What to do if you have gastroenteritis in late pregnancy?

Generally speaking, a woman's body will undergo many changes starting from the time she becomes pregnant. She will experience early pregnancy reactions in the early stages of pregnancy, and some people will experience symptoms of gastroenteritis in the late stages of pregnancy. If a pregnant woman has gastrointestinal diseases, they generally include morning sickness, constipation, appendicitis, etc. Since you cannot take medicine casually during pregnancy, when you suffer from gastroenteritis, you must seek treatment as soon as possible to avoid affecting the baby's growth and development.

What to do if pregnant women have gastroenteritis

1. Fasting

You can try fasting for one or two meals to give your stomach and intestines a rest and expel the unclean things you have eaten previously (which may be food, medicine, bacteria or viruses) as soon as possible through diarrhea. Generally, the vomiting will subside first, and you may also feel a little nausea and upper abdominal discomfort.

2. Eat small amounts

Afterwards, you can eat a small amount of non-greasy food or fruit such as porridge, white toast, etc. to avoid cold sweats and fainting due to low blood sugar.

3. Stay hydrated

If severe diarrhea causes a large loss of water and electrolytes, causing you to feel dizzy and weak, supplementing with sports drinks will improve the discomfort. The amount to supplement depends on the severity of the diarrhea.

4. Do not take IV drips or medications at will.

If severe acute gastroenteritis occurs, you can take appropriate medications according to the doctor's instructions to relieve symptoms. If you have a fever, bloody diarrhea and suspect infectious enteritis, please do not take antidiarrheal drugs on your own to avoid worsening of the condition.

It is not recommended for pregnant women to go to the hospital for intravenous drips unless they are infected with cholera or in shock, are unconscious, have severe vomiting and are unable to eat.

5. Do not take antibiotics

Oral antibiotics are only used in a few cases of severe infectious enteritis and diarrhea during travel, because acute gastroenteritis, even if it is a bacterial infection, will mostly heal and there is no need to take such drugs.

Symptoms of gastroenteritis in pregnant women

1. Increased progesterone causes morning sickness

An increase in the concentration of progesterone hormone will reduce the activity of the gastrointestinal smooth muscles, causing gastrointestinal disorders and vomiting during pregnancy.

2. 40% of pregnant women suffer from constipation

According to research, the average small intestinal food transit time of pregnant women will become longer and longer. Non-pregnant women generally take 75 minutes, and in the first three months of pregnancy it takes 99 minutes.

The gastrointestinal condition of pregnant women is much worse than usual. If the fiber intake is less, even 40% of pregnant women will suffer from constipation.

3. Hereditary enteritis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease are two types of enteritis in pregnant women that are more closely related to immunity and family inheritance. In addition to long-term chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and other enteritis symptoms, they are often accompanied by arthritis, giant rectum, etc., and a few are even combined with cancer. He reminded that if pregnant women have persistent diarrhea and the above-mentioned combined symptoms, please contact specialists and obstetricians and gynecologists for consultation to avoid delaying the disease.

4. Pregnant women have many complications of appendicitis

Nausea, vomiting, and anorexia are common symptoms among pregnant women, as are the symptoms of appendicitis in pregnant women. Chen Taichang said that as the pregnancy weeks increase, the uterus also grows, and the appendix is ​​no longer in its normal position, but will move upward, outward, and even toward the waist and back, increasing the difficulty for doctors to diagnose.

In addition, when considering appendicitis, you must also think about whether it is premature uterine contractions, nephritis, kidney stone pain, early placental abruption, uterine fibroid pain, etc. In addition, there are many complications of appendicitis in pregnant women, such as miscarriage, premature birth, and even stillbirth. Surgical removal of the appendix is ​​a necessary and timely effective treatment.