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• The month of December is declared a
constipation awareness month.
• Since constipation happens over all age
groups and reasons vary accordingly. We will
dip deeper into constipation in pregnancy.
• Pregnancy is a milestone which ultimately
builds up a woman. It is a phase wherein
women become mothers.
Constipation In Pregnancy
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• Constipation simply means bowel or stool
evacuation movements that are infrequent or hard
to pass. Constipation is a common cause of painful
stool passing.
• Infrequent bowel movements simply mean,
typically three times or fewer bowel movements
per week.
What is Constipation?
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• The digested food then gets converted into energy
with the help of gut bacteria. In this process, the
colon plays a very important role. The colon’s major
functions are to conserve water, facilitate bacterial
digestion of dietary fibre, and retain and throw out
faeces.
• The undigested food then becomes heavy while
mixing with water and through colons, it is pushed
further and thrown out as faeces. 20 % of women
experience constipation during pregnancy. However,
constipation will often resolve itself as pregnancy
advances.
What is Constipation?
5. • As pregnancy is a physiological process which
alters food habits, which may be due to hormonal
changes or nausea and vomiting, Low levels of
dietary fibre in the diet can contribute to
constipation during pregnancy.
• An increase in the pregnancy hormone,
progesterone reduces gut efficiency and that’s why
food tends to move slowly through your intestines.
This is called reduced gastric motility.
020 71966712
What causes constipation during pregnancy?
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• Another probable cause of constipation is the
medicines and supplements women take during
pregnancy.
• Medicines which are prescribed for nausea and
vomiting, antacids for heartburn, and strong
painkillers can cause constipation in some women.
Supplements like iron, calcium, and multivitamins
too can cause constipation.
What causes constipation during pregnancy?
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• That is true. Women who have had
constipation before pregnancy are more
likely to have constipation during
pregnancy.
• As constipation is often associated with
straining which put extra pressure on the
colon. Due to this, the colon forms a
megacolon.
Do constipated women before
pregnancy more likely to experience
constipation during pregnancy?
8. 020 71966712
• During pregnancy, the colon health is
affected further due to pressure on the
abdomen.
• So there are chances of increased incidences
of constipation during pregnancy if you have
a history of constipation.
• It is better to prevent constipation early,
rather than wait to treat it later.
Do constipated women before pregnancy
more likely to experience constipation
during pregnancy?
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