can help reduce their frequency:

Nutrition : try to avoid overeating - eat easily digestible food in small portions; do not eat three hours before bedtime; watch your posture while eating - so the pressure on your stomach will be less.

Smoking and alcohol: In addition to known harms to mothers and babies, tobacco smoke also relaxes the muscles in the lower esophagus, allowing acid to enter the esophagus. And alcohol provokes heartburn and acid reflux.

Although stomach pain and heartburn often accompany pregnancy, abdominal pain, especially in the third trimester, should be taken seriously. It can be a sign of preterm labor or placental abruption, and puts mother and baby at risk.

If you experience severe abdominal pain during pregnancy that is accompanied by the following symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as possible:

Bloating, constipation and microbiota during pregnancy

Excessive gas and constipation during pregnancy can be caused by hormonal changes, such as increased production of progesterone. This hormone, essential for nourishing the uterus and fetus, relaxes the muscles of the body, including the muscles in the intestines, which slows down digestion and increases flatulence. A similar reaction of the body can be observed before each menstruation, when the production of progesterone increases.

Flatulence - bloating of the abdomen due to the accumulation of gases.

Here are a few simple rules that will help improve bowel movements and avoid constipation and bloating:

• If you don't usually eat a lot of fiber and indigestible foods like legumes, try to gradually introduce them into your diet;
• Avoid carbonated drinks and fatty foods;
• Move more;
• Drink plenty of fluids.

If bloating and constipation are accompanied by severe pain that lasts more than 30 minutes, or if you have been constipated for two or more weeks, see your doctor.

Gut microbiota and bacteria during pregnancy

A woman's body goes through many changes during pregnancy, and this can affect the microbiota, the bacterial ecosystem that lives in the gut. Trillions of microorganisms do important work for the whole body: they synthesize vitamins and essential acids, keep your intestines working and protect it from disease and inflammation.

The additional influx of female hormones that accompanies pregnancy alters gut function and affects the microbiota. This is good, because the bacterial community is constantly adjusting to external and internal conditions in order to keep up with the needs of the body.

To keep your gut bacteria running smoothly, they need your help. Provide them with healthy foods and plant fibers. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds contain prebiotics, special substances that beneficial bacteria feed on. When properly balanced, the bacteria even increase your body's defenses against harmful microorganisms that can cause gastroenteritis during pregnancy.

The Atlas Microbiota Test will help you understand how to prepare your intestines for future pregnancy and reduce the risk of digestive problems.

☝️ Take note

Now you have all the necessary knowledge and tools to help you deal with digestive problems during pregnancy. They are quite varied and quite natural, but in some cases it is necessary to immediately seek medical help:

• Vomiting blood;
• Blood in stool;
• Diarrhea for more than two days;
• Constipation for more than two weeks;
• Sudden weight loss;
• Severe pain interfering with daily activities;
• Difficulty breathing;
• Pain when swallowing or difficulty swallowing;
• Excessive fatigue.

More articles on the causes of digestive problems in the blog:

• 7 foods that cause gas and bloating
• Lindsey J Wegrzyniak, Treatment of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, 2012
• Edwards A. et al., The Maternal Gut Microbiome During Pregnancy, 2018
• National Health and Safety (NHS), Vomiting and morning sickness in pregnancy
• Kudzai Kanhutu, Travel and pregnancy: an infectious diseases perspective, 2011
• CDC, Pregnant travelers
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for healthcare research and quality, Abdominal Pain in Early Pregnancy
• Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, M.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center, Should pregnant moms be concerned about gastroenteritis?, 2018
• International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, Pregnancy and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, 2016
• NHS Vomiting and morning sickness in pregnancy
• NHS, Severe vomiting in pregnancy
• Lindsey J Wegrzyniak et al., Treatment of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, 2012
• Karen Miles, Diarrhea during pregnancy, 2020
• Cleveland Clinic, Diarrhea
• You and your hormones, Progesterone
• Traci C. Johnson, MD, Pregnancy, Bloating, 2020

A delicate question. Intestinal problems during pregnancy

It's no secret that during pregnancy women have to deal with all sorts of ailments: toxicosis, convulsions, increased urination, and frequent unmotivated mood swings. .. All the organs and systems of the expectant mother experience an increased load. It is not easy for the digestive system.

The most common problems during pregnancy in this area include constipation, hemorrhoids, heartburn, as well as indigestion and associated bloating, diarrhea, increased gas production, discomfort and pain. Even if the overtaken disease does not pose a danger to the health of mother and baby, it can deliver a lot of discomfort, significantly reducing the quality of life. And that means you can’t let ailments take their own course!

Constipation

Medically, constipation is defined as the absence of stool for three or more days. The act of defecation in this case, as a rule, is difficult, accompanied by painful sensations. Frequent companions of constipation can be pain in the abdomen, a feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestines, bloating, nausea, bitterness in the mouth.

Where is the problem? One of the reasons provoking violations of the natural bowel movement is hormonal changes in the body. The hormone progesterone, against which pregnancy proceeds, has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the intestine, which helps to slow down the movement of feces. Over time, the growing uterus begins to put pressure on the intestines, which impairs its motor function, further exacerbating the problem. Malnutrition also contributes - it is known that during this period, expectant mothers change their taste preferences, and their appetite increases. Experts do not deny the psychological nature of constipation. The fears that expectant mothers are subject to, an unstable emotional background can also contribute to the development of constipation.

