Acid Reflux Pregnancy

By Raymond Harper

Acid reflux and pregnancy-The good news.

There is good news and bad news about acid reflux pregnancy. The good news is that soon after having the child hormone levels which have changed during the pregnancy return to normal in the coming weeks and months and this helps stop the bouts of heartburn.

Acid reflux pregnancy the bad news

The bad news is that at least 25% of women experience daily heartburn as soon as they become pregnant and by the third trimester approximately 75% of pregnant women experience severe heartburn. So it seems that pregnancy and acid reflux go hand in hand.

The medical community offers many theories but still arguments wage on about what causes heartburn during pregnancy.

Hormones as a cause of acid reflux

One of the theories is that early heartburn in pregnancy is due to changing levels of the hormone progesterone which causes changes in the body, aiding in relaxation of the Lower esophageal sphincter  LES for short. The LES is a ring of muscle which opens to allow food to pass into the stomach but stays firmly shut to normally stop acid from the stomach returning to the esophagus which causes the heartburn. When this ring of muscle becomes relaxed as is the case during pregnancy it allows the return of stomach contents including acid into the esophagus.

A growing and developing baby starts to take up space. As the foetus develops the female body has to change to accommodate it. Some organs become slightly displaced and put greater pressure on the stomach. This extra pressure is also felt on the LES and it can result in stomach acid being forced back into the esophagus causing acid reflux. So during the nine months of pregnancy the situation gets worse as the baby grows leading to more severe acid reflux symptoms.

Habits and lifestyle choices change and some of these changes are bad for reflux. Wearing clothing that is too tight at the waist, eating large meals especially before lying down, and unusual food choices all add to reflux.

Ways to relive heartburn

The news is not all bad. Acid reflux and pregnancy can be very stressful but there are some things that pregnant women can do to help relieve the symptoms of reflux. Eating smaller meals, not lying down right after eating, and not wearing clothing that is tight around the waist all help.

Certain foods trigger heartburn so if you can find which ones disagree and cut them out can help. Usually things like spicy foods, chocolate and citrus fruits should be avoided although this can differ with each individual and a little trial and error by noting which foods you have eaten when heartburn strike can help somewhat.

Perhaps the most important change is to change ones sleeping position and simply use gravity to keep acid down. Positional therapy at night is usually recommended. Sleeping on a wedge that supports the entire torso in an elevated position can greatly reduce the risk of night time acid reflux. Also, many physicians recommend sleeping on the left side. This position reduces pressure on certain arteries and also reduces pressure on the liver which is on the right side of the upper abdomen.

Another great way and probably the easiest for someone who is pregnant is an electric adjustable bed, where the sleeping position can be adjusted at the touch of a button, giving the flexibility needed to maintain the correct elevated position to relieve acid reflux

Bending correctly from the knees and sitting in an erect position can also help. So although acid reflux and pregnancy go hand in hand there are plenty of ways to relieve the problem.