What should pregnant women do if they have gallstones?

Gallstones are a disease in the biliary system and are closely related to people's living and eating habits. Pregnant women, as a special group, are also prone to developing gallstones, which is related to their blind nutritional supplements. In this case, dietary treatment is recommended without medication.

1. Gallstones are caused by irregular daily diet and excessive intake of high-fat, high-sugar, and high-cholesterol drinks or snacks. Over time, the contraction force of the gallbladder muscle will inevitably decrease, and bile emptying will be delayed, which can easily cause bile stasis, cholesterol crystallization and precipitation, forming gallstones. During pregnancy, the growth and development of the fetus is completely dependent on the mother. In order for the fetus to develop well, it is necessary to take in adequate nutrition. Protein, calcium, iron, vitamins and other nutrients must be taken in a balanced manner. Therefore, some pregnant women blindly supplement nutrition without paying attention to their diet, which leads to the formation of gallstones.

2. The treatment of gallstones in pregnant women should be determined based on the size, number and location of the gallstones. For asymptomatic gallstones during pregnancy, continued observation can be performed without any special treatment for the time being. Acute cholecystitis and gallstones during pregnancy, especially those occurring in early or late pregnancy, should generally be treated conservatively to avoid miscarriage or premature birth.

3. Principles of gallstone treatment:

1. Control your diet, especially foods with high fat content should be eaten less or even not eaten. If the disease is in the acute stage, fasting is required to reduce the burden on the digestive tract, lower cholesterol concentration, and reduce the formation of gallstones;

2. Gastrointestinal decompression, leaving the stomach tube in place, allowing the digestive tract to fully rest, and reducing pancreatic enzyme secretion to improve pancreatic inflammation;

3. Intravenous fluid infusion to maintain the daily needs of the mother and fetus;

4. Use broad-spectrum antibiotics that are harmless to the fetus to fight infection.

4. Generally speaking, after a few days of conservative treatment, the condition of most patients can be relieved or significantly improved. However, if cholecystitis recurs during pregnancy, conservative treatment is ineffective, the disease continues to progress, or serious complications (such as gallbladder necrosis, perforation, peritonitis, etc.) occur, surgical treatment should be considered. Experts remind pregnant women with gallstones to avoid surgery as much as possible. We can use traditional Chinese medicine to treat gallstones. Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on replenishing qi and blood, regulating yin and yang, and regulating the internal organs.