What to do? The main method of dealing with constipation should be the correction of the diet. In no case should you allow large intervals between meals, as well as overeating. It is mandatory to include daily in your diet products that enhance intestinal motility: bread with bran, raw vegetables and fruits (especially apples, carrots, pumpkin), dried fruits, buckwheat, barley and oatmeal, meat with a lot of connective tissue, dairy products containing bifidobacteria. It is important to ensure adequate fluid intake in the body. Preference should be given to non-carbonated drinking water, as well as non-clarified juices with pulp rich in fiber (apricot, peach, etc.). In the morning on an empty stomach it is useful to drink a glass of raw cold water with the addition of a spoonful of honey.

Avoid foods that cause constipation. These include flour, sweet, salty, spicy, smoked, fried, etc. It is recommended to exclude from the diet foods that cause increased gas formation: legumes, cabbage, onions, garlic, radishes, radishes, apple and grape juices.

Please note that laxatives are rarely prescribed during pregnancy, as by increasing intestinal motility they can tone the uterus. However, in some cases it is better to resort to medical treatment than to suffer from constant constipation that threatens to lead to the development of hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are varicose veins in the anus. According to statistics, more than 50% of expectant mothers have to face this problem during pregnancy.

The main symptoms of this unpleasant pathology include mucous discharge, pain, burning, itching and discomfort in the anus. There may also be pain during bowel movements, the appearance of blood in the feces.

The clinical manifestations of the disease also depend on its stage. At the 1st stage, a woman, as a rule, does not bother anything, hemorrhoids do not come out or come out a little when straining. At the 2nd stage, the nodes come out when straining, but they are independently set back. When the disease is started before the 3rd stage, hemorrhoids come out and do not go back.

If a woman does not have any complaints, then during an external examination, the doctor can only diagnose hemorrhoids of the 2nd stage, since only then is the inflammatory process visible. To make a diagnosis at the 1st stage of the disease, the doctor relies on the patient's complaints and examination of the rectum.

Where is the problem? Well, of course, hormones are to blame again! All the same hormones of the progesterone series have an antispasmodic effect: they relax all organs, including veins. In addition, during pregnancy, the blood supply to the uterus increases, and, as a result, blood flow to the pelvic area. Yes, and the gradual growth of the fetus contributes to the fact that its head presses on the vessels and impairs blood flow.

Since the volume of circulating blood and its clotting ability increase significantly during pregnancy, thrombosis of any localization can become a very formidable complication!

What to do? Treatment of hemorrhoids depends on the stage of the disease. If we are talking about little symptomatic hemorrhoids of the 1st and 2nd stages, then in most cases it is enough to solve the problem of constipation by adjusting the diet and resorting to physical exercises.

In uncomplicated hemorrhoids of the 2nd and 3rd stages, the patient most often has to be hospitalized, but without surgical intervention. Complicated hemorrhoids with bleeding require surgical intervention, but the disease rarely reaches such an advanced state.

Of course, the disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Avoiding hemorrhoids is easy. To do this, you need to monitor regular bowel movements - at least once, and preferably twice a day. Ideally, it should happen at the same time. After each act of defecation, be sure to wash yourself using soap and cold water. A large role in the prevention of constipation is the rejection of a sedentary lifestyle. Moderate physical activity - special exercises for pregnant women, walking, swimming - will help you avoid many problems. Kegel exercises are also useful - drawing in and relaxing the muscles of the perineum and anus.

Proper balanced nutrition should be singled out as a separate item in the prevention of hemorrhoids.

Heartburn

Heartburn is a burning sensation in the upper abdomen, sometimes extending to the esophagus and throat, caused by the reflux of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus. In addition, heartburn may be accompanied by flatulence, nausea, belching, and an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Usually a feeling of discomfort occurs after eating or in the supine position.

Where is the problem? Unfortunately, heartburn is a frequent companion of pregnancy. Under the influence of progesterone already known to us, the smooth muscles of the sphincter located between the stomach and the esophagus relax, which contributes to the reflux of the contents of the stomach into the esophagus. In the second half of pregnancy, the problem is further aggravated by the fact that the growing uterus presses on the stomach.

Overeating, insufficient chewing of food, malnutrition can also provoke heartburn.

What to do? To combat heartburn, experts recommend paying attention to your diet. Firstly, nutrition should be fractional: you need to eat often and in small portions. Secondly, you should give up too fatty foods (especially meat and fish), carbonated drinks, fresh bread, muffins, black coffee, as well as sour and spicy foods. After eating for 30-40 minutes, you can not take a horizontal position. To relieve the symptoms of heartburn, your doctor may recommend taking antacids.

Intestinal disorder

Intestinal disorder is most commonly referred to as banal diarrhea. However, depending on the severity of the disorder, it may be accompanied by vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, fever, symptoms of intoxication of the body (pallor of the skin, weakness, sweating, etc.).

Where is the problem? Indigestion can be caused by two main causes. The first is power supply errors. As we have already noted, during pregnancy, taste preferences often change significantly, appetite increases. As a result, overeating and combining incompatible foods may well cause indigestion with subsequent upset. The second reason is related to the infectious factor, that is, the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the body, for example, through the use of poor-quality food.

What to do? If the symptoms of the disorder are minor and not associated with a bacterial nature, it will be enough to temporarily limit the diet, drink as much liquid as possible. Most likely, the doctor will prescribe a therapeutic diet. To alleviate the condition, you can take activated charcoal and an antispasmodic.

If the intestinal disorder is caused by a bacterial infection, serious medications cannot be dispensed with. In any case, only a doctor can determine the nature of the disease - in this case, self-medication is not worth it.

To avoid intestinal upset, it is enough to follow some simple rules. Remember that pregnancy is not the best time to experiment with new foods and explore exotic dishes - try to stick to your usual foods. Wash vegetables, fruits and berries thoroughly in warm water before use. Carefully study the expiration dates of the products, observe the conditions of their storage. If you doubt the look, smell or taste of a product, don't risk it - send it home.

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