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Heartburn & Upset Stomach During Pregnancy

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causes of nausea and stomach pain in pregnant women

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What to do if your stomach hurts during pregnancy

Pregnant women experience hormonal changes that can exacerbate chronic diseases or introduce new diseases. The digestive system is also being rebuilt. Therefore, many complain that the stomach hurts during pregnancy, although there was no such symptom before. In order not to miss a serious pathology and start treatment on time, you can learn to distinguish between different painful conditions and eliminate their causes.

How to understand that it is the stomach that hurts

If you put three fingers in the midline on the area just below the xiphoid process, which connects the right and left halves of the ribs, you can find the approximate position of the stomach. This is a hollow muscular organ, which is usually located almost vertically. Its glands produce hydrochloric acid and mucus, which does not allow the walls of the organ to be digested and prevents damage.

If the mucous membrane becomes inflamed, pain occurs. It can be sharp, cutting, burning, aching and is localized in the intercostal region, slightly below and to the left of the xiphoid process of the sternum. Hungry pains during pregnancy are not uncommon, sometimes they are accompanied by nausea, belching, appear at night in a dream. In some diseases, pain increases after eating.

But gastric pathology is not characterized by girdle pain, a feeling of fullness in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth, cramps in the lower abdomen. These are signs of diseases of the pancreas, liver or intestines.

Causes of stomach pain in pregnant women

After pregnancy, progesterone is intensively synthesized in the ovaries, and from the 12th week it is produced by the placenta. One of the functions of this hormone is to reduce the tone of the smooth muscles of the internal organs so that the uterus does not contract and reject the embryo. But at the same time, the muscles of the digestive tract also fall under the influence of progesterone. Therefore, in pregnant women, peristalsis slows down, the muscular sphincter located between the stomach and esophagus relaxes.

As the gestation period increases, the uterus grows and displaces the organs. Therefore, the stomach moves from a vertical position to a horizontal one. At the same time, intra-abdominal pressure increases, gastric juice during the digestion of food can be thrown into the esophagus and burn the mucous membrane. This process is more pronounced after thirty weeks, but the first signs may appear early.

The nature of pain during exacerbation of gastritis

Causes of severe pain in the abdomen may be associated with acute gastritis or exacerbation of chronic. Various factors lead to it:

• malnutrition - lack of protein, iron or vitamins;
• irritant effect of drugs - antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• infections - more often the presence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori;
• the influence of harmful substances - alcohol abuse, smoking, as well as work in hazardous industries.

The disease can be exacerbated by stress, lack of diet or gout, chronic kidney pathologies.

In case of exacerbation of gastritis, the stomach begins to hurt after eating, the sensations increase when overeating due to stretching of the walls of the stomach. Often the symptoms are associated with the use of spicy, fried, fatty foods or carbonated drinks. The pregnant woman feels that she has pain in the right hypochondrium, under the pit of the stomach. She is sick, there is an eructation sour, sometimes vomiting. Protracted gastritis disrupts the digestion of food, so there is flatulence, rumbling in the abdomen and a violation of the stool.

If the secretion of hydrochloric acid is reduced in chronic inflammation of the stomach, then the symptoms of the disease are less pronounced.

Features of pain in gastric ulcer or mucosal erosion

In most pregnant women, the symptoms of peptic ulcer disappear due to a decrease in acidity and an increase in mucus production. But in 1 out of 4,000 women, the pathology worsens. This occurs in the autumn-spring period in the 1st or 3rd trimester.

An ulcer is characterized by severe hunger pains that bother between meals or at night. A woman is often sick, sometimes vomiting appears, which alleviates the condition. Additional symptoms are heartburn, sour belching, constipation.

If the ulcer is left untreated, anemia develops and, in severe cases, gastrointestinal bleeding. In the latter case, the pregnant woman will vomit clotted blood that resembles coffee grounds, the pain in the abdomen will become severe, blood pressure will drop, and the skin will turn pale.

Sometimes, after overeating or physical exertion, the ulcer perforates and a through hole is formed in the wall of the stomach. At the same time, the stomach hurts very badly and unbearably sharply, sticky sweat appears on the skin, dry mouth, and thirst intensifies. Vomiting with perforation of the ulcer is rare. Then flatulence appears and after two hours the condition improves, but this is the appearance of well-being. Later, the pregnant woman develops peritonitis.

Bleeding and perforation of the ulcer are dangerous for the pregnant woman and the fetus. When the first symptoms appear, you need to call an ambulance. Otherwise, the likelihood of death from complications is high.

Other causes of stomach pain

In the later stages, stomach pain is more common and is not always associated with gastritis or ulcers. Sometimes other diseases or lifestyle habits are to blame:

• overeating;
• eating stale food;
• irritant effect of spicy, salty, sour or fatty foods;
• stress or nervous strain;
• long break between meals;
• concomitant diseases of the liver, gallbladder or intestines;
• chronic constipation;
• toxicosis;
• acute infections, including food poisoning.

