# Pregnant and new to forum



## 16948 (Apr 28, 2007)

Here is a small history. I was diagnosed with IBS in the 9th grade and put on medication for about a year. After the medicine was stopped I was good for years with attacks only once every 2 months or so. Fast forward about 15 years. During my first pregancy I had no IBS symptoms. In between her birth and this pregnancy it has slowly come back to the point of having an attack once every week or 2. I know I should have seen the gastro before getting pregnant again but I didnt. I am currently 24 weeks pregnant. I am miserable. Gas, bloating, diarrhea and occasional constipation too. This is the worst my IBS has ever been with attacks at least 3-5x a week. It has gotten to the point that I am afraid to leave the house and I have been limited to eating only small amounts of bland food. The ob/gyn is sending me to a gastro this week. Is there anything they can do for me while I am pregnant? Anything specific I should ask for (tests/meds ect.) If anything has helped anyone out there in this situation please let me know. I am getting very upset and frustrated. Thanks Donna


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## 13599 (Mar 22, 2007)

I can understand your frustration. Have you tried taking probiotics? Maybe that will slow things down a bit. Oh, and welcome to the board.


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## Ashwoman (Jun 18, 2000)

I'm sorry you're so miserable this pregnancy.I haven't had any problems w/my IBS to speak of during my pregnancy (I'm 38w 2d w/my first child), but prior to getting pregnant, I was on anti-depressants for IBS C/D, and they helped tremendously.I have seen my GI once since becoming pregnant, and he's been pretty proactive with helping me out although thankfully, I haven't needed much help. I did have a flareup around 18 weeks or so that lasted for a week. I was scared more than anything of becoming dehydrated, so I lived in Loperamide (Imodium) for that entire week and tried to keep my diet simple. It was easier said than done given that it coincided right with Thanksgiving.Other than that, I had some pretty extreme constipation early on, and now that I'm so close to delivery, the constipation has returned. I've been told to take in fiber, fiber, fiber, but lots of fiber has never really gotten me moving. I guess the only "cure" is delivery!I hope that you are able to find relief soon, and congrats on your baby-to-be!Ashley


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## 15976 (Nov 22, 2006)

Last pregnancy I found iron and folic acid to work fine to control D.I have been TTC #2 for about a year and I am miserable. I am hoping if I get pregnant, the IBS symptoms will subside.Imodium is "OK" for occasional use when pregnant.


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

I have a 2-month old and have had IBS for years. There are meds that you can take during pregnancy if needed, but I suffered through for the most part, taking Imodium as needed and not taking my rx meds. With the hormonal changes I was as close to alternating C and D as I've ever been. Imodium affected me more while pregnant, so I did get C once when taking a usual dose after my first really bad attack while pg. My prenatal vitamins really messed with my system. The iron irritated my system, and some have magnesium and/or stool softeners to ward off constipation...and I sure didn't need those! A tiny bit of mag gives me awful D. I suffered for a while, trying different prenatals, and I finally just went back to taking a one-a-day women's formula and that helped a lot. I used to have really severe IBS-D, so 3-5 attacks a week doesn't sound so bad to me. I guess it's all relative! But I was able to take that amount in stride during pregnancy. When my IBS was really bad I was happy to have 1 day a week without an attack.The good(?) thing is, as the baby presses on different things, your symptoms can change, so you're usually not stuck with them forever







Good luck!P.S. CONGRATULATIONS Ashley!!


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## kazzy3 (Apr 11, 2003)

Hi and Welcome! Congrats on the pregnancy. A GI doc may be helpful, but see if your Gyne knows any nutritionists mine had one working right out of her office. I was so dumb I never took advantage of it. It might be worth looking into. Nutritionists are experts in food and what to eat. They might have some safe and simple solutions for you to try. Pregnant women with ibs need extra help see if your doc can recomend someone.


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## NancyMP (Dec 16, 2004)

Hi there,Well I am knowing exactly what you are going through. When I was pregnant I had very bad ibs through out the whole nine months. My family and I tried to do everything to try to alieve it but little worked. I was even hospitalised with depression as a consequence. I wanted to abort!! Yes that is how bad it was! Let me give you a bit of advisse. The hormones during pregnancy make you retain alot of waater and they also change the rate at which your intestines work so because you normally have a delicate intestine you will notice more uncomfort during pregnancy at least that is what happened to me. I tried everythiiinggggggggggggggggggg that could help including psych, including natural medecines, homepathy, acupuncture, medical doctors of all kinds, and the only thing that helped was Mike´s hypnotherapy tapes ( internationally known for one of the beest cures for ibs in most web sites and reports ). However the hypno tapes did little effect during the pregnancy because of the high level of hormonal changes the body goes through during the pregnancy. Nevertheless I redid them right after delivery and I started recovering from allll that disgusting bloating, gaas, and constipation, and to this day 2 years after delivery I am 90 % percent cured thanks to Mike. The improvement follows months after listening to the tapes . The improvement will not be immediaate. PLeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssseeeeeeee give it a try but remember during the pregnancy it may not work , howeveer you may still give it a try during pregnancy and you must definately try it after pregnancy!!


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