What Helps IBS During Pregnancy?

Learn thirteen ways to successfully deal with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) during pregnancy to ease symptoms and keep your baby healthy.

Althoughirritable bowel syndrome(IBS) in itself is a challenging disease,pregnancycan make the symptoms worse and treatment trickier.

With the right moves, it is possible to manageIBSduringpregnancy, ease symptoms, and make you and your baby healthy and comfortable.

Thirteen ways to successfully deal withirritable bowel syndrome(IBS) during pregnancy include:

1. Eat small, frequent, well-balanced meals in moderate amounts and smaller portions
2. Increasefiberintake (foods such as whole grains, barley, and fruits help water retention in theintestines, thus softening the stools and easy passing)
3. Stay away from gassy foods such as beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts
4. Add a prebiotic to your routine (these good bacteria can improve gut health)
5. Useover-the-counter(OTC)constipationrelievers (try凳子softeners such as psyllium husk powder or wheat dextrin to add fiber and relieveconstipationand avoid taking OTC medications without consulting your doctor)
6. Drink plenty of fluids or water to keep yourself hydrated
7. Stay active,exerciseregularly, or go for a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes a day, which can aid in improvingdigestion
8. Keep a track ofIBSflare-ups and note down triggering foods or other factors to avoid them in future
9. Get enoughsleepto keep the body and mind calm
10. Keep your body and mind relaxed (avoiding压力,anxiety, and negative emotions or thoughts plays a key role in staying away from or easing those annoyingIBS symptomsduring pregnancy)
11. Go for calming therapies such asprenatalyogaor meditation that could help make the body and mind more relaxed and bring in positive thoughts
12. Consult a dietician to identify food triggers and ways to improve yournutritionstatus
13. Check with your doctor to see if it is a good idea to keep taking your regular IBS medications or a switch is needed until the delivery

Irritable bowelsyndrome (IBS) is a common, recurrent gastrointestinal disorder characterized byabdominal painor discomfort,bloatingorgas,diarrhea, andconstipation.

Three types of IBS include:

1. IBS with constipation:Hard and lumpy stools
2. IBS withdiarrhea:Loose and watery stools
3. IBS with mixed bowel habits:Fluctuating bowel habits—sometimes hard and lumpy stools while other times loose and watery movements

The exact reason for this disease is unknown. Researchers speculate a combination of factors could lead toirritable bowel综合征(IBS)包括:

• Brain-gut dysfunction:Problems with brain-gut interaction may affect the body’s functioning.
• Dysmotility:Problems with gastrointestinal muscle contractions can affect the food movement through the bowel.
• Abnormalities in the nerves within your gut:Certain abnormalities in the nerves in the gastrointestinal tract can result in disturbing IBS symptoms.
• Genetics:Genes may play a role in some people being more likely to develop IBS.

Most women face digestive challenges during those nine months of pregnancy, includingnausea,vomiting,morning sickness,heartburn,flatulence, and bowel changes.

However, if a woman already hasirritable bowelsyndrome pre-pregnancy, her pregnancy could make the situation worse and might trigger gastrointestinal symptoms due to reasons that include:

• Presence of iron and calcium inprenatal vitamins(makes constipation worse)
• The physical pressure of the growing fetus on the intestines (changes the way the food moves through it)
• Stressandanxietyabout the upcoming (can aggravate the symptoms)
• Increased levels of estrogen andprogesterone(affects digestion and overall gut health)

There is not much research and data available on the effects ofirritable bowelsyndrome (IBS) on pregnancy. However, it is speculated that although IBS can make women feel uncomfortable, with the right steps and adequate care, it is unlikely to affect the ongoing pregnancy or cause any problems for the baby.

In rare cases, your pregnancy can be at risk if IBS symptoms get out of control because:

• Severe or chronicdiarrheacan lead todehydrationcausing serious issues such as pretermlabor.
• Severe constipation can negatively affect the pelvic tissues, muscles, and nerves.
• In rare cases, the uterus may slip out of place leading to preterm contractions.
• Women with IBS are at a high risk ofmiscarriageand ectopic pregnancies.

Although not every pregnancy or everypregnantwoman will exhibit all these symptoms, a few expecting mothers are lucky enough to avoid all those digestive upsets.

某些食物,情绪ns, and situations can flare up thesymptoms of irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)。怀孕可能是一个of them, which can be a difficult time for the gut to deal with the new changes that the body is undergoing throughout nine months and even post-delivery.

Increased levels of estrogen and progesterone (sex hormones) during pregnancy may be one of the factors that affect the digestive tract and cause symptoms associated with IBS.

Irritable bowelsyndrome (IBS) symptoms and severity can vary from person to person, but a few factors that are noted by the majority of people with IBS are called triggers or factors that put you at high risk including:

Dietary factors that trigger IBS-related constipation

• White bread and cereals made with refined flour
• Processed and packed foods such as chips, cookies, and pastries
• Coffee, carbonateddrinks, andalcohol
• High-protein diets
• Dairy products, especially cheese

Dietary factors that trigger IBS-related diarrhea

• Excessive fiber intake
• Chocolate, alcohol,caffeine, fructose, orsorbitol
• Large and heavy meals
• Fries, fatty and oily foods
• Carbonated drinks
• Dairy products, especially in people who havelactose intolerance(inability to digest the milksugarlactose)
• Foods that contain wheat for谷蛋白-sensitive people (wheatallergy)

Risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) other than food include:

• Stress at work
• Anxietyandpanic attacks
• Financial crisis
• Emotional disturbances
• Decreased or lack ofsleep
• Smoking
• Menstrual cycles
• Certain medications such as antibiotics andantidepressants