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[A188]Acid Reflux And Pregnancy

by Richal Peyton, Ric

One of the periods in a woman's life that causes a lot of bodily changes is pregnancy. Mostly, these changes will cause some discomfort and sometimes certain health conditions. One of the health conditions that women may develop due to pregnancy is acid reflux. Let's talk about acid reflux and pregnancy.

Is Acid Reflux Normal During Pregnancy?

Acid reflux is only common and expected in pregnant women. In fact, 1 in 4 pregnant women experience symptoms associated with acid reflux, such as heartburn, all throughout their pregnancy. The condition is also considered a pregnancy side effect and affects a third of all pregnant women. The good news is, acid reflux normally goes away after pregnancy. If this doesn't happen in your case though, there is always treatment available after proper diagnosis.

Why Do Pregnant Women Have Acid Reflux?

There can be several reasons acid reflux and pregnancy often go together. The three main reasons for acid reflux during pregnancy are hormones, weight gain and pressure.

- Hormonal Changes - in a pregnant woman's body tend to rise dramatically. When this happens, more acid is produced in the stomach, causing acid reflux. The hormones estrogen and progesterone may cause constipation and slower digestion, which in turn may worsen the symptoms of acid reflux. Furthermore, these hormones may also weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, making it easy for stomach acid to enter the esophagus.

- Weight gain -caused by pregnancy can contribute to hiatial hernias, a condition in which a part of the stomach extends beyond the diaphragm. As a result, acid tends to reach the esophagus.

- Pressure - builds inside the stomach as the baby grows. As a result, food is sometimes pushed through the diaphragm along with stomach acid. Thus, acid reflux occurs.

What Are The Symptoms Of Acid Reflux In Pregnant Women?

Nauseated and Vomiting - During the first trimester of pregnancy, women often feel like vomiting or nauseated. For other women, these symptoms can go on for up to 9 months. These symptoms are said to be mainly caused by the rise of hormone levels in the pregnant woman's body. Those with worse cases of acid reflux may develop malnutrition. Pregnant women who already had acid reflux before pregnancy are more likely to have worse cases of reflux compared to those who never had the condition before.

What Are Available Treatments?

H2 Blockers - If drugs are necessary, a doctor may prescribe antacids and H2 blockers. These medications mainly act to neutralize acid levels in the stomach and reduce discomfort. However, there are other kinds of treatment that can be applied during pregnancy. These include lifestyle changes such as having a special diet, elevating the head while sleeping, and staying fit.

How It's Different - Treatment for acid reflux during pregnancy is often more challenging because most medications are not recommended to pregnant women. The welfare of both the mother and unborn child is often the focus when doctors recommend medication. Furthermore, drug interaction may occur if the pregnant woman is already taking other drugs. Treatment for acid reflux and pregnancy is either a good or bad combination. This is why you should always speak with your doctor first for the most suitable treatment for you.

If you smoke, or use any form of tobacco, improving your posture while you eat isn't going to do much for your condition. Why? Smoking/nicotine is a direct contributing factor to acid reflux and to chronic heartburn caused by gastroesophageal refulx disorder (GERD). Therefore, engaging in any tobacco use – cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff and chewing tobacco – can not only become a literal pain in the chest, for GERD sufferers it can even disrupt sleep and interfere with your lifestyle.

The following are six ways in which smoking directly affects acid reflux:

1.Decrease in saliva production - Cigarette smoking inhibits saliva production, and eats up most of the bicarbonates within the saliva produce. Bicarbonates help neutralize stomach acid, and saliva works to coat the oesophagus to lessen the effects of acid that refluxes up from the stomach. Saliva also helps to wash acid in the oesophagus back to the stomach.

2.Increase in acidity – Nicotine encourages the production of stomach acid.

3.Bile salt movement – Smoking appears to encourage the movement of bile salts to the stomach from the intestines. Stomach acids are even more harmful when bile salts are present.

4.Direct injury to the oesophagus – Smoking can cause direct harm to the oesophagus by making it vulnerable to acid reflux injury.

5.Impair LES functioning – Nicotine can lower the pressure in the lower esophageal (LES) which can cause it to become weak and relaxed. LES is the valve that resides between the oesophagus and the stomach. The decrease in pressure can cause the LES to relax inappropriately, allowing stomach acids and enzymes to be thrust back into the oesophagus.

6.Decreased gastric motility – It has been discovered in studies that people who smoke have reduced gastric motility while they are smoking. A decrease in gastric movement can lead to poor digestion due to the fact that it takes a longer for the stomach to empty.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons why smoking can cause and make acid reflux worse. That being said, it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that the best treatment a tobacco user can do to help their condition is quit.

Of course, quitting smoking isn't as easy as we think or would like it to be. An addiction to nicotine is a hard habit to kick, especially if you've been smoking for many years, hang around others who smoke, and enjoy it. However, smoking, like any addiction, can be overcome. The only trick is, in order to quit smoking, you have to want to.

There are many different quitting strategies you can consider. Therefore, if you find quitting through your own methods is difficult, consult your doctor for other options. Also, many people who want to quit smoking find support groups to be very helpful.

Does quitting smoking really help your heartburn?

It is believed by many medical practitioners that for most acid reflux sufferers, quitting smoking will likely allow them to get better fast. However, some practitioners believe that quitting smoking will only provide modest relief.

Nevertheless, all medical practitioners agree that quitting smoking is a good idea regardless if it helps your acid reflux or not. After all, even if you see little change in your experiences with heartburn, quitting smoking greatly reduces your chances of developing serious diseases such as cancer, heart and lung disease.

In addition, don't forget that smoking isn't the only cause of acid reflux. Thus, if you are not seeing improvement after quitting, it's time for you to take a careful look at your diet.

Article Source : Pg. 18

About Author

Both Richal Peyton & Kathryn Whittaker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Richal Peyton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pregnancy Problems, Acid Reflux and Pregnancy Problems. Is an option? Know more about. Richal Peyton's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.

Kathryn Whittaker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Acid Reflux, Pregnancy Problems and Acid Reflux. . Kathryn Whittaker's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.