Ulcer in pregnant women: causes, symptoms, how to deal with it

Pregnant women are very likely to experience ulcers. So, what are the causes, symptoms, and ways to deal with ulcers in pregnant women? Come on, learn more about these digestive problems in the following review.

What causes ulcers in pregnant women?

Being pregnant with a baby in the stomach does not mean that pregnant women are no longer at risk for developing ulcers. Because basically, ulcers can be experienced by anyone, including those of you who are two.

Ulcer is actually not a real disease, but only a group of symptoms that are signs of a certain disease. In other words, ulcer is a term used to describe various complaints related to indigestion.

In pregnant women, the appearance of ulcer symptoms can be caused by various factors, including:

Hormonal changes

The hormone progesterone is one of the hormones that causes ulcers in pregnant women. Progesterone is responsible for building the lining of the uterine wall, which can cause nausea and vomiting.

This hormone also causes acid levels in the stomach to surge, which then triggers ulcer disease in pregnant women. In fact, hormones can make the esophageal sphincter, aka the esophageal valve, suddenly relax, allowing stomach acid to rise.

In fact, the valve at the bottom of the esophagus should always be closed to prevent acid reflux.

Enlarged uterus

On the other hand, the reason why pregnant women often experience ulcer symptoms is because the growth of the baby in the womb puts pressure on the stomach. As a result, the pressure in the stomach becomes even greater because it is pushed by the baby in the womb.

Other causes of ulcers during pregnancy

Apart from the various conditions that have been caused before, ulcers in pregnant women can also be caused by the following things:

• Eating too many portions or eating too fast
• Smoke
• Too often eat foods high in fat, chocolate, spicy foods, and acids
• Time to eat too late or close to bedtime
• Loves to drink caffeinated and carbonated drinks, such as coffee, tea, chocolate and soda
• Immediately do physical activity after eating
• Anxiety and stress
• Go to sleep or lie down right after eating

It is also important to know that the combination of changes in the body of pregnant women with daily habits can also trigger ulcers.

For example, when stomach acid is rising because the muscles in the esophageal valve relax, plus you lie down immediately after eating a lot. Of course, ulcers are inevitable.

This condition inevitably makes pregnant women need ulcer medication to relieve complaints. Therefore, you should pay attention to the intake of food, drinks, and daily activities in order to minimize the appearance of ulcers during pregnancy.

In addition to the causes above, there are several things that cause ulcers to be prone to occur in pregnant women, namely:

• Have experienced digestive disorders before pregnancy
• Have been pregnant before
• Gestational age has entered the 3rd trimester

What are the signs and symptoms of ulcers in pregnant women?

Basically, the symptoms of ulcers in pregnant women are no different from adolescents or adults. Usually, this is characterized by pain or discomfort in the chest or abdomen. This condition can occur at any time, especially after eating.

Ulcers experienced by pregnant women can also cause pain in any part of the stomach. But generally, the severity of the ulcer that appears can get worse when the pregnancy has entered the third trimester.

Here are various symptoms of ulcers that are common in pregnant women:

• Experiencing a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn).
• The stomach feels bloated, full, and uncomfortable.
• Burping often
• Nausea and vomiting
• The mouth feels sour

However, you need to learn to distinguish heartburn symptoms from other conditions, such as morning sickness. Morning sickness is a term for nausea and vomiting that usually occurs early in pregnancy.

This condition may be mistaken for an ulcer, because it causes the same symptoms, namely nausea and vomiting. It's just that, the frequency and condition of nausea and vomiting due to gastritis morning sickness of course different.

If the nausea and vomiting you experience are more of an ulcer, it will certainly be strengthened by the appearance of various other ulcer symptoms.

If you find the symptoms of an ulcer that you feel are quite disturbing, do not delay the doctor's examination. The sooner it is treated, the risk of complications will decrease.

The safe way to deal with ulcers in pregnant women

Generally, ulcers in pregnant women do not indicate a dangerous condition, so you don't need to worry. It could be that this condition occurs due to bad food habits or choices. So that the symptoms do not interfere with activities, you can follow the following remedies.

There are several tips to relieve ulcers during pregnancy without drugs, including:

Pay attention to food choices

You certainly already understand that certain foods can cause ulcers. That is why choosing foods that are safe for the stomach is one of the ulcer treatments.

You should avoid a variety of trigger foods, such as spicy and high-fat foods. These types of food can irritate the stomach lining and take longer to digest, leading to heartburn, bloating, and nausea.

Then, limit your consumption of chocolate, onions, and sour fruits. Apart from food, limit the drinks that trigger excessive stomach acid, such as coffee or soft drinks.

Adopt good eating habits

Overcoming ulcers in pregnant women is not only limited to choosing the right foods. You also need to improve your eating habits. Try to eat small portions but often instead of eating large portions at once, as this can make you full.

Avoid drinking too much after eating and not eating near bedtime. If you really have to eat at night, give yourself at least 2 to 3 hours of rest, then you can sleep. However, don't deliberately make lots of movements after eating as this can trigger ulcer symptoms.

Avoid narrow clothes

Using narrow clothes not only triggers ulcers in pregnant women, but also other health problems. Therefore, choose clothes that are comfortable and easy for you to move around. Loosen the belt when you are wearing it.

