Change in fecal color in pregnancy

Having noticed changes in the color of feces during pregnancy, women begin to worry and even get seriously scared, thinking that this is a symptom of a dangerous disease. From this article you will learn why the color of feces changes in pregnant women, whether this is a threat to health and when it is time to sound the alarm.

Pregnancy initiates a process of restructuring the body, which begins to prepare for bearing a child. Due to revolutionary changes, the pregnant woman may experience a change in the shade and consistency of her feces.

Causes of Changes in Stool Color During Pregnancy

The foods a woman eats also have a strong effect on the nature of her feces. When a woman includes a lot of leafy green vegetables in her menu, green feces appear during pregnancy. And significant amounts of dark-colored berries (currants, blueberries), and bloody meat by-products in the menu will give the stool a dark shade.

Medicines can also change the color of stool. Taking activated carbon, which helps with intoxication due to poor-quality food, gastrointestinal disorders, and poisoning, causes the stool to change to black. With pregnancy, you need to be especially careful when choosing medications, since the body's reaction can be unpredictable even to familiar drugs. For example, activated carbon removes not only toxins, but also nutrients, which can have a negative effect on the development of pregnancy. Dark stool during pregnancy can occur as a result of taking special vitamins for expecting and nursing women: they contain an increased dosage of iron. The microelement is responsible for maintaining normal hemoglobin levels in the blood, and during pregnancy, the female body's need for iron doubles. Iron that enters the body along with vitamins does not completely enter the blood, since the body can absorb no more than 2 milligrams per day. Excess microelement is utilized and then excreted from the body along with feces, so its color becomes dark.

Orange stool during pregnancy is determined by food and some medications. If the menu is rich in vegetables and fruits of yellow and orange colors - mango, apricots, pumpkin, carrots - the stool becomes orange. Supplements with beta-carotene and drugs based on rifampicin give the same effect.

The so-called "sheep feces" during pregnancy, when the feces are very dense and are excreted in small round fragments, indicates a spastic form of constipation. This is due to intestinal hypertonicity and slow peristalsis.

When is it time to worry?

There are also more threatening reasons for such changes, when special treatment will be required to change the color of feces during pregnancy. The stool changes its character due to liver dysfunction, infections, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, colitis. Let's dwell on this in more detail. Liver diseases (hepatosis, hepatitis, cirrhosis, fibrosis) change the color of feces to green. Dysbacteriosis causes digestive disorders, and fermentation and putrefaction processes rapidly develop inside the intestines, ultimately giving the stool a green color. The pathogenesis of infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is similar to the processes that accompany dysbacteriosis. They are accompanied by high fever, acute abdominal pain, loose stools, nausea and vomiting. Green feces are also characteristic of intestinal inflammation - colitis. A complex form of the disease can even cause the release of pus and blood, which come out with the stool. This disease can cause serious harm and even lead to the death of a pregnant woman and her child.

Light-colored stool during pregnancy may appear for completely harmless reasons (a menu rich in dairy products or plant products), or it may be a manifestation of pathology. Infections such as hepatitis or pancreatitis disrupt the functioning of the liver and pancreas. Because of this, too little bile is produced and the stool becomes light-colored. White stool during pregnancy may also signal a dysfunction of the digestive system and a disruption in the intestinal cleansing process. Very light yellow stool may indicate a disruption in the function of bile secretion, which has arisen due to existing stones and tumors.

Red stool during pregnancy occurs if a woman has eaten or drunk a lot of red foods. These can be tomatoes, beets, fruit compotes. But if a woman discovers bright red stripes in her stool or on toilet paper, this may be a sign of rectal and anal damage. Bloody stool during pregnancy may signal an infection, intestinal inflammation, or appear due to parasites. Then, in addition, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea appear. Colon polyps usually do not manifest themselves in any other way: their existence can only be indicated by bloody stool.

In some cases, due to hormonal imbalance or physical inactivity (for example, limiting physical activity due to the risk of losing a pregnancy), pregnant women experience constipation. When the intestines have not been emptied for a long time, their contents are liquefied with mucus, which is produced due to irritation of the intestinal mucosa. After the stool returns to normal, the production of mucus stops. Intestinal inflammation can also be the cause of mucus in the stool. This is how colitis, enteritis, proctitis and other diseases manifest themselves.

