Viral and bacterial diseases are considered dangerous enough for pregnant women. Even a commonplace cold can cause irreparable harm to the health of the expectant mother and prevent the proper development of the fetus. It is known that during this period it is forbidden to use any medicine. But sometimes situations arise when you can’t do without medications. Today's article will tell you how intestinal infection is treated during pregnancy. What to do and what drugs to take, you will learn further.
Symptoms and Causes
Intestinal infection during pregnancy is an infrequent but serious phenomenon. During the period of carrying a child, the expectant mother's immune defense decreases. Therefore, any microbe or virus can easily invade a defenseless organism. Intestinal infection, or intestinal flu, is no exception. The disease is transmitted through dirty hands, food, personal items, and water.
Intestinal infection during pregnancy proceeds in the same way as in its absence. The first signs are diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Expectant mothers may experience headaches, weakness, and fever. Pregnant women often confuse these symptoms with conventional toxicosis. If you have intestinal flu, then you should not self-medicate. To maintain their own health and normal development of the fetus, you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible. At the same time, you need to know how to treat acute intestinal infection during pregnancy. Consider the main drugs for the treatment of this condition.
Cleanse Toxins
Treatment of intestinal flu always involves the use of sorbents. These drugs will help cleanse the body of toxins that are secreted by germs. Most substances are excreted unchanged, they are not absorbed into the bloodstream. Therefore, the drugs are not able to harm the expectant mother and her baby. The most popular sorbents include activated carbon, Polysorb, Smecta, Enterosgel.
Women are wondering: is it possible to use activated carbon during pregnancy? Doctors say that this sorbent is absolutely safe. It collects toxins, gases and alkaloids on its surface. Do not remember that you need to take the drug in accordance with the appointment of a specialist or according to the instructions. When using large volumes, the sorbent will remove nutrients from the body, including vitamins.
Stop diarrhea
Not a single intestinal flu occurs without frequent stools. Diarrhea during pregnancy in the early stages, as well as in later ones, is dangerous. With diarrhea and vomiting, dehydration may occur. This is fraught with complications for the fetus and the woman herself. Is Smecta permitted during pregnancy? With diarrhea, this remedy is used quite often. In the indications for the use of the drug, diarrhea is really indicated. In addition, the medication has a cleansing effect. The drug is safe, as it is not absorbed into the blood. That is why in such situations, doctors appoint exactly Smecta during pregnancy.
With diarrhea, loperamide-based medications also help. But they are prohibited in the early stages. In the second and third trimester, antidiarrheal medicine can be taken only under the supervision of a doctor and with the expected benefit for the mother, which exceeds the risks for the child.
Diarrhea during pregnancy (in the early stages) can be stopped with the help of alternative recipes. Rice broth, porridge can eliminate this symptom. It will also be effective to take a few peas of black pepper. Doctors doubt these methods.
Restore water-salt balance
Intestinal infection during pregnancy can have the consequences of dehydration. This situation develops with profuse diarrhea and vomiting. That is why it is so important to consult a doctor on time. To restore the water-salt balance, special solutions are used. These are Hydrovit and Regidron. They are available in powder form for the preparation of a drink.
Take the medicine in small portions in several sips. It is important that the fluid has body temperature. In this case, it is absorbed as quickly as possible. Even with subsequent vomiting, therapy will be effective. If the expectant mother can not drink saline, then rehydration is carried out by intravenous administration of solutions.
Drugs for vomiting and nausea
Is intestinal infection dangerous during pregnancy? Of course! If you do not stop diarrhea and vomiting in time, then the consequences will be disastrous. Drugs based on domperidone will help cope with nausea and vomiting. They are available in tablets and in suspension. Means are allowed during pregnancy, but before using it is still better to consult a specialist. The drugs in which the active substance is domperidone include Motilium, Motilak, Motizhect, Passasix, and so on.
For treatment, medications with metoclopromide can be used. But they are prescribed to expectant mothers only from the second half of pregnancy. If you have already crossed this barrier, you can use them. Such funds include “Tserukal”, “Raglan”, “Perinorm”, “Metamol” and others.
