What is diarrhea? Is it an early sign of pregnancy? What causes the early pregnancy signs diarrhea? Is it a cause for concern? What are the other causes of diarrhea? How to deal with diarrhea? These are some of the frequently asked questions by pregnant women and I will try to answer these queries in this article.
Diarrhea: Watery or very loose bowel movement which happens frequently is called diarrhea. Most of us would have experienced this problem due to food poisoning sometime during our childhood and can recognize diarrhea easily.
Sign: Yes, diarrhea is an early sign of pregnancy though it is not a conclusive sign. Increased production of the hormone progesterone slows down the digestive system causing indigestion leading to early pregnancy signs diarrhea.
Causes: Pregnancy enthusiasm causing you to eat excessive and very rich food combined with the slowing down of digestive system during early pregnancy can cause diarrhea. Excessive water intake, unusual exercise routine can also cause diarrhea. Some women have allergic diarrhea due to vitamin tablets which will usually stop if you change the brand. If you are living in countries which have tropical diseases such as malaria, you have to be careful since these diseases also cause diarrhea.
Non-typhoid salmonella can induce trans-placental infection of the embryo and this will result in the mother having diarrhea. This is accompanied with cramps, mild fever and pain in the abdomen indicating gastroenteritis. A stool test can confirm this infection and antibiotics are given to treat this early pregnancy signs diarrhea.
Another cause for diarrhea is Giardia lamblia which is caused through contaminated water and contaminated food. They can also spread through close contact with an infected person like children in play school. With current technology a stool test can confirm this infection.
If there is severe and continued diarrhea a sigmoidoscopy can be done to confirm cause of diarrhea. Any inflammation or infection in digestive and bowel movement organs can be diagnosed with this technique and any internal bleeding or lesion can also be detected.
HELLP syndrome can reveal various symptoms other than early pregnancy signs diarrhea. They are jaundice, aches and pain in the shoulder and neck, unusual fatigue, tendency to vomit, early morning nausea, vision change, recurring headaches, gastric pain, tending to bleed etc. These symptoms are more likely in the latter half of pregnancy term and can be associated with unstable blood pressure, presence of protein in the urine and swelling in the urinary bladder.
Precautionary measures: Whatever the cause of diarrhea make it a point to see your gynecologist to avoid any major issues. Diarrhea causes dehydration and continued diarrhea can even cause renal shut down which is not at all good for the mother or the baby. Hence at the first early pregnancy signs of diarrhea see your DOCTOR and get a stool test done to diagnose cause of diarrhea and to take proper treatment.
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