IBS and Pregnancy

[PumpkinPatch000]

Hello,

Has anyone got any advice for someone who suffers from IBS? i'm only 4+4 but having a lot of flare ups over the past two days and prior to being pregnant I had it under control. The pain has been so bad it's made be sick and TMI things aren't as regular as they should be.

Thanks is advance x

Hi there!

I had the same issue and after a lot of random searching on the internet, I found the resources quite thin on the ground. It seems to differ from woman to woman and also depends on the type of IBS you have.

I used to have flare ups during my period and I found that the early symptoms of pregnancy ibs to be similar.

Long story short, I ended up visiting occupational health with work and the Dr I saw stated that the two (ibs flare up and early pregnancy) was unlikely to but related at this stage in the pregnancy due to the size of the baby. I was 9 weeks when I went. He also said that as the baby grows ibs will get worse due to the pressure on the bowel.

From my perspective, this totally negated my experience of early pregnancy ibs, he seemed happy to blame it on my eating habits. Of course, he is the medical professional but as I said I do think early hormones factor into some what. Particularly as you said, you had it under control previously.

Mine did get better as the first trimester went on but was replaced with some heavy duty constipation. I would attribute that to the pregnicare vitamins I was taking but to be frank, it was something of a relief after several weeks of the other type of flare ups.

Getting towards the end of the second trimester now and it's started back up as the GP suggested it would. It seems to be triggered by the baby's movements but is more predictable and therefore more manageable then it was in the early weeks. My ways of managing it have been the following : peppermint tea (I use the Harrogate brand they are expensive but they work for me as they are not as weak as other brands) , continuing to take to vitamins and treating the constipation with diet, and avoiding fried foods. This seems to be working okay.

I'm not sure if that method will work for you, as you said you will managing it before. It may be that you to have to step up your own routines or bear with it until it passes if you're not in too much pain.

There is the option of going to your GP but there's not much they can do unless you want to take prescription anti-spasmodics. If that's what you want, maybe book an appointment to discuss with them. They might be able to give you information on diet but I'm sure you know that already.

I really hope this helps, it can be hard to find information but this is what I found with my ibs and pregnancy.

Best of luck with everything and congratulations on the pregnancy. Hope you feel better soon.

First trimester was he'll for my IBS- I was in so much pain with bloating they thought it was ectopic. Thankfully it got better 2nd trimester onwards. I just took paracetamol when needed. I can't take laxatives as they irritate me and cause the opposite effect in even tiny doses!

My IBS was bad the first few weeks of pregnancy pain and loose stools, then when I hit 6 weeks much better now I'm 8 weeks terrible again pain and loose stools, apparently it's the hormones and everyone is different I can only guess mine got worse at 8 weeks cause of the hormonal surge cause my sickness got worse too. It's normal to have flare up's tho I would only be concerned if you had lots of loose stools or if you were constipated for days they can give something to help both but drink lots of water hydration is key 🙂.

I weirdly found mine was a lot better - I wondered if it was because i was drinking a lot of water (more than usual even) and was steering clear of so many foods/caffeine (and of course, booze!).

Some people it's worse and others say it gets better. I think it depends on the person. The issue I had was when i was blocked up a little bit of lactose went a long way!!! I have basically been having an activia yogurt a day and that has really helped (or psychologically it helped). ironically however, i tend towards things being generally looser so it actually helped a bit. Funny how things work out....

Can you speak to your GP about it? They might be able to get you a referral for a dietitian while you're pregnant....

It’s hard for me to tell what’s ibs and what’s pregnancy as they are similar to me! Bloating, gas, feeling full.

I have noticed that stinking less caffeine and more water is helping me a bit and I seem to be a bit less constipated. I am keeping a Etsy in my bowel movements thought and taking movicol if things get clogged up.

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for all your responses. It's good to know i'm not alone with this.

@Redpandamonkey I agree with you, I'm sure the hormones do affect IBS. It seems too much of a coincidence that previously it was under control and then suddenly not. Prior to getting pregnant, I hadn't had a flare up for more than 2 years.