Peppermint tablets, green tea, and chamomile broth will also help reduce discomfort and eliminate nausea. But all herbal remedies can be dangerous, as they relate to allergens.
Antiviral agents
Intestinal infection during pregnancy is most often caused by a virus. To increase immunity and eliminate pathogens, antiviral drugs are prescribed. The safest are the interferon inducers. These drugs make the body cope with the infection on its own, without interfering in this fight. Commonly used drugs are Ergoferon, Kipferon, Genferon, and so on.
There are also many other immunomodulators and antiviral compounds: Cycloferon, Isoprinosine, Tsitovir. But most of them are contraindicated during pregnancy. The question of the possibility of treatment with these drugs is taken by the doctor.
Are antibiotics needed?
Does intestinal infection require antibiotics? During pregnancy, the use of such drugs is prohibited. And the use of their use will be of little use. You already know that in most cases the disease is caused by a virus. Antibiotics can not cope with such an infection. But intestinal antiseptics can help the expectant mother.
The most commonly used drugs in which the active substance is nifuroxazide: "Ecofuril", "Enterofuril", "Stopdiar", "Ersefuril" and so on. Instructions for use of these drugs reports that so far no clinical data have been obtained regarding the use of medications during pregnancy. But doctors assure that all means are safe and are not able to be absorbed into the blood. And this means that their antiseptic effect is distributed exclusively in the intestine.
Antipyretic drugs: approved medicines and their use
Often accompanied by high fever, an acute intestinal infection. During pregnancy, fever can be very dangerous. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the values of the thermometer. In the normal state, antipyretic drugs are not used up to 38.5 degrees. But pregnancy is an exception.
Future mother needs to take antipyretic drugs already at a temperature of 37.5. The safest drug is Paracetamol. It is allowed at any time. The medicine is available in various forms for the convenience of the consumer. If the patient has severe vomiting, then it is advisable to use rectal suppositories. For diarrhea, tablets and capsules are recommended. In the second trimester of pregnancy, you can take ibuprofen-based products, such as Nurofen. Use such drugs only as needed and do not exceed the dose.
Probiotics for microflora
During intestinal flu, all beneficial bacteria are washed out of the body. But it is they that affect immunity and allow you to cope with many pathologies. Therefore, no treatment for intestinal infection is complete without the use of probiotics. All are considered safe during pregnancy. These are Linex, Acipol, Bifiform, Enterol, and so on.
Can activated carbon be combined with these agents during pregnancy? Sorbents combine well with probiotics, it is only important to observe a certain regimen. Cleansing compounds are used separately from all preparations. After their use, a probiotic or any other remedy can be taken only after two hours. Consult with your doctor and choose the most suitable scheme for yourself.
E. coli during pregnancy
This pathology is separately considered. It does not apply to intestinal flu and other diseases of the digestive system. E. coli during pregnancy can be detected quite by accident. Normally, it is in the intestine, but can sometimes enter the vagina or urethra. Usually the reason for this is lack of hygiene, wearing tight underwear and thongs, improper washing technique and so on.
At the very beginning, the pathology does not manifest itself in any way and is determined exclusively in the laboratory. But later, obvious signs of her presence may begin: cystitis, unusual vaginal discharge, itching, and so on. This condition is quite dangerous. Therefore, E. coli must be treated. Usually antibiotics are used for this. They can be used from the end of the second trimester of pregnancy. In more detail about the drugs, the duration of their use and the regimen is worth finding out from your gynecologist.
Summarize
An intestinal infection that started during pregnancy can be dangerous. But if you consult a doctor on time and get a competent appointment, then unpleasant consequences can be avoided. Most often, the negative impact of pathology is noted at the beginning of pregnancy. Indeed, in the first trimester, a future mother can not take many medicines, and this disease is difficult to eliminate without them. Therefore, in the very early stages, try to be especially careful about your health. The main prevention of intestinal flu is hygiene. Wash your hands often; do not use other people's towels. Try to use antibacterial antiseptic gels outside the home.
If the first symptoms of the disease appear, then do not attribute them to toxicosis. See your doctor for an examination and proper diagnosis. Be healthy!