What causes heartburn in pregnant women? 14 secret methods to relieve heartburn

What causes heartburn in pregnant women?

The feeling of heartburn in expectant mothers during pregnancy is mainly related to the following two factors:

1. Hormones surge in the body

In the early stages of pregnancy, the HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) level in the expectant mother's body will rise rapidly and continue to decline until the 12th week of pregnancy. This may cause the expectant mother to experience symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, which is one of the early pregnancy reactions. Some mothers may even continue to experience it until the third trimester, which is quite hard. In the late stages of pregnancy, the secretion of progesterone and estrogen levels will increase significantly, which will gradually reduce the tension of the pregnant mother's lower esophageal sphincter, leading to the reflux of gastric contents such as gastric acid and chyme, and a burning sensation in the stomach and esophagus, which is "heartburn."

2. The uterus takes up space and the stomach is compressed

In the late pregnancy, the secretion of progesterone and estrogen levels will increase significantly, which will gradually reduce the tension of the lower esophageal sphincter of the pregnant mother, leading to the reflux of gastric contents such as gastric acid and chyme, resulting in a burning sensation in the stomach and esophagus, which is called "heartburn."

14 secret methods to relieve heartburn

1. Eat less sour foods, such as grapefruit, orange, tomato, or vinegar.

2. Eat less spicy foods, such as pepper or chili.

3. Go to bed 2-3 hours after a meal.

4. Lean meat, low-fat foods and greasy foods (such as French fries) can cause heartburn, so try to eat less.

5. Avoid drinking coffee, cola, carbonated drinks, and eat less chocolate, mint, mustard, etc.

6. Don’t eat too much at each meal.

7. Don’t eat too fast.

8. Try to eat less snacks before going to bed.

9. Don't wear tight clothes and don't tie your belt too tight.

10. Keep your mood relaxed, especially avoid any stress or stimulation before going to bed.

11. Chew gum at night to stimulate saliva production and neutralize stomach acid.

12. Record all foods and events that "trigger" heartburn and try to avoid them in the future.

13. Raise the head of the bed by 15 cm.

14. It is suitable to adopt the bent knees posture when sleeping.

Distinguish between “familiar” and “distant” foods

Get close to the "stomach-nourishing" diet: Milk can protect the gastric mucosa and is an ideal drink for expectant mothers, but be careful not to drink milk on an empty stomach to prevent gastrointestