ibs and pregnancy tales
Please remember that none of the information on this site is intended to provide medical advice or replace your doctor - it is all written by IBS sufferers, not medical professionals.
The pregnancy tale of...Stephanie
I am a 33 year-old mother of seven who started suffering from IBS after the birth of my fourth child. My most bothersome symptoms are upper abdominal pain and tenderness, cramps, and loose stools.
During my subsequent pregnancies my pain totally disappeared but returned as soon as I gave birth. I am starting to think that the return to birth control pills may be a trigger. If anyone can offer suggestions on dealing with the pain or info on how pregnancy/hormones relate please e-mail me. Thank you.
E-mail Stephanie: homeschool7kids[at]hotmail.com
The pregnancy tale of...SP
I have suffered from IBS for several years. My body fluctuates between diarrhea and constipation. Of course it is always worse when I am stressed. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant and my IBS is worse than ever. I have diarrhea several times per day. The prenatal vitamins really give it a wonderful hue and odor.
My first pregnancy was symptom free. I think I actually went into remission. I am a pharmacist so I have researched this subject extensively. For now my best advice is to always keep an extra change of clothes and wipes with you at all times. It is really hard to reach a bathroom across the shopping mall while pushing a stroller:)
The pregnancy tale of...Stacy
I have suffered with IBS with diarrhea for the past 10 years. I've controlled it through my diet and decreasing stress through exercise. When I do have an attack I use Imodium but then have to deal with the constipation for the days following.
Now I am 38 years old and pregnant with twins. During the first trimester of my pregnancy I did not have any IBS attacks. At 22 weeks it returned and caused me to get dehydrated to the point that I could hardly lift my head off the pillow. I couldn't keep enough fluid in my body. The dehydration landed me in the hospital for two weeks with contractions and struggling to find a balance between IBS diarrhea and constipation from medication and pregnancy.
I was finally sent home on strict bed rest with medication. About every two weeks I have IBS attacks and I take an Imodium (allowed during pregnancy) and drink plenty of water. The Imodium puts the breaks on the IBS and allows me to stay hydrated. I'm currently 25 weeks and managing, but scared to death that IBS will cause me to go into preterm labor. IBS didn't stop me from getting pregnant but it has contributed to a difficult last trimester.
The pregnancy tale of...Claire
I live in the UK, and have suffered from IBS since I was about 12. It started really when I began high school, and had to ride on the school bus for 40 minutes to get to school. My mum believed in 'good nutrition' and would never let me leave the house until I had eaten a full breakfast of porridge, toast and fresh orange juice. By the time I had sat down on the school bus, the pain and cramping started. I was in complete and utter agony, and there was nothing I could do about it.
By the time I had reached school, I felt on the verge of passing out, and had to run to the nearest bathroom with continual diarrhea, thus missing early registration and clocking up a large amount of 'late' entries on the school register. It always left me exhausted and with poor concentration, and I had to go to bed as soon as I got home from school.
No-one really understood my problem, which worsened when I began menstruation. I felt constantly uncomfortable, unclean and just wanted to stay at home near a toilet that I was familiar with. My parents put it down to anxiety, and in a way, they were right. But it is the IBS that creates this anxiety: the fear of not being near to a toilet, of having diarrhea when you're out at a special occasion or important event, or just the worry that your life isn't your own and that you have to think of 'toilet troubles' before your own enjoyment.
This continued until I was in my late teens, where my condition seemed to ease. A flare-up in my mid-twenties has seen the return of this condition. I find it highly embarrassing, and feel so uncomfortable with talking about it to other people: often when I'm late for work or evenings out, I will tell people I have been sick, rather than mention I've been sat in the loo for hours on end with diarrhea.
The worst time I remember was on our honeymoon. We went on a beautiful cruise and I was really looking forward to it. The food was gorgeous, if a little rich, but I thought, what the hell? It's my honeymoon! Big mistake. I spent the majority of our holiday camped in the toilet wherever we went. I could hardly leave the ship for the fear of not knowing where the next toilet was.
Now, after three years of trying for a baby, and enduring menstrual periods similar to labour contractions and heavy blood clots, I am finally pregnant - 19 weeks, and the flare-ups have just begun to worsen. Whether it's baby-related and hormones, or just back with a vengeance, I'm finding it really difficult to cope with. It's preventing me from enjoying my pregnancy, because of the alternation between painful spasmodic diarrhea and now constipation for the first time. Thank God I have an understanding husband!
