Constipation during pregnancy

Introduction

Constipation, also called constipation in medical jargon, refers to a rare evacuation of hard stool. By definition, constipation is defined as stool being defecated less than 3 times per week. However, since the intestinal activity and thus also the stool behavior varies greatly from person to person, this definition is not suitable for every person.

Some people have bowel movements several times a day, others only a few times a week. Constipation often becomes a problem during pregnancy. This has to do with hormonal changes.

Up to 40% of pregnant women suffer from constipation during pregnancy. In order to protect the unborn child, medication to treat constipation during pregnancy should be used very carefully. Therefore, home remedies and a healthy lifestyle are very important for constipation during pregnancy.

Causes

The causes of increased constipation during pregnancy are mainly hormonal in nature. During pregnancy the hormone progesterone increases significantly. This hormone reduces the movement (motility) of the muscles of the brand-intestinal tract, resulting in a decrease in peristalsis. Peristalsis is the term used in medicine to describe the digestive movements of the intestine. In addition to the hormonal factor, a reduced movement of pregnant women and changed eating habits can be the cause.

What are the signs of constipation?

If the expectant mother notices that she can go to the toilet much less often than usual and often takes a long time and has to push a lot because the stool is very hard, these are relatively sure signs of constipation. In addition to the problems with bowel movements, there is often an unpleasant feeling of fullness with a bloated and hard belly. Abdominal pain can also occur.

A hard abdomen that feels bloated and bloated is a common symptom of constipation because the stool that accumulates in the sluggish bowel is firm and hard. Stomach aches can also occur. These complaints can lead to a general feeling of discomfort and reduced appetite and can therefore be very unpleasant.

In addition to a hard stomach and discomfort, flatulence can also occur as an accompanying symptom of constipation. It often relieves the symptoms such as abdominal pain and bloating for a short time when winds have gone. But in the long run the flatulence is also unpleasant.