Severe heartburn, acidity or uncomfortable feeling in the stomach occurring more than twice a week is medically termed as Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). GERD is so common in pregnant women that according to studies almost 30 – 80% of pregnant women experience it. In fact, data suggests that the majority of pregnant women suffer from acidity in their third trimester even though in others it starts in the first trimester and gradually increases by their third trimester.
The first thing to do for any pregnant women suffering from acidity is to find a way to manage acidity without harming the baby. In order to do so, you need to know about acidity in the first place and what predisposes pregnant women to acidity? So let us learn about it and different ways to manage it safely during pregnancy.
Acidity in pregnancy is commonly due to hormonal changes and the growing baby pressing against the stomach and it is not usually harmful to the baby, avoiding citrus, spicy, oily foods and carbonated drinks goes a long way to prevent acidity.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Normally when we eat food it passes from our mouth to stomach through a food pipe called the oesophagus. There is a valve where the food pipe ends and the stomach opens, and it is called the Lower oesophagal sphincter (LES). The LES is a muscular band of tissue (like a rubber band) that opens to allow food to enter the stomach and closes as soon as food enters the stomach. As we already know our stomach produces many juices to digest the food and gastric acid is one of those juices.
When the LES sphincter relaxes without complete closure even after food has entered the stomach, the gastric juices tend to flow back towards the food pipe. These gastric juices (gastric acid) irritate the sensitive lining of the food pipe and as a result, acidity sets in.
Antacidsand Proton Pump Inhibitors like pantaprazole are safe for use in pregnancy, so if life-style modifications fail to manage GERD symptoms, these medications can be added to the antiemetic treatment regimen.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Pregnant women also experience the same symptoms but the severity may vary depending on the trimester and from person to person.
Common symptoms that you may experience when you have acidity include:
Most often pregnant women experience an exacerbation of the symptoms soon after they had food and at bedtime. These symptoms as earlier mentioned may start at any time during pregnancy and may continue to increase.
It is important to note that pregnancy does not cause acidity; it only makes one more susceptible to acidity.
The following are two pregnancy-related contributing factors –
Being pregnant means your body undergoes many hormonal changes to allow the fetus growth and make your body support and maintain it. Some of these hormones make the muscles relax. During the first trimester, the muscles move in a much-relaxed manner like the food pipe pushes the food much slower and the muscles in your stomach also work in a similar fashion in order to facilitate absorption of nutrients and supply them to the growing fetus. But as the food stays in the stomach for a longer time you may feel heartburn.
In the third trimester, in order to accommodate the growing baby, the uterus pushes your stomach way up thus the stomach will be under constant pressure which also results in acidity.
Do not worry as the acidity during pregnancy rarely causes any serious complications. You can either manage the symptoms by following lifestyle changes or with the help of prescribed medications.
Do’s
Don’ts
Many pregnant women suffer from acidity without consulting the doctor as they see it as commonly occurring and consider it as self-limiting. And also they have a strong belief that medications are unsafe for the unborn baby, which is true only to a certain extent. Many medicines are proven to be safe and effective to use under a doctor prescription.
Please do consult your doctor before self-medication especially when you are pregnant. Remember that the below-mentioned medicines are only to build your knowledge and trust.
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If your heartburn refused to go away with home medications, see your doctor. They may prescribe or recommend OTC medications that are safe to take during pregnancy. Heartburn usually disappears following childbirth.
If you take iron supplements, talk to your doctor before you take a PPI or H2 blocker. These medications can make the supplements less effective.
Most pregnant women with mild to moderate severity of acidity can manage it with lifestyle changes. But many have severe symptoms resulting in weight loss, disturbed sleep etc. When the symptoms are very severe and bothersome, compromising and severely affecting the quality of life, it is always better to consult the doctor and seek treatment instead of silently suffering or self-medicating.
Do not think too much about acidity. As already mentioned you are not alone, almost one-quarter of women suffer from acidity during pregnancy. After delivery, your body comes back to normal and your acidity will subside. Many doctors around the world had successfully treated their patients during pregnancy with safe and effective medicines.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
Yes, you heard it right! You must have noticed that before or during stressful situations like attending an important meeting, an office presentation, interview or meeting someone special, you tend to experience acid reflux or heartburn which is commonly referred to as acidity.
Stress or anxiety once in a while does not pose much concern, but stress over a period of time can have deleterious effects on our bodies. And stress is directly correlated to acidity, implying the more stress you take the more you experience the symptoms of acid reflux or heartburn. It’s important to know how stress is related to acidity so that you can manage them both effectively.
Emotional stress can increase acid production in the stomach, aggravating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In people with GERD, the lower esophageal sphincter muscle (which acts as a door between the stomach and the esophagus) doesn’t work properly stress can increase the heartburn.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
The food we eat travels from our mouth to stomach via food pipe or oesophagus. The gastric acid produced in your stomach helps in the digestion of food.
