Gastric pain causes extremely unpleasant sensations and often requires complex treatment. It very often appears during pregnancy and can be caused by a number of reasons. Sometimes pain is associated with dangerous diseases and carries a threat to the expectant mother and fetus. It is important to recognize in time the nature of the discomfort and, if necessary, conduct treatment. About why the stomach hurts in early pregnancy, we will tell in our article. Be sure to dwell on possible treatment options, including traditional and alternative medicine.
How to understand that the stomach hurts?
It will be difficult for a woman who first encountered discomfort in the upper abdomen during pregnancy to immediately determine what exactly hurts her: stomach or intestines. Meanwhile, to understand this is extremely necessary for proper and timely treatment.
Heaviness in the stomach in early pregnancy occurs above the navel in the left hypochondrium. Pain can be of a different nature and intensity. But intestinal colic is diagnosed by unpleasant sensations in the abdomen below the navel. Sometimes pain can occur after eating, so a woman should watch her sensations to find out which foods cause discomfort.
Causes of stomach pain during pregnancy
According to statistics, approximately 12% of women during the period of gestation have an exacerbation of diseases of the digestive tract, in particular gastritis. In addition, the following causes can cause pain in early pregnancy:
- Gastric or duodenal ulcer, duodenitis, gastritis. Pain, as a rule, occurs after consuming spicy, oily and other heavy food for the body and passes after light liquid cereals and milk.
- Constipation This problem is relevant at different times for at least half of all pregnant women.
- Infectious viral diseases. In this case, pain in the stomach is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms: nausea, vomiting, etc.
- Improper and irrational nutrition. This is mainly about overeating and irregular meals, which can cause indigestion in early pregnancy.
- Uterine pressure on the stomach. As the fetus grows, the internal organs shift slightly to the side. In turn, this causes pressure on each of them, and painful sensations are associated with this.
- Toxicosis. In the early stages of pregnancy, this condition is often accompanied not only by nausea and vomiting in the morning, but also by pain in the stomach.
- Heartburn. Acid belching and a burning sensation in the mouth often occur during pregnancy. Heartburn is associated with the ingress of acid from the stomach into the esophagus as a result of eating foods that increase pH acidity and irritate the mucosa, but there are other reasons.
- Stressful situations.
Nature of pain
A woman during the period of bearing the fetus may feel discomfort in the abdomen of different intensities. If the stomach hurts in the early stages of pregnancy, the pain can be dull, sharp, aching, pressing, accompanied by burning and cutting. For the correct diagnosis, it is important to determine after the use of which products it occurs. For example, it can appear after eating spicy, salty, smoked, etc. Usually, such food irritates the mucous membrane, causing pain and burning in the stomach.
With an exacerbation of chronic gastritis, the sensations will be slightly different. As a rule, in this state, a woman feels dull pain in the stomach. But with a peptic ulcer, the sensations are very strong and arise at night or between meals. Depending on the nature of the pain, the doctor diagnoses the disease and prescribes appropriate treatment.
Dangerous symptoms
A barely perceptible and pulling pain in the abdomen can be attributed to hormonal changes in the body, because it is during this period of a woman's life that her organs and systems begin to work somewhat differently. These are physiological changes that are considered a variant of the norm, which cannot be said about intense painful sensations of a cutting nature. For example, even an upset stomach during early pregnancy can be a symptom of dangerous food poisoning.
A future mother should immediately seek medical help if she has the following symptoms at the same time as pain in her stomach:
- cramping spasms;
- severe nausea and vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- feces with blood;
- fatigue, depression, lack of appetite.
The signs listed above can be symptoms of a dangerous disease that requires emergency care, and often hospitalization.
Stomach pain in late pregnancy
Unpleasant sensations in the upper abdomen can periodically disturb a woman throughout the entire period of gestation. But if in the early stages of pregnancy the stomach hurts, as a rule, due to toxicosis and exacerbation of chronic diseases, then after the 27th week a certain discomfort in this area is considered normal. The fact is that the growing uterus exerts a certain pressure on the organs located in the upper abdomen. This in turn leads to disruptions in the functioning of the stomach. As a result of the fact that food is poorly digested and stagnates in the stomach, there is a feeling of heaviness, pain, belching, nausea and heartburn.
As a rule, a woman's condition improves only at 37-39 weeks of pregnancy. The body begins to prepare for the upcoming birth, as a result of which the uterus lowers, and the pressure on the stomach decreases. In this case, the cause of the pain can only be the development of another disease of the gastrointestinal tract or infection. To make the correct diagnosis, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
Gastritis in pregnant women
As noted above, pain in the stomach during gestation can occur for various reasons. The most common of these is gastritis. In early pregnancy, the stomach hurts during an acute attack or with an exacerbation of this chronic disease. The reason for this condition lies in poor nutrition, allergic reactions of the body, and frequent stressful situations. Gastritis can be aggravated due to food poisoning and due to repeated vomiting with toxicosis.
The intensity of pain in an acute attack and a chronic disease will be different. In the first case, the process develops rapidly and proceeds harder. The pregnant woman feels cramps and pains in the stomach, nausea, weakness, fever, chills. The main cause of acute gastritis is bacteria. Treatment is carried out with the use of drugs that suppress or increase the acidity of the stomach with strict adherence to a special diet.