Sorry to hear your IBS has flared up again in the second trimester but it's so good you are finding ways to control it. I will definitely take on board all of those things and hopefully they will help me also. I'd rather try the control it through my diet if possible before having to take anything but lets see, only time will tell I guess.

I'm going to aim to drink more and snack regularly on foods with high fibre. Up until now I don't snack at all so hoping that will help.

Thank you for the congratulations and kind words. It's early days and hasn't sunk in yet. I kind of forget and then it pops into my head and I get excited! Then try not to be too excited as it's early days. Very strange at the moment

@awankstainonhumanity so sorry to hear your iBS was so bad in the first trimester. Maybe it's because your body is going through so much during that stage where the baby is starting to 'form'. Glad to hear it got better throughout your pregnancy though.

@Helen290 it must be frustrating the IBS is so up and down as it's harder to control and know what to do. I'm glad i'm aware of that now so I know what to expect and will worry less. Trying to drink lots of water, which is pretty easy as i'm so thirsty any way!

@CL1982 ah that's interesting, your IBS was better! Maybe more water is the answer... The lactose idea would also work for me if i'm desperate as i'm completely intolerant to dairy. Something i'd rather avoid if I can as i'm worried if it puts strain on my body what could happen... probably just over thinking things... also scared the baby might have the same intolerance if they don't have it though! Maybe seeing if i can be referred to a dietician would be a good idea as it would also help with that side of things too. I hadn't thought of that, thank you.

@LaurG yes the bloating is real! So bloated it's horrible!

Thanks again to everyone for your support! x

I’m now 37 weeks and my IBS has been up and down this whole time!

I was horribly bloated for the first trimester, I was prescribed lactulose and bought some fybogel which helped. I found drinking anything fizzy or pure fruit juices made it worse, as did eating fruit in the evening! I was advised to stop taking vitamins at 16 weeks and things did improve.

In the third trimester things ramped up a bit and I had a lot of acid reflux/heartburn that would wake me up at night. I also had some bleeding ‘from behind!’ I ended up being prescribed omeprazole a couple of weeks ago and only take one if it’s a bad day. It’s made a massive difference!

Eating often also helps so there isn’t acid left sitting on its own in the stomach. Avoiding spicy or fried food was also advised. Try and prop yourself up in bed if you can.

Good luck!

In my first trimester, well up until about 16 weeks, my HG was really bad so my diet was appalling, I was permanently dehydrated, mostly immobile, and I was taking an anti-emetic that constipates you, so...yeah, that wasn't fun. I had constipation so bad at one point it lead to anal fissure and I swear my bum will never be the same again . Horrendous.

Once that calmed down and I came off my medication, I've had loose stools every morning and sometimes it continues into the afternoon too. Gross, but a lot better than the above. My IBS was generally well-controlled prior to pregnancy as well, and I used to take occasional Buscopan tablets when I had any problems but the GP told me that wasn't really deemed safe in pregnancy so have not been able to take them, which is a shame as I've always found them very helpful.

The only tips I have are the basics:

• Lots of water
• Diet is key - try to avoid things that you know are triggers (I have several random ones...very greasy food, mustard, spring onions, spicy food etc), and eat well, with the 5 portions of fruit and veg for fibre
• Peppermint tea is very helpful for me for the diarrhea side of things, I keep some at work too and it has been a lifesaver
• Hot water bottle and warm showers for cramps/uncomfortable bloating

I'm 20 weeks now btw.

My IBS was pretty much under control pre pregnancy, then about 6 weeks in I was in horrendous pain and they thought I was eptopic or having a miscarriage but had tests so must have been IBS. I have been eating gluten free foods and lactose free cheese where possible which has reduced all pain. I am still very bunged up which makes my nausea worse. Hopefully it will get better for us all soon xxx

@PumpkinPatch000 I agree. I have a wheat allergy and I worry not eating wheat will mean bubs won't be able to 🤔

Don't go too nuts on the lactolose I'd say. If I take too much the, Er, flood gates open!! It's one extreme to the other. Having lots of probiotics really helped as well actually....?