Acidity, also known as acid reflux, occurs when the gastric juices mostly gastric acid from your stomach escape back to the food pipe. When the gastric acid produced in your stomach is present in your food pipe or oesophagus, it irritates the lining of the food pipe causing various symptoms like heartburn, nausea, etc.
Common symptoms of acidity include –
When you experience symptoms of acidity more than twice a week, it is called GERD or Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease.
Many factors contribute to GERD as mentioned below –
Nine out of 10 pregnant patients develop symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) by their third trimester. Medications may help control the symptoms and it usually goes away or improves after the delivery.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D
Stress in itself may not cause GERD, but it can aggravate your symptoms and severity.
Stress-related behavioural changes that lead to an increase in GERD symptoms –
Studies show that whenever we are stressed or anxious, we tend to experience more severe symptoms as we become more sensitive to gastric acids. It has to be noted that under stressful or anxious situations, one does not produce more gastric acid but becomes sensitive to even small amounts of gastric acids resulting in symptoms.
Research says that when a person is stressed, a lot of chemical changes happen in the brain, which in turn act on the pain receptors thus making the person more sensitive to pain. In GERD, when under stress a person becomes more sensitive to even a slight increase in gastric acid.
Stress also depletes a chemical called prostaglandin that helps in protecting your stomach from the ill effects of gastric acid, as a result, you will feel extreme discomfort from gastric acid.
Stress also alters the way the food pipe or oesophagus works. The muscles of the oesophagus and the sphincter of the oesophagus that prevents the backward flow of stomach acids is reduced thus resulting in symptoms of GERD.
Even before treating GERD, it is very important to get a proper diagnosis of GERD by your doctor. Management of GERD involves both lifestyle modifications that include stress coping mechanisms and medical treatment with medicines.
GERD symptoms reduce the quality of life, so it is always better to seek medical treatment. Your doctor upon assessing your condition will prescribe any or a combination of medicines to treat GERD.
It is important to note that stress not only affects your GERD symptoms but it also affects your overall health as it can cause various diseases of heart, irritable bowel syndrome and increases the risk of stroke. Studies have shown that even under medication for GERD, half of the people still find that stress increases their GERD symptoms. After knowing the science behind stress and its ill effects on your stomach, it is always better to manage your stress to control your GERD symptoms.
Exercise releases a natural feel-good hormone that in turn makes you feel relaxed and most importantly helps you forget your stressors to some extent.
For a few people, chocolate may trigger acidity and for others coffee or spicy and oily food. Know your trigger foods that trigger your acidity symptoms and avoid consuming them.
Stress and sleep are interrelated, if you don’t get enough sleep, stress hormones get released thus resulting in stress the next day. So, getting enough sleep must be your first priority as inadequate sleep also aggravates your symptoms.
Try relaxation techniques like yoga, tai chi and meditation. The demands of our daily hectic schedule are bound to drain us. These relaxation techniques help in exhaling the negative energy and inhaling the positivity while connecting to our inner selves. Relaxing helps in liberating the negative emotions inside you and reduces your stress and anxiety. Make meditation a part of your daily routine to release negativity and focus on things that you associate with calm, peace and happiness.
Dedicate a part of your day to pursuing your passion, engaging in your hobbies and doing things that bring you comfort and happiness. Modern life and its demands can exhaust us and it is so important to know when to give yourself a break and slow down. Even a small act of self care like taking yourself out for coffee or treating yourself to a movie night can be the solution to your stress.
Sometimes when the stress of your personal or professional life is weighing you down, it is always a good idea to seek help from your loved ones. Let your guard down, let go of your inhibitions and speak your mind out. Bottling up your emotions will only lead to added stress causing you to break down further. If you don’t want to talk to a known person, you can also opt for professional help.
More often than not we can turn to nobody but ourselves. You are your biggest supporter so it’s important that you treat yourself with compassion and love. Talk to yourself like you would talk to a close friend and instead of being harsh on yourself, understand and evaluate how you are feeling and how you can positively deal with it. Resort to positive affirmations to be kind to yourself.
In most circumstances, life is unpredictable and sometimes the challenges it throws at us is anything but under our control. So, next time when something doesn’t go the way you expected it to go, understand that dwelling on it will only instill more negative emotions in you. Instead, learn to accept change as it comes and look at the brighter side of things.
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Even though scientists are still working on the relationship between stress and acidity, it is important to identify and manage both. As both GERD and stress can negatively impact your quality of life along with deleterious effects on your body. You can successfully manage your stress with stress coping strategies but you should visit your doctor for the diagnosis and treatment of GERD.
It is important to note that some symptoms of stress and GERD coincide with chest pain, which is also a major symptom of a heart attack. It is always important to seek the help of a doctor when in doubt rather than self-diagnosing and self-treatment.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
Reference
1.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15184707/#:~:text=Affective%20and%20subjective%20stress%20ratings,depression%20to%20heartburn%20medication%20use.
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30347938/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28979749/