When the liver is unable to fully cope with its role of processing hemoglobin, iron compounds end up in the duodenum and the stool turns black. Black stool can appear as a result of internal bleeding. Ulcers of the stomach or duodenum, cancerous tumors of the digestive system cause constant minor bleeding. And bloody discharge entering the gastrointestinal tract colors the feces.

The reliability of the disease prognosis depends entirely on the correctness of the diagnosis. To clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary to do a blood and stool test and a gastroscopy to detect damaged tissue. Based on the results, conservative or surgical treatment is prescribed. In any case, the patient will need to adhere to a strict diet and stay in bed.

Stool analysis during pregnancy

Stool analysis during pregnancy is part of the mandatory examination when registering. When diagnosing a change in stool color during pregnancy, it is important to understand that any deviations from normal previous indicators should never be ignored. Differential diagnostics and additional instrumental methods will help to identify the cause of the disorder.

Instrumental diagnostics of feces is usually carried out in three directions:

1. A general stool analysis is the basis for a final assessment of the digestive system. The results of the analysis reveal signs of intestinal inflammation and detect certain types of protozoa that cause these problems.
2. A test for occult blood identifies polyps, ulcers and neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract.
3. The microbial composition of feces determines the pathogens of intestinal infections and dysbacteriosis.

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Medicines for the treatment of changes in stool color during pregnancy

If changes in the color of the stool are detected, the attending physician, based on the results of the tests, prescribes therapy. During the treatment period, the stool is examined at least twice more. Antibacterial drugs are usually prescribed to remove toxic substances from the body:

1. Smecta is a powder drug. This medicine is prescribed to pregnant women who have black stool accompanied by constipation. The drug perfectly relieves irritation and regenerates the walls of the intestines and stomach, absorbs harmful substances, creates a barrier, thereby protecting the gastrointestinal tract from the effects of aggressive factors. Smecta is harmless and safe for pregnant women: the drug does not enter the blood and works only inside the gastrointestinal tract. The course of treatment and dosage are prescribed individually. Smecta can help in the first weeks of pregnancy. From the second trimester, due to the enlargement of the uterus, the pressure on the intestines increases. Therefore, in the late stages of pregnancy, the drug is most likely undesirable to take. The average dosage of the drug for pregnant women is three packets per day. Between taking smecta and other drugs or food, you need to take a break of at least two hours.
2. Activated carbon is a natural sorbent. It is usually prescribed to pregnant women with black and liquid feces. The mechanism of action of activated carbon is that it absorbs poisons, toxins, waste products and removes them from the body. Carbon acts gently in the intestines and is excreted naturally in eight to ten hours. In addition, the drug helps pregnant women get rid of heartburn. It should be remembered that carbon is contraindicated in case of constipation. It should not be used to relieve symptoms of intoxication or infection: in serious cases, adequate treatment is necessary. Activated carbon can be taken once, because prolonged use removes trace elements and vitamins from the body. For the same reason, it can weaken the effect of other drugs. If the expectant mother takes vitamins, they need to be absorbed, so activated carbon can be taken only after a few hours.
3. Regidron is a powder preparation designed to restore the acid-base balance. The preparation is effective in early toxicosis of pregnancy, when the body loses electrolytes due to vomiting or diarrhea, and food and liquid are not absorbed. Therefore, weight loss and metabolic disorders occur. Regidron has no contraindications for use during pregnancy. When a pregnant woman has black feces with mucous discharge, Regidron is also usually prescribed. If Regidron does not solve the problem, then the expectant mother undergoes treatment in a hospital, where she is given medications using IVs.
4. Imodium has an excellent antidiarrheal effect. It is relevant for expectant mothers whose stool has acquired a liquid consistency of green, black or unusually light color. Imodium acts gently, quickly and only inside the intestine. It is excreted naturally after 12 hours. Imodium is prescribed together with Smecta when mucus is found in the expectant mother's stool. The manufacturer claims that drug tests have not revealed any negative effects on the baby in the womb. Imodium does not cause changes in the structure of genes and does not contain toxic substances. However, the manufacturer warns that in the later stages, Imodium can only be taken with the approval of a doctor.

Physiotherapy treatment

Physiotherapy is used as an alternative to medications that may be harmful to the fetus. Physiotherapy should help the pregnant woman and at the same time not harm her baby. During pregnancy, acupuncture, some types of electrophoresis and electrorelaxation can be used. Most other physiotherapy methods are contraindicated, as they can cause uterine contractions, increase the body's sensitivity and adversely affect the child. Since permitted physiotherapy treatments can slightly affect the change in stool color during pregnancy, they are used in individual cases.

