Pregnancy is a special state of the body that lasts 9 most memorable months. A woman during this period is beautiful, but even more beautiful are the changes taking place in her: changes in figure and gait, changes in taste preferences, dramatic mood swings, a feeling of life emerging inside and exciting anticipation... However, there was a fly in the ointment.
During all this time, the expectant mother experiences various ailments, primarily associated with a lack of vitamins. A sharply increased load causes problems with the gastrointestinal tract, and this, in turn, can cause a phenomenon such as black stool. This happens often during pregnancy.
Change in stool color: reasons
Why is stool black during pregnancy? This question makes expectant mothers very worried when they discover such a frightening phenomenon. Most often, the cause is a disorder of the digestive system, which can lead to an unbalanced diet, the manifestation of chronic diseases or hormonal changes.
During such a crucial period of life, the expectant mother is advised to take care of herself, eat right, constantly monitoring the quality of food, and drink vitamin complexes recommended by the doctor, the action of which is aimed at replenishing the missing elements in the body.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy
Why is stool black during pregnancy? This phenomenon does not always indicate the presence of a disease. The initial three months of pregnancy are characterized by a radical restructuring of the body: everything that was previously the norm has now lost all meaning. Under the influence of progesterone, the hormone responsible for pregnancy, every organ of the body begins to work in a new mode. The color of the stool, as well as mood swings and the frequency of urination, can change precisely because of the processes occurring in the body.
Under the influence of hormones, the expectant mother often develops old, untreated diseases. In this case, you must contact a medical specialist who can quickly identify the causes of changes in stool color and prescribe treatment. You should not take any measures on your own to avoid adverse consequences.
Prevention
In most cases, an isolated change in stool consistency or color during pregnancy is not dangerous and can be corrected by following a balanced diet with mandatory product quality control.
Nutrition should be balanced, with sufficient amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Taking medications should be under the supervision of a doctor, and in the case of correction of anemia, it is necessary to monitor the indicators of red blood cells (in a general blood test). When identifying dark stool during pregnancy, the main thing is to correctly determine the reason for the change in normal stool.
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Is black stool during pregnancy a reason to panic?
Indeed, a malfunction in the normal functioning of the body makes the expectant mother worry. But if you listen carefully to your gynecologist, you can find out that over the course of 9 months, stool changes, acquires a different consistency, and is characterized by a specific color and smell.
Sometimes there is no cause for concern: a woman simply took activated charcoal for an intestinal disorder or ate black currant berries. Naturally, all this causes the black color of stool during pregnancy.
If you feel normal, there are no changes or painful symptoms, there is no need to worry.
Some tips for preventing bowel disorders
Most often, black feces are the result of a poor diet. Therefore, firstly, strict control over the food you take and its quality is necessary. Secondly, practice reasonable moderation - do not overdo it with foods that can change the color of your stool.
If a blood test shows low hemoglobin (not lower than 100), then the doctor will first recommend eating foods rich in iron (buckwheat porridge, beef, dried fruits). They contain highly absorbable iron and do not cause side effects such as unusually colored stools.
At risk are women who have a history of chronic or previous diseases of the digestive system. The doctor must be informed about this in order to manage your pregnancy as safely as possible. It is possible that he will prescribe additional medications to maintain the body.
Taking any medications is carried out only under the supervision of a doctor. Try to be less nervous, and if your health changes, do not delay seeking help from specialists.
Forums, reviews from mothers, as well as the author’s personal experience make it possible to state that in most cases, black stool is caused by medications containing iron. If we make a kind of rating of “black” drugs, then the palm belongs to Elevit and Vitrum, as well as to the drugs Sorbifer, Maltofer. Having complained to a gynecologist, many pregnant women sighed with relief: such a gloomy color does not pose a danger. The main thing is that your general health is in order and that no other alarming symptoms are observed. Be extremely attentive to your health, because you are already making decisions for two!
When is medical attention required?
Sometimes the black-green color of stool during pregnancy may indicate the presence of a certain disease in the body. Women who have previously had stomach ulcers or diseases of the duodenum should be most concerned. Therefore, it is definitely recommended to undergo an appropriate examination and tests. Black stool during pregnancy will indicate the presence of internal bleeding and an open ulcer. In this situation, the stool will acquire a liquid consistency. In addition, the expectant mother becomes pale, weak, and covered in sticky cold sweat. If you notice the above symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. Self-medication is a measure that is categorically not recommended during pregnancy, as it poses a danger to two lives.
When is therapy needed?
Treatment of black feces in the early stages and in late stages that have changed color as a result of physiological processes is not required. In this case, it is enough to exclude provoking factors.
If the stool turns black, and the doctor confirms the presence of pathology, appropriate therapy is prescribed based on the cause of the symptom.
Drug treatment
If the cause of darkening of feces is a bacterial intestinal infection, complex treatment is prescribed using antibacterial, sorbent agents and probiotics. With severe vomiting and diarrhea, it is important to regulate the drinking regime, because along with vomit and feces, the body loses fluid.
Among antibiotics, preference is given to drugs that have a gentle effect on the woman’s body and the development of the fetus. Intestinal antiseptics from the nitrofuran group and fluoroquinolones are prescribed.
You can use cephalosporins - relatively safe drugs with antibacterial effects.
Of the probiotics, Linex with lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria is most often prescribed. The medicine has no significant side effects .
