irritable bowel syndrome and pregnancy
Please remember that none of the information on this site is intended to provide medical advice or replace your doctor - it is all written by IBS sufferers, not medical professionals.
Irritable bowel syndrome and pregnancy seems to be a subject which has been a little neglected. All the IBS books I own (and I own a lot) barely mention pregnancy, which is a little odd when you think that a huge number of women of child-bearing age suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
However, what that lack of information does show is that pregnancy does not have to be a big issue for an IBS sufferer - while it may affect your symptoms, it certainly does not mean that you cannot conceive normally and have a fairly comfortable pregnancy.
I am collecting personal stories of IBS and pregnancy - please contact me if you would like to share your own story.
Fertility
There is no real reason why irritable bowel syndrome should affect your ability to conceive, and infertility is not listed as one of the symptoms of IBS in the Rome II criteria, the standard diagnostic criteria for IBS (you can find the criteria in the Introduction to IBS article).
However, other conditions such as endometriosis, which can have similar symptoms to IBS, can have a huge effect on fertility, and so it is important to seek medical advice before assuming you have IBS.
Pregnancy experiences
There is no doubt that pregnancy can have a definite effect on your IBS symptoms - the only problem is that it is difficult to predict what that effect will be. Some women report that they are entirely symptom-free for the whole nine months, while others have a terrible struggle. And even women who do not suffer from IBS can find that their bowels are affected by the pregnancy.
Ruth says: "Problems with my bowel didn't start till I was pregnant with my second child two years or more ago. It started with bouts of constipation followed by really painful and upsetting severe diarrhea during the nights. Being pregnant, the stomach spasms would always feel like contractions. My doctor prescribed Lactulose. By the third time of constipation I was convinced I had something seriously wrong, bowel cancer or something."
Bonnie says: "I think having another baby has helped a lot with my stomach problems...I know that may sound strange but getting pregnant kinda helped." Blue found that her previously controlled symptoms flared up during her pregnancy: "When I got pregnant and things became more difficult. After the pregnancy, my fluctuating hormones affected my symptoms and I begged a Harvard-trained gastroenterologist at my clinic to test me."
To read more personal experiences of IBS and pregnancy take a look at the pregnancy tales
Constipation
One thing that does seem predictable is that if you are prone to constipation it might get worse during pregnancy. Even women who are normally regular and don't suffer from irritable bowel syndrome can become constipated - around 20 per cent of pregnant women report that they have suffered from constipation.
The reason for this is that pregnancy causes an increase in the level of the hormone progesterone, which can make your digestive system slow down because it causes muscles to relax. Other factors which can cause constipation include:
- iron tablets, which some women use during their pregnancy
- lack of exercise during pregnancy
- changes in diet.
- the physical pressure of the baby on the bowel.
Medication during pregnancy must, of course, be carefully monitored, and so it is best to treat constipation with standard methods such as a high fibre diet, and foods such as fruit, vegetables, wholemeal bread and high fibre breakfast cereals. Remember, though, that if your IBS is made worse by food intolerances such as wheat intolerance then adding more bran to your diet will make things worse rather than better.
Some other suggestions include:
- make sure you are drinking plenty of water
- remember to exercise
- warm water before breakfast can sometimes stimulate the bowel.
You could also try using fibre supplements such as Metamucil or Citrucel (US) or Normacol and Celevac (UK). These are simple fibre products that should be safe to take over long periods. If these do not help your doctor should be able to recommend a gentle laxative.
Your pregnancy stories
Some IBS Tales visitors have kindly sent in their pregnancy and IBS experiences - the pregnancy tales tell their stories.
Have you survived irritable bowel syndrome and pregnancy? If so, I would love to hear about your experiences and share them with other sufferers. If you would like to get in touch then visit the Contact me page.