Constipation During Pregnancy

Constipation is the difficulty of deification, and it’s due to irregular bowel movement that result in small amount of hard, and compact stool, and this is different from person to another and from family to another.

Roughly speaking constipation can be defined as.

An irregular and infrequent evacuation.
Difficulty in evacuation.
Feeling of incomplete evacuation.

Causes of constipation during pregnancy:

40% of pregnant women suffer from constipation, and it’s often due to:

Increased level of progesterone hormone that leads to relaxation of smooth muscles of the intestine.
Abdominal distention due to pregnant uterus that leads to increased pressure on intestine thus leads to constipation.

Other causes of constipation:

Unknown causes.
Social reasons as:
- Not eating enough amounts of vegetables and fruits.
- Life style.
- Over weight or excessive thinness.
- Discomfort and inconvenience of draining area (bathroom and toilet).
Some medications as:
- Anti depressants.
- Drug used to treat psychological disorders and epilepsy.
- Diuretics.
Colon cancer.
Diabetes.
Hyper calcemia.
Intestinal inflammation and irritable bowel syndrome.

Tips to avoid constipation:

Increase consumption of:
- Food that sufficiently rich in fiber.
- Vegetables and fruits.
- Whole grains.
Drink advantage of natural juices, and water.
Exercise muscle and sports activities during pregnancy.
Laxatives are used in some cases.

Prevention of constipation:

Adoption of a new healthy life style.
Maintaining exercise during pregnancy.
Its imperative to defecate when the urge to evacuate arises (don’t ignore that feeling).

Consequences of constipation:

First: Hemorrhoids that result in:

Anal itching.
Swelling and pain of anal area.
Rectal (anal) bleeding.

Second: An accumulation of dried feces in rectum that result in:

Swelling of rectum.
Insensitivity at rectal area.
An inability to control bowel movements.
Anal prolapse.

Dr Najeeb Layyous F.R.C.O.G

Consultant Obstetrician, Gynecologist and Infertility Specialist

Constipation During Pregnancy | Dr N Layyous