Constipation symptoms are among the most common digestive issues in pregnancy and affect about half of pregnant people. If I asked you, “do you suffer from constipation?” how would you answer? A lot of pregnant women are constipated without knowing it!
The functional definition of constipation, less than one bowel movement per day, differs from the pathological definition. The pathological perspective focuses on identifying disease states. By contrast, the functional perspective focuses on maximizing good health and well-being in both you and your baby. Neither of these perspectives is wrong, and the medical and functional health perspectives work well together when wisely integrated.
What are constipation symptoms of pregnancy?
Pregnant people often experience constipation due to an increase in certain hormones, such as progesterone, that ultimately slow the transit of stool in the colon. Constipation can include infrequent stools that may be dry or hard to pass. Some people report hemorrhoids, pain, and cramping, as well.
Ideally, you’d have at least one well-formed bowel movement per day. Some people report having bowel movements less frequently. While that may feel normal to you, it’s not optimal, especially during pregnancy.
As your baby grows, you will feel more pressure on your lungs, bladder, and intestines. The more full your colon is of fecal matter and gas, the more uncomfortable you will eventually become.
What are some common causes of constipation?
- Hormonal changes during pregnancy can change how often you have bowel movements. In particular, the increased levels of progesterone and relaxin during pregnancy relax the colon, reduce peristalsis, and slow stool’s journey through the colon. These changes may lead to less frequent bowel movements than is healthy or normal for you.
- Some iron-containing multivitamins or à-la-carte iron supplements can cause or worsen constipation.
- A lack of magnesium relative to calcium can cause or aggravate constipation.
- Dehydration can also be a major underlying contributor to constipation.
What can I do about constipation symptoms of pregnancy?
Below are some tips to help you prevent, limit, and address constipation. However, additional troubleshooting and fine-tuning are necessary to address the problem.
Strategies to follow
- Hydration: Ensuring proper hydration and an adequate intake of vegetables and fruits is very helpful to most pregnant people when they experience constipation.
- Appropriate exercise: Gentle daily activity encourages regular bowel movements. Unless you’re on medically ordered bedrest, consider taking a daily walk or signing up for a prenatal water exercise class, prenatal yoga class, or another appropriate form of physical activity.
- Nutrition: Eat a nutrient-dense whole-food diet with plenty of vegetables, especially cooked vegetables. Chew your food thoroughly to optimize digestion.
- Consider a probiotic: Probiotics are vital for good gut health and can promote regularity. Your nutritional therapist can help you choose a formula that matches your needs and won’t make constipation even worse!
- Check your supplements: Some iron supplements cause or aggravate constipation. Excess calcium supplementation (in isolated calcium supplements, in antacids such as Tums®, or even in a prenatal) can drive down your magnesium and cause or aggravate constipation. Vitamin D supplementation raises calcium and lowers magnesium, so taking vitamin D even without calcium supplements can deplete magnesium. Ask your nutritional therapist for help in coming up with a supplement regimen that provides the nutrients you need without causing constipation.
- Magnesium supplementation: If you’re low on magnesium, you are more likely to experience constipation. This mineral helps bowels contract and relax appropriately, thus promoting regularity. Magnesium glycinate is gentle and effective for most people. You can try 100-200 mg at bedtime.
- Try using a “Squatty potty“: This is essentially a stool that changes your position while sitting on the toilet. It reduces straining and helps optimize bowel movements.
- If all else fails, a regular cleansing enema (sterile saline solution) is acceptable on occasion unless you have a medical condition that would contraindicate its use. Read more about enema and pregnancy here.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Don’t take laxative products, whether pharmaceutical or herbal, unless you’ve checked with your doctor, midwife, or nutritional therapist that every ingredient in the product is safe for pregnancy and a good match for your body.
- Avoid anything containing aloe or cascara sagrada. Also, avoid castor oil (internally and externally) and coffee enemas. These are potentially too dehydrating and detoxifying for use during pregnancy. Furthermore, some laxative herbs may deplete your electrolytes and stimulate uterine contractions as well as intestinal cramps.
- Don’t strain when on the toilet. You could stress, injure, or weaken the muscles and vasculature in the rectum, anus, or perineum.
- Avoid depending on enemas to have bowel movements. Regular use could eventually strip your body of nutrients. That being said, the occasional saline enema is safe for most pregnant women and can bring relief if you’re “backed up.” Check with your healthcare provider if you are unsure whether it is appropriate for you.
- Don’t use coffee enemas during pregnancy. They deplete electrolytes and are too detoxifying for use during pregnancy.
If you have less than one bowel movement per day regularly, don’t hesitate to contact me. We can work together to troubleshoot constipation.
The Feed Your Pregnant Body!™ Program can help you support your pregnant clients
If you’re a practitioner wanting to learn how to support your clients with confidence through common nutrition and health concerns that occur during pregnancy, you can learn more about my training program here. Or email me with any questions at sara@sararussellntp.com.