Constipation is quite a common condition that many women tend to experience during different stages of pregnancy. Some might experience constipation in pregnancy at an early stage, while others might find it affecting them in the later months.
Today, in this blog, we will discuss the common causes, safe treatments, and quick reliefs regarding pregnancy days and constipation in detail to relieve the discomfort.
Let’s first be clear with the basics.
What is Constipation in Pregnancy?
Pregnancy constipation is defined as having less than three bowel movements a week. Once the bowel movements get reduced, the stool remains stiff and finds it way difficult to pass out. Once the condition prolongs, it can be uncomfortable to surpass a day without clearing up the clogged stools.
How Common is Constipation During Pregnancy?
Constipation happens when the in taken food that is ingested gets stranded inside the digestive tract without moving out in their form of stool. Such unpleasant changes are quite common during pregnancy times. It must be addressed immediately to get relieved from the discomforts it can cause in the long run.
Once the hormonal levels in your body tend to increase to support pregnancy, constipation kicks in. The changes can be identified early, either by the second or the third month of the first trimester.
Nearly 16 to 39% of people experience constipation in pregnancy during any part of the three trimesters. You might get highly constipated in the third trimester, during which the fetus remains heaviest and puts on most pressure on the bowel. Some might even feel constipated for more than three months post-delivering the baby.
Causes: Constipation During Pregnancy
The common causes of constipation happening during pregnancy highly depend on the stages of its occurrence. A few of the possible causes include:
- Prenatal Vitamins: Prenatal vitamins are considered to be a strive full of iron, which is indeed a crucial mineral that can at times go deficient during pregnancy days. Loss of such iron can induce constipation and end up with hard and black stools.
- Hormones: Constant changes happening to the hormone levels in the early pregnancy days can have drastic effects on the intestines and slow down the stool movement through the bowel. This type of delay increases the water absorption levels of the colon from the stool, resulting in a stiff and difficult stool to pass through.
- The pressure put around the uterus: During later pregnancy days, the growing uterus puts extra pressure on the bowel, making it difficult to move the stool through the intestines.
Adding to these factors, constipation can cause stomach discomfort, bloating, and dry, hard stools that are painful to pass. This can also end up with a feeling of stagnant stool under the stomach area.
Home Remedies and Relief for Constipation During Pregnancy
Home remedies can help in quick relief from constipation during pregnancy in women, yet, ensure to follow the post consulting your gynecologist.
- Fiber-rich food consumption: Eat fibrous food or fiber supplements like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to increase stool numbers and let them pass through the intestines quite easily. The recommended quantity of fiber intake in adults is around 28 to 34 grams every day.
- Increasing water intake: Drinking plenty of water is more important to let the stool stay soft and easy passage. If water is not said to be helping out, try adding teas, clear soups, and fruit or vegetable juices to the diet.
- Addition of physical activity: Staying active lets the stool move through the intestines. Hop on to an exercise routine upon a doctor’s approval to relieve constipation.
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Diagnosis and Tests
Constipation in pregnancy and diagnosing methods:
During your visit to your gynecologist, you need to open up regarding the type of stool that gets released every day, like the consistency of the stool to the quantity.
By answering questions related to your daily food habits, your doctor can determine the exact cause that has been causing constipation in the first place. Be ready to answer questions similar to:
- The type of food that you have been taking from the starting days of pregnancy and the quantity of water supplementing them.
- The type of physical activity or exercises that you have coordinated during the pregnancy days.
- The kind of supplements or medicines that you have been taking to date.
Pregnancy Constipation: Treatments
If by any means the home remedies are not helping out, then it’s time to discuss other possible treatment options to get relief from constipation during pregnancy.
- For women who have been taking prenatal vitamins that are rich in iron, the doctor shall recommend shifting to a vitamin supplement that has less iron content in them.
- The initial medical treatment to treat constipation in pregnancy is a medication called laxative. This particular medication makes it easier to release the hardened stools without facing any kind of pain.
- Gentle laxatives are generally found safe to use in pregnant women, yet, they must be taken only under the supervision of your gynecologist. Stimulant laxatives can quickly induce uterine contractions.