Sometimes inflammation of the duodenum, or duodenitis, is masked behind gastric pain. Pathology often occurs in the 1st trimester or 4-5 weeks before delivery. Duodenitis is characterized by nocturnal hungry pains, which decrease after eating. Pregnant women have reduced appetite, nausea, vomiting, a feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen.

Pain in the stomach in early pregnancy

According to statistics, from 21 to 80% of women experience a pathology of the digestive tract for the first time during pregnancy, and symptoms appear already at an early stage of gestation. They may be associated with toxicosis. Why it develops is not exactly known, but it is associated with a violation of the hormonal and nervous regulation of metabolism in the body. This leads to nausea, vomiting, salivation, gradual dehydration and deterioration. In severe cases, the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates is disturbed in a pregnant woman, body weight decreases.

If a woman is often sick and vomits, the lining of the esophagus becomes irritated and inflamed. Therefore, from the first weeks there is pain in the stomach.

Due to toxicosis, a pregnant woman develops an aversion to certain types of food or smells, and her appetite decreases. Irregular eating can increase pain in the stomach, and later lead to gastritis.

Treatment of stomach pain during pregnancy

Caution must be exercised in the choice of treatment in pregnant women. Many drugs are dangerous for the fetus, so the therapist should select the therapy regimen. He will also conduct an examination to distinguish early toxicosis from exacerbation of gastritis, peptic ulcer or other pathology.

A pregnant woman is prescribed a diet. All spicy, irritating foods are excluded from the diet. You can not drink coffee, strong tea, carbonated drinks, chocolate, fatty and fried foods that relax the esophageal sphincter. Recommend food in small portions, but at least 5 times a day.

Coating preparations are used to reduce pain. They are not absorbed into the bloodstream, so they will not harm the fetus, but they protect the gastric mucosa and alleviate the condition. In addition to them, doctors recommend drinking tea from chamomile flowers or alder seedlings, which has astringent and anti-inflammatory properties.

Pregnant women with exacerbation of chronic gastritis or ulcers are additionally prescribed antispasmodics based on drotaverine or papaverine to relieve pain. Drugs that increase intestinal tone, which include metoclopramide, also help.

How can I reduce or prevent stomach pain?

In order not to get sick during pregnancy or to prevent digestive problems, you need to eat right. For this, dishes are boiled, stewed, baked, cooked from vegetables, cereals, dairy products and lean meat. Spicy seasonings, fried and fatty foods, other heavy foods during pregnancy should be excluded.

To relieve the condition, do not overeat during the day, it is better to eat 5 times, but in small portions. Sleeping on an empty stomach is bad, but late dinner is also harmful. Therefore, it can be replaced with a glass of unsweetened yogurt or kefir.

Doctors do not recommend lying down immediately after eating, as there is a higher risk of stomach contents entering the esophagus and heartburn. To avoid this, you need to sit in a comfortable chair for an hour or go for a walk.

Stomach pain caused by an ulcer or gastritis can be avoided by being tested before pregnancy. To do this, you need to consult a doctor, take an analysis for Helicobacter pylori and do fibrogastroduodenoscopy. Upon confirmation of the diagnosis, the therapist will prescribe a treatment that will prevent heartburn and severe complications for the expectant mother.

Stomach ache during pregnancy: what to do?

Pregnancy is a time when the body works in a special way. Most women experience a range of physiological changes. They affect everything, even susceptibility to various diseases.

Many mothers-to-be may experience stomach pain. This means that it is worth making an appointment with a gastroenterologist. First, you should decide where the stomach hurts in order to distinguish the pain from other possible problems with the internal organs.

Pain is usually felt in the hypochondrium on one or both sides. Depending on the nature of sensations, they speak of different processes.

• If the pain is aching, pulling, similar to muscle fatigue - most likely, the doctor's help is not needed. It is enough to tell the district gynecologist about this. In the second trimester, active growth of the fetus begins. As a result, all internal organs are somewhat displaced. This may be accompanied by unpleasant sensations that will soon pass, and after childbirth they will be completely forgotten.
• Sharp cutting pain. This situation indicates a serious violation of the digestive tract. If it is accompanied by additional symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, fever, you should immediately visit a free or paid appointment with a gastroenterologist. This may indicate an infectious disease. It is impossible to delay, it is especially dangerous in the first, second and early third trimester, when the active formation of the fetus occurs.
• Periodic sharp pain and spasm. Without other symptoms indicates gastritis or pre-ulcerative condition.
• A single attack of sharp pain may indicate an improper diet. When carrying a fetus, the female body is sensitive to everything, food is no exception.

There are frequent cases of heaviness in the stomach, literally after every meal. This is also not a problem if there are no other symptoms. The fact is that the metabolism of a pregnant woman is significantly weakened. All processes in the body occur slowly, the digestion of food is no exception.

Even at the beginning of pregnancy, it is worth making an appointment with a gastroenterologist in order to further know what to do with stomach pains.

Discomfort can be prevented by diet. Of course, it is far from the same as in the treatment of obesity. The diet for a pregnant woman comes down to proper balanced nutrition, the consumption of a sufficient amount of fluid.

Feeding should be done in small portions, but with a short period of time. Then there will be no heaviness, and food will be better absorbed.

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