IBS and pregnancy

[Peanut1]

Ladies,

I'm about 6 weeks pregnant after losing our first baby in February. As you can imagine I'm praying this pregnancy goes well. I suffer really bad with IBS c, which is the constipation type, which has gotten worse since pregnancy, this happened last time too. I get a lot of pain, bloating and gas which is worrying in itself, but stupidly I've been reading articles which link IBS to higher percentages of miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. Has any one else heard this or spoken to a doctor about it in the past?

Thanks

[gigglysheep]

Hey Peanut,

I suffer quite badly from constipation IBS and had a miscarriage at easter. I'm now 5wk+6 and I asked a similar question to my doc. There is no link and nearly a third of all women will have had a miscarriage at some point in their life as early miscarriages are common. But it does not mean that this one has any less of a chance to b fully healthy.

My IBS systems have shot through the roof recently and my doc said lactulose is very safe to use in the right dosages. Its more about getting the right food at this stage and it will help. More fibre, and lots of water.

Hope this helps. Don't stress as its not good for you or the baby. Congrats on baby!

xx

[ashy2005]

I have IBS also not nice esp in pregnancy with everything else happening, your body has a lot to deal with.. I was advised lots of fibre and to try those activia yogurts that are good for digestion..

Iv had 2 miscarriages both not related to IBS.. as I had tests done. Currently 38 weeks so try not to worry and focus on eating healthy things that will make you and baby feel good good luck and congrats xxx

[Hidden]

Me too I'm actually having hypnotherapy well basically it's relaxation tapes for mine as they have exhausted all the other remedies....mine got worse after 3 months I take syrup of figs which helps and try to eat cereals high in fibre they help a little I'm regular but never go to the toilet normally it's just pebbles all the time and not easy to pass, do feel for u but I've never heard about higher rates of miscarriage I've got 4 beautiful kids so don't stress too much xxx

[Hidden]

Ps if you like honey apparently that's fantastic for ibs....I can't stand the stuff x

[MohutT]

Also ask ur dr to give u some supplements like folic acic,pregna care plus which

Will help boost ur digestion and other related issues,currently my self i am taking folic

Acid and iron tablets also take lots of water.with me everymorning after one glass

Of water i go to the toilet

Also omega 3 is good at brain development. U will have a bright and clever kid when

Taking omega 3 it consist of all fish oil types

[earthchild]

2 misses, 1 ectopic both not related to IBS; only suffered from that afterwards (loose type). Strangely I found I stopped suffering through my pregnancy and read that the pregnancy hormone can do that. Dunno if that's just for diarrhea types though. 1.5 years on and I barely suffer from IBS anymore. Hope you find something that eases the discomfort you are feeling and hopefully, as your pregnancy progresses, your mind will ease. It's so hard to enjoy early pregnancy when you've suffered a loss before. If it eases your mind, keep going for check ups at hospital. I found mine were happy to give me a reassuring scan. Heart beat after 8 weeks too. X

[Hidden]

There is some debate in the science circles whether IBS is actually an autoimmune condition. For example microscopic colitis (an autoimmune condition) is often misdiagnosed as diarrhoea-predominant IBS. Another example is a study where patients with constipation-dominant IBS were found to have antibodies against certain hormones (sign of autoimmunity). The evidence however is very loose.

Saying that, it is quite often the case that autoimmune conditions bundle together (but not always) and a patient may have more than one autoimmune issue often undiagnosed. IBS has not been linked to miscarriages itself but other autoimmune conditions have increased risk e.g. hypothyroidism, lupus, celiac disease etc. It may be useful to look at your family history for any autoimmune conditions and discuss this with your doctor. Saying that, having IBS does not necessarily mean you have any other conditions. When two things are correlated, it does not mean that there is a causal relationship between them.

In my case, I am an IBS and hypothyroidism sufferer. I know that my IBS won't harm the baby but my hypothyroidism needs to be controlled.