Homeopathy

The use of homeopathic preparations virtually eliminates side effects. In addition, the concentration of the active substance in them is low, so they are safe for pregnant women. Homeopathy will help reverse unwanted changes in the color or consistency of feces.

Opium12 is effective against constipation associated with a forced sedentary lifestyle, which causes intestinal sluggishness.

Constipation is when toxins poison the body. If constipation continues for a long time, a pregnant woman is at risk of complications from Bacillus coli infection. Several doses of homeopathic medicines Nux vomica, Opium, Alumina will help restore bowel function, provided that certain dietary rules are followed.

Collisonium D6 is indicated for "sheep" feces. The drug will also help with hemorrhoids and edema of the lower extremities.

NuxvomicadD12 will help with toxicosis, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach and constipation.

Robinia pseudoacacia D6 and Bismuthum subnictricum D12 are indicated for pregnant women with heartburn.

SepiaD12 will help to cope with morning sickness during toxicosis.

Ipecacuanha D12 is intended for pregnant women who are constantly haunted by nausea, and who are especially nauseous in the evening and at night.

Colchicum D12 helps to overcome nausea due to hypersensitivity to various aromas, chills and stomach pain.

Diarrhea during pregnancy can lead to serious complications. If the problem is not dealt with quickly, it can cause a miscarriage. In this case, homeopathic remedies such as Aloe, Podophyllum or Mercurius will help.

In addition to medications, the expectant mother is always prescribed a diet and plenty of fluids to remove toxins.

The menu must include sugar- and salt-free porridges cooked in water, and low-fat dairy products. Fried, fatty, and smoked foods are absolutely limited.

This is especially categorical for pregnant women who have blood in their stool. Such a diet reduces the load on the gastrointestinal tract.

Herbal infusions based on chamomile or St. John's wort, black and green tea also have healing properties.

Herbal treatment

When the color of stool changes, pregnant women can use recipes that our grandmothers used.

For example, if you frequently suffer from constipation with mucus, you can brew senna herb or buckthorn bark (pour 1 teaspoon with a glass of boiling water) and drink the decoction before bed.

If you drink an infusion of oak leaves or walnut partitions (1 tablespoon per 2 glasses of water) during the day, this will help combat diarrhea with mucus.

If you prepare an infusion by taking one teaspoon of dried herbs of calendula, chamomile, yarrow and pouring them with one glass of water, you can help the body cope with bloating, diarrhea, and fermentation in the intestines.

In case of dysbacteriosis, an infusion of golden mustache will help. It is necessary to pour 2 or 3 leaves 15-20 cm long with one liter of hot water and drink 100 ml two or three times a day.

Folk recipes

Safe and affordable recipes of traditional medicine will help to cope with problems of changes in the color of feces in pregnant women. The recipes do not require much effort, but are able to gently and effectively alleviate the condition of the expectant mother.

For example, if you add dried apples or cherries to tea when brewing, you can facilitate natural bowel cleansing. Flax seeds can also be used to prevent constipation. You need to pour 20 ml of boiling water over one teaspoon of flax seeds and leave for 4 hours. Drink the entire infusion at night without straining.

For mild intoxications or chronic bowel diseases accompanied by diarrhea, traditional medicine offers very simple recipes. As a sorbent, you can prepare a solution with potato starch. To do this, dilute 1 teaspoon of starch in 125 ml of cold water. Drink the solution 1 or 2 times a day.

A decoction of pear or its boiled pieces will help if the stool is liquid and green or dark in color.

Mucous decoctions of oatmeal or barley are also popular. 50 g of flakes (or grains) are poured with 0.5 l of cold water, left to brew for 4 hours, then boiled until thickened over low heat, stirring constantly. Take 1-2 tablespoons 5-6 times a day.

A pregnant woman who has noticed changes in her stool should definitely tell the doctor who is monitoring her. Most likely, the reason for this is quite harmless. But there is a risk that this is a symptom of a dangerous disease. Based on the test results, the doctor will be able to make the right conclusion. As you have learned, a change in the color of feces can indicate both developing pathologies and a change in diet, so the well-being of the expectant mother is decisive.

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