Diarrhea during pregnancy

Even though pregnancy is one of the most beautiful experiencesin a woman’s life, there are many health issues that an expecting mother has todeal with. One of the disorders that usually occur in pregnancy isconstipation. Diarrhea is not quite common, but it may happen due to variousreasons. The infections are usually responsible for the occurrence of diarrhea inpregnancy and these infections are not dangerous for the baby.

Diarrhea is often defined as loose and watery stoolsthat occur more than three times a day. Diarrhea is not uncommon in pregnancysince the pregnant woman takes prenatal vitamins that tend to constipate awoman. Another reason why diarrhea is common in pregnancy is that the intestine tends to slow down as the pregnancyprogresses. When the intestines slow down, constipation occurs.

Causes and symptoms of diarrhea during pregnancy

In most cases, diarrhea during pregnancy occurs due to a viral infection caused by the virus that also causes stomach flu. Diarrhea during pregnancy may also be caused by infectionscaused by bacteria called Escherichia coli and the parasite called Giardia. Furthermore, certain medicines and some other healthconditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease are alsoresponsible for the incidence of diarrhea during pregnancy.

One should know that diarrhea is not an illness. It isjust a symptom of some other health condition. When diarrhea occurs, it isoften accompanied by some other symptoms. The most common symptoms that occuralong with diarrhea are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and pain in the abdomen. The pregnant woman who develop diarrhea may also experiencedehydration, fever, chills and headache, as well as muscle aches and exhaustion. When diarrhea occurs in pregnant woman, it usuallylasts from one to ten days. It can be mild or severe.

Treatment of diarrhea during pregnancy

Diarrhea does not affect the baby since the bacteria and viruses that causeit stay in the digestive tract. The thing that can affect the baby is dehydration, which can be caused by severe diarrhea. The treating of diarrhea is usually not necessary since diarrhea subsidesalone after some time. However, the pregnant woman should prevent dehydration. Thus,drinking plenty of water is very important when a pregnant woman suffers from diarrhea.The pregnant women can reduce their chance of becoming dehydrated by drinkingfluids, such as oral rehydration fluids, juices and water. Caffeine and dairyproducts should be avoided.