Whether it is home remedy or any other medication/treatment to get relief from constipation, it should be done with the consultation of the gynecologist.
Constipation During Pregnancy: Reliefs
Let’s discuss the reliefs now–
1) Bulk-forming Agents
Bulk-forming agents tend to mimic fiber by adding upon materials to the stool and help in absorbing more quantities of water that are vitally required to release them. By following this, the stool tends to enlarge, turns softer, and makes it easier to pass without enduring any form of pain.
These kinds of laxatives can stir discomfort or cramping, so it is recommended to start with the lowest possible dosage and ensure to drink plenty of water all through the day. Some of the widely used bulk-forming agents are methylcellulose, psyllium, and polycarbophil.
2) Stool Softeners
Stool softeners add water to the existing stool, making it softer and more comfortable to pass. Docusate (Colace) is one of the most recommended stool softeners for pregnant women.
3) Osmotic Laxatives
By piling up more quantities of water in the intestines, the laxatives help in softening the stool like never before. They do let the bowel contract more, and coordinate the stool to move along. These kinds of laxatives can induce cramps and a bloating sense in the abdomen region. Osmotic laxative examples are magnesium hydroxide and polyethylene glycol.
4) Lubricant Laxatives
Lubricant laxatives add upon a slippery coat to the stool or to the inside regions of the intestinal tract to accomplish stool passage without facing any form of physical pain. Glycerin suppositories are one type of commonly prescribed lubricant laxative. Always seek help from a gynecologist before utilizing suppositories.
Pregnancy Constipation and Its Complications
Constipation in pregnancy is certainly short-lived and can be resolved with minimal or no treatment. In some prolonged constipation cases, fecal impaction occurs and must be removed as soon as possible under the supervision of a doctor.
Continued usage of any kind of laxative can certainly let the bowel forget its usual method of pushing stool from the intestines.
These kinds of drugs can indeed cause fluid or electrolyte imbalances in some women. Such issues can affect people who have been facing other health problems, namely kidney disease or diabetes.
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The Right Time to See a Doctor
First and higher preference must be given toward visiting a doctor before taking any form of constipation home remedies or laxatives.
Seeing a healthcare professional is advisable if any of the below-mentioned symptoms have been showing up from time to time:
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- No relief post-consuming laxatives
- Bleeding happening from the rectum
- Constipation that has been lasting for more than one or two weeks.
As always, make sure to mention any kind of symptom or concern to the doctor to get the right advice and treatment process.
Summary
Although constipation in pregnancy is certainly a common condition, it must be addressed at the earliest to avoid facing extra pain around the abdomen and other bone areas. Always be specific regarding the constipation symptoms with the doctor to find out the best possible medical treatment or remedy.
FAQs
1) What causes constipation in pregnancy?
Constipation is caused by:
- Lack of drinking water intake
- Not consuming enough fiber-rich food.
- The constant hormonal change causes the stool to harden over time.
- The baby inside the womb applying extra pressure to the intestines
- Consuming iron supplements, known for hardening the stool release.
2) Can constipation lead to miscarriage?
Constipation does not lead to miscarriage or affect the baby in any form. The constipation discomfort is felt in the gut and bowel area and does not pass to the baby.
3) How to avoid constipation during pregnancy?
Fiber-rich foods are known for loosening the stool and letting them pass through pain-free. Include fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans in your diet. If you are not able to include high-fiber foods, then upon professional advice, you can intake supplements for the same purpose.
4) Reason for constipation during pregnancy?
Common reasons behind experiencing constipation during pregnancy days are due to hormonal changes, supplement or medicine use, and not including the required amount of fiber content in your diet. You can manage or prevent constipation by increasing fiber food and drinking water intake during the day.
5) Is it okay to push the poop hard while pregnant?
Although straining to release the stool can bring no harm to the baby, it can indeed lead to anal fissures and hemorrhoids that are more uncomfortable and painful for pregnant women. Address the constipation issue by visiting your gynecologist to loosen up the stool and bowel movements.