I suspect, like the rest of IBS sufferers, I will just manage, and carry on the best way I can - I am so privileged to actually be pregnant, that this fact normally gets me over any bad days when I have to stay in bed through sheer exhaustion of constantly needing to go to the toilet. I look forward to our new arrival in December, and hope that by combining yoga, aromatherapy and acupuncture, I can manage my IBS to a reasonable degree, and get my life back on track.
E-mail Claire: claireystephenson[at]hotmail.com
An update from Claire...
I just thought I would update my story, as I have had many kind emails about it. I posted it in July 2005, when I was 19 weeks pregnant. My IBS-D symptoms had just begun to worsen and I was really poorly with pain, constant diarrhea and the inability to leave the toilet.
One morning, it was so bad that I called my GP. She was very understanding and asked me to come in straight away. When I arrived, she has already phoned through to the hospital and I was admitted that afternoon, due to the fluid loss and being almost five months pregnant. I spent a few days in hospital, and had constant monitoring throughout my pregnancy - seeing a bowel consultant every week. I also saw the dietician every week, who thought that if I cut out the 'trigger' foods, I would feel so much better. Yes, because it is that simple.
Apparently, very few women suffer so badly during pregnancy. They tend to put it down to hormone levels. I felt as though I was a bit of mystery to the consultants as they didn't quite know what to suggest. Medication is so limited during pregnancy. Most of them came out with the same words, "But don't worry, because the baby is just fine!" Yes, but what about me? It may be totally selfish, but I was so sick, and I never went back to work as I couldn't be away from the loo for too long.
I had to go through the Dole Police to get some sort of money to live on as my job did not provide sick pay. I ended up on incapacity benefit, trying to explain to a different benefits clerk every time about my problem, and them telling me I had to come in for a return-to-work interview! My doctor had signed me off indefinitely, and I was to have bed-rest, and there I was being told to come in for an 'interview' - it was just hilarious!
I was made to feel like I was a faker and that I was not entitled to any assistance. I think their professionalism was totally summed up when I received my claim form and my condition was written as Iratible Bowl Syndrome!
I had severe symptoms and was pretty much housebound until our beautiful daughter arrived, bang on time on Boxing Day of last year. I endured a difficult labor, made worse by still needing to go to the loo throughout - surely there was nothing left inside me but a baby?! I also ended up with a rectal tear, which has not properly healed, and now my IBS is constipation-dominated - for the first time in 14 years!
I am pretty much managing now. I am a Reiki practitioner, and I find this form of healing fantastic for my symptoms. I would still highly recommend aromatherapy and acupuncture - I find these great for relaxation. So if anyone has had a similar pregnancy, you are not alone. I hope you all find some relief and keep your pain to a minimum!
The pregnancy tale of...Kit
As a teen I had a few IBS symptoms but didn't realize at the time what it was, I just ignored it. After my son was born though things got really bad, and I'd leak stool quite frequently. I thought it was because I'd had a fourth degree tear from the forceps, but they told me that my sphincter had healed fine and that it was IBS or spastic colon.
As a couple years went by, things got better and more manageable like before, but now I am pregnant again and the "leaking" is worse than ever! I am taking fiber to help with it and it is helping, but I was amazed at how much pregnancy affects IBS. It is very embarrassing and affects my self-image.
The pregnancy tale of...Sarah
I'm 32 and I am pregnant with my fifth baby. I have never had IBS before in my life. I knew little about it and never had a reason to look it up in books or on the internet. I never suffered from IBS with any of my four previous pregnancies, so to find out I had it this time was a shock.
I have been suffering with constant pain, constipation, bloating and wind since I got pregnant, but thought it was due to my change in diet as I started eating salad most days. When the pain got too bad I went to see my doctor, and she diagnosed IBS. She gave me a prescription for Colpermin.
I started looking IBS up on the internet and I discovered that I am probably eating the wrong foods or at least what I am eating is not helping. I've had some great advice from friends as well. The only thing that really bothers me about it is the constant pain I have, and when I get windy the pain is worse. I feel that it is even worse than labour pains and I know how bad they can be going through it four times before.
I've been told that now I have it I may suffer from it for the rest of my life, but that it should calm down after I've had the baby. I do hope so and I hope now that I know more about it I can specialise my diet to help. I am amazed at how many people I know do suffer from it. It's a lot more common than we know.
E-mail Sarah: sassynjez73@aol.com