To eliminate spasms and pain symptoms, Drotaverine or No-shpu is prescribed. The antispasmodic agent does not have a pronounced negative effect on the fetus, because its components are not able to penetrate the hematoplacental barrier.
The use of folk remedies
Traditional medicine helps alleviate the symptoms of the underlying disease, which occurs with stool disturbances and darkening of the stool. However, such drugs are not used as monotherapy.
Treatment should be comprehensive and only as prescribed by a doctor.
The following folk remedies will help normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract:
- prunes and beets: ingredients in a volume of 100 g, after drying, mix with the same amount of oatmeal, add 2 liters of water, simmer over low heat for 1 hour, filter, consume 200 ml on an empty stomach in the morning;
- prunes, dried apricots, raisins, honey: all components, taken 100 g each, mixed, pre-chopped, use 2 tsp. before bedtime.
What to do if the stool is black during pregnancy?
The reason for this phenomenon may be associated with the consumption of certain foods or taking vitamin complexes for pregnant women containing iron. It is the excess of this element, which gives stool a black color, that is removed from the body; Only the required dose is absorbed.
If you feel unwell, have pain in the abdomen, periodically experience constipation, nausea, heartburn, vomiting, bloating, or anemia, you can assume the presence of a serious illness, most often an aggravated ulcer, hepatitis, or cirrhosis. It is imperative to call emergency assistance.
Sometimes black stool during pregnancy is accompanied by the presence of undigested food particles in the stool. If these are berry seeds or fruit peels, there is no cause for concern.
If small black worms are detected in the stool, you should definitely undergo a test for the presence of parasites. There is no need to do this if a pregnant woman has eaten a banana. The body does not digest the fibers of this product, and they come out in the form of villi, reminiscent of worms.
Etiology of symptoms in 2-3 trimesters
The change in the color of stool in the second and third trimester is due to the restructuring of the body and the mobilization of all forces for the birth of a child. Due to the increase in the size of the uterus, pressure on internal organs – the bladder and intestines – increases.
The food a woman eats may not be completely digested, which is reflected in the appearance of impurities in the stool and a change in its color.
Iron-containing preparations and products
Black stool is normal after taking iron.
The fact is that during a biochemical reaction, the trace element is oxidized to oxide or hemin, which has a black tint. They remain in the intestines and exit the body along with the stool.
For this reason, feces turn black . The compounds cause a specific odor in stool. This is a physiological phenomenon that does not require treatment. It is enough to stop taking the drug, and the stool will return to normal.
Other reasons
Not only iron-containing preparations, but also many medications can affect the change in color of stool. These include activated carbon, preparations with bismuth, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
These include vitamin complexes with iron among the components. For example, the color of stool in pregnant women changes after taking Elevit.
How does nutrition affect
In early and late stages, black stools occur due to the consumption of certain foods:
- black berries - blackberries, currants, blueberries, chokeberries;
- fruits - grapes, pomegranate;
- vegetables - red beets, tomatoes;
- meat food - blood sausage, other products containing animal blood;
- offal - liver;
- drinks – red wine, natural coffee.
If the reason for the darkening of the stool lies precisely in diet, there is no need to immediately run to the doctor. After finishing taking this or that product, the color of the stool also normalizes.
Diseases and pathological conditions
Black stool after bowel movement in the 1st and 2nd trimester, as well as in the 3rd trimester, may indicate the development of a serious disease that requires specific therapy.
Among them:
- internal bleeding, including intestinal bleeding;
- stomach ulcer;
- progressive anemia;
- perforation of the intestinal walls;
- infection of the abdominal cavity;
- blood poisoning;
- embryo infection;
- premature birth.
To prevent the development of negative consequences, it is better to consult a doctor at the first changes in stool.
Black feces for gastrointestinal diseases
Black diarrhea during pregnancy may indicate internal bleeding, which may be a consequence of dilated veins in the esophagus or the presence of polyps in the intestines. In parallel with intestinal upset, the following signs are observed:
- pale skin;
- lack of appetite;
- weakness of consciousness, up to its loss;
- dizziness;
- low pressure.
If such symptoms are detected, the woman should be immediately shown to a medical specialist. It may be necessary to conduct an FGDS to clarify the diagnosis. The cause of black stool with impurities may be Crohn's disease.
In what cases can you not do without the help of a doctor?
It is not always worth sounding the alarm if the feces turn black. But the following symptoms should alert a woman and become a reason to consult a doctor:
- sudden vomiting;
- dizziness;
- fainting;
- a sharp increase in temperature that is not controlled by antipyretics;
- blood pressure surges;
- numbness of arms and legs.
In such cases, only timely qualified assistance provides a favorable prognosis.
Dietary recommendations
A woman preparing to become a mother should definitely follow the doctor’s recommendations on nutrition and eat not “for two,” but “for two.” That is, the diet should be balanced and rational, ensuring optimal weight gain during the period of bearing a child. While expecting one child, the mother’s normal weight gain is 10-16 kg. A pregnant woman is advised to drink plenty of fluids: drinking 6-8 glasses of water, milk or juice per day is normal.
Any balanced diet cannot provide the body with the required amount of vitamins and microelements naturally. Often foods lack iron, calcium and folic acid. It is recommended to compensate for this deficiency with the help of vitamins. Moreover, when using special medications for pregnant women, you should strictly adhere to the dosage indicated by the doctor, because “more” does not mean “better”.