Adjust the sleeping position

Ulcer symptoms usually get worse at night. This is because the position of the body sleeping on your back makes it easier for stomach acid in the stomach to rise up into the esophagus.

To avoid severity and prevent it from occurring in the future, use a pillow that is higher for the head. This will prevent acid reflux through the esophagus.

Quit smoking and stay away from smokers

Smoking habits not only cause ulcers, but also increase the risk of sharing health problems for pregnant women and the fetus. Therefore, stop your smoking habit and also stay away from smokers. Even if you don't smoke, the smoke will be inhaled if you are around smokers.

The surefire tactic for you to quit smoking is to reduce your cigarette intake slowly, until you get used to not smoking.

Try drinking herbal teas

Ulcer symptoms such as nausea, heartburn, and bloating can actually be relieved with herbal teas. This tea is not like the tea that is usually drunk. Herbal teas are made from boiled water with natural ingredients or spices that are available at home.

Examples of ingredients and spices that are usually blended into herbal teas are ginger and chamomile. You simply boil water and add ginger chunks or a few tablespoons of dry chamomile.

After the water is boiling, you can serve it with the addition of honey and lemon juice. Enjoy this herbal tea while it is warm to further soothe your troubled stomach.

Ulcer medication that is safe for pregnant women

If the method above is not effective enough, taking ulcer medication can be the right solution to treat ulcers in pregnant women. Don't worry, the use of ulcer drugs during pregnancy is basically safe, as reported by the National Health Service.

Drug use is not the first choice because of the risk of side effects. Please note that during pregnancy, the body becomes more sensitive so that the risk of side effects is greater. Then, substances contained in certain drugs can also flow into the blood and are feared to interfere with fetal growth.

These two factors are taken into consideration, if pregnant women should first deal with ulcers without drugs. If it doesn't work, then taking medicine is used as a treatment.

With notes, you still pay attention to the number of doses consumed and the drinking rules. You may also need a doctor's guidance so that the use of ulcer drugs for pregnant women does not cause problems.

Here are some drugs that are usually used to treat ulcers in pregnant women, including:

1. Antacids

Antacids are an ulcer drug option that works by neutralizing the amount of acid in the body. Examples of antacid drugs that are safe for consumption by pregnant women are Rolaid® and Maalox®. Both of these drugs can be purchased over the counter at pharmacies and drug stores.

The best time to take this medication is after meals and before bed. The reason is, after food enters your mouth, your stomach will produce stomach acid. While sleeping, excess stomach acid can rise into the esophagus. By taking antacids, both of these things can be prevented.

This ulcer medicine for pregnant women contains magnesium and sodium, so it should not be used excessively. The effect will interfere with the process of contractions during labor if consumed without supervision.

The use of antacids should not be accompanied by iron supplements. The reason is, because antacids can stop the flow of iron so that it is not properly absorbed by the body.

You also need to know that this ulcer drug can cause side effects in pregnant women, such as constipation and increase the buildup of fluids in body tissues.

2. Sucralfate

Sucralfate is an ulcer medication that comes in liquid form, which works to restore the injured lining of the digestive system. In addition, this drug also provides protection to the digestive system from exposure to irritating enzymes and acids.

This drug is included in the class of drugs that are safe to drink during pregnancy. In fact, it can be used within a period of 4 to 8 weeks. Provided, you use it on the recommendation of a doctor.

Usually, the doctor will prescribe the drug to be taken 2 to 4 times a day. It is best to take sucralfate 1 hour before eating on an empty stomach or 2 hours after eating.

3. Drug h-2 receptor blockers

Already taking antacids and alginates, but the ulcer is not getting better, you can choose H-2 receptor blockers. This drug can inhibit the cells in the stomach from producing stomach acid so that the amount is not excessive.

Other ulcer drugs that can be given to pregnant women include cimetidine (Tagamet®), ranitidine (Zantac®), and famotidine (Pepcid®). All of them belong to the group of H-2 receptor blockers, with the usual rule of taking one time a day.

That is why, this drug is believed to be safe for consumption by mothers during pregnancy. However, to be safer, you should further consult your doctor or pharmacist.

4.Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs

The choice of PPI drugs to treat ulcers in pregnant women can use lansoprazole (Prevacid®). The drug lansoprazole is included in the pregnancy risk category B, aka no risk in some studies, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Meanwhile, other types of PPI drugs such as omeprazole, rabeprazole (Aciphex®), pantoprazole (Protonix®), and esomeprazole (Nexium®), are different. Some of these drugs fall into a category C pregnancy risk, aka possibly risky.

Therefore, to be safer, don't forget to consult further with your doctor or pharmacist beforehand.

PPI drugs can be purchased over the counter at pharmacies, or through a doctor's prescription for higher doses. The rules for taking this medicine should be once a day, or as recommended by a doctor or pharmacist.

This ulcer drug should only be given to pregnant women when normal doses of h-2 receptor blockers cannot cure ulcers.

The various types of drugs above have different ways of working. Therefore, pregnant women should not choose it carelessly. Consult your doctor first so that the selected ulcer medication is in accordance with the underlying cause.

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