Digestive difficulties, such as constipation and diarrhea , may occur frequently during pregnancy. Blame it on shifting hormones, changes in diet, and added stress. If you experience three or more loose bowel movements in one day, you may have diarrhea. Diarrhea during pregnancy is common. Certain conditions also make diarrhea more common. As you near your due date, you may find that diarrhea becomes more common.
That may be because your body is preparing itself for labor. Some women will not even experience frequent diarrhea in their third trimester, though others will. You may not need to take any additional medications to treat your diarrhea.
In fact, most cases of diarrhea clear up without treatment. However, if you need something else, a few treatments are available. Do not take an over-the-counter antidiarrheal medication without consulting your doctor. Certain conditions may be worsened by these medicines. Additionally, they are not safe for everyone. Watery, loose bowel movements remove a lot of fluid from your body. Dehydration can happen quickly and be very serious, especially for pregnant women.
Drink juice and broth to help replace some of the electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals your body has lost. Prolonged diarrhea can cause dehydration. If your diarrhea lasts more than two or three days, call your doctor.
Severe dehydration causes pregnancy complications. Symptoms of dehydration include:. You can prevent dehydration during pregnancy by drinking at least 80 ounces of water every day. Whether your diarrhea is caused by allergies, food poisoning, or a chronic condition, your diet is critical to your recovery. We've all experienced unfortunate cases of diarrhea at some point in our lives.
Read on for some of the most effective ways to relieve a case of the…. The details of your poop can provide clues to your state of health. Learn what the sight, smell, size, color, and shape of your poop can tell you. Many common foods can cause diarrhea. Prostaglandins, such as oxytocin , help stimulate contractions in the uterus but can also increase movement along the digestive tract. If stool passes too quickly through the bowels, it can result in diarrhea.
Increased prostaglandin levels can also cause diarrhea during the menstrual cycle. Synthetic prostaglandins, such as a medication called misoprostol Cytotec , can have diarrhea as a side effect.
This is because misoprostol can cause stool to absorb more water and electrolytes from the stomach, contributing to diarrhea. Bowel infections are a common cause of diarrhea.
In addition to loose, watery stools, people with infectious diarrhea may also experience the following symptoms:. Some organisms that can cause infectious diarrhea:. A person can become infected with these harmful organisms by consuming contaminated food or water.
Infectious diarrhea can be a risk when traveling to developing countries. Diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration and malnutrition, which can be harmful to the woman and fetus. A pregnant woman should receive immediate medical care if she experiences any of the following symptoms:.
A person can prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of water. It is also important to drink liquids containing electrolytes, such as :. Many doctors also recommend a bland diet to help restore electrolytes lost from diarrhea. Examples of bland foods:. Also, avoid foods that can make diarrhea worse, such as dairy products, anything high in fat or sugar, and drinks containing caffeine.
During pregnancy, it is important to talk to the doctor before taking any new medication. Some can be harmful, while the safety of others is not yet clear. According to the ACG , a prospective, case-controlled study found no association between taking loperamide Imodium during the first trimester of pregnancy and major fetal abnormalities.
Imodium is an effective OTC medication for treating short-term diarrhea. However, the ACG do not recommend taking the antidiarrheal medications diphenoxylate-atropine Lomotil or bismuth subsalicylate Pepto-Bismol during pregnancy.
They report findings indicating that Lomotil can harm the fetus in the second and third trimesters. Pepto-Bismol may increase the risk of low birth weight, neonatal hemorrhage, and perinatal mortality. See all in Getting Pregnant. See all in Pregnancy.
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