With exacerbation of chronic gastritis, dull and pressing pains in the stomach appear immediately after eating or with food. They are accompanied by heartburn, nausea, belching, rumbling in the stomach, a feeling of heaviness. To suppress the symptoms of the disease, a diet is prescribed. The patient is strictly forbidden to eat sour, salty, smoked and fried foods.
Traditional treatment
It is worth noting immediately that there can be no talk of any self-medication during pregnancy. Only a gastroenterologist or, as a last resort, therapist should determine why the stomach hurts. Treatment in early pregnancy should be especially careful so as not to harm the fetus. It will also pass strictly under the supervision of a doctor.
According to the results of the tests, the gastroenterologist can prescribe the following medicines and tablets for the stomach:
- Iberogast is a phytopreparation based on liquid extracts of lemon balm, peppermint, chamomile, licorice root and other medicinal plants.
- "Gastrofarm" is a preparation containing the bacteria Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and which has a protective effect on the gastric mucosa.
- "Cerucal" is an antiemetic drug to eliminate nausea and improve intestinal motility.
- "No-spa" - has an analgesic and antispasmodic effect on the walls of the stomach and intestines.
- "Maalox" is an antacid drug that neutralizes free hydrochloric acid of gastric juice and eliminates heartburn, nausea and stomach pain.
- "Gastal" is a combined antacid drug that reduces high acidity to a physiological level.
What can be done from the stomach during pregnancy, only a doctor will determine. Some drugs may have side effects that, if uncontrolled, cause a risk to the fetus. For a woman in a position, the most sparing are homeopathic medicines:
- "Gastricumel" - has anti-inflammatory and sedative effects in acute gastritis and exacerbation of a chronic disease.
- "Spaskuprel" - has an analgesic, antispasmodic, anticonvulsant and antiemetic effect.
- "Nux vomica-Homaccord" is a homeopathic remedy for antispasmodic action that does not have side effects and has no contraindications.
In addition to traditional tablets for the stomach, there are several effective alternative methods of eliminating pain in this area. Some of them are allowed in the early stages of pregnancy.
Traditional medicine recipes
At an early stage of pregnancy, to eliminate unpleasant sensations in the epigastric region, a woman is allowed to drink herbal infusions and decoctions. They are also taken as prescribed by the doctor, usually half a glass half an hour before meals.
If the stomach hurts in the early stages of pregnancy, the folk recipes offered below will help stop the attack of pain, relieve inflammation and cramps:
- For gastritis with low acidity, it is recommended to take infusions of chamomile, calendula, plantain, fennel, St. John's wort, currant and strawberry leaves.
- With gastritis with high acidity, yarrow extracts and belladonna help. Potato and carrot juice will help reduce the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. They should be consumed on an empty stomach 30 minutes before the main meal.
- In the absence of an allergy to honey, it can also be taken for pain in the stomach. It will be enough to dissolve a teaspoon of this beekeeping product before eating or dissolve it in water.
- Mineral water. For pain in the stomach, it is recommended to drink half a glass of mineral water without gas before meals, for example, Borjomi (for gastritis with high acidity) or Essentuki (for low acidity).
Many women in the period of bearing a baby are interested in whether it is possible to mint during pregnancy. Indeed, the infusions of lemon balm and peppermint have an antispasmodic effect and relax the smooth muscles of the stomach and intestines.
What is good for the stomach during pregnancy?
Often, stomach cramps in a woman carrying a baby appear after eating certain foods. During this period, it is recommended to observe proper nutrition, refuse to use acidic and spicy. Such food is irritating to the walls of the stomach and intestines. It is also not recommended to take long breaks between meals, which can cause pain and heaviness in the abdomen.
Diet during pregnancy is essential. To avoid pain, you need only eat what is good for the stomach, eliminate junk food and add vitamins. The composition of your daily menu should include:
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- dairy products;
- honey;
- mineral water without gas;
- low-fat varieties of meat and fish;
- cereals;
- whole grain or bran bread;
- durum wheat pasta.
To avoid the occurrence of constipation, which is often observed during pregnancy, a woman is recommended to include prunes, raisins and other dried fruits in the diet. But baking, cakes and other harmful sweets from your menu should be excluded.
Prevention
For stomach pain during pregnancy, it is imperative to consult a gastroenterologist to rule out infectious diseases. If these are physiological processes in the body caused by hormonal changes and stress, the doctor may recommend sedatives or herbal infusions. Before taking them, you must definitely check with your gastroenterologist if mint is possible during pregnancy.
To reduce pain attacks or completely eliminate them, you should adhere to certain rules:
- Eat often, 5-6 times a day, but in small portions.
- Do not eat at night.
- Do not overeat during the day.
- Do not eat fast food, spicy, salty, smoked dishes.
- Drink at least 2.5 liters of water per day, preferably mineral without gas.
- Avoid stressful situations.
- Do not go to bed immediately after eating. It is advisable to have dinner no later than 19 hours.
- As a snack, eat bananas and dried fruits, not sandwiches.
Nutrition during pregnancy directly affects the well-being of a woman. To avoid pain in the stomach, you should follow a certain diet, eat balanced, more likely to be in the fresh air, not to lift weights. This will allow you to endure and give birth to a healthy baby on time, without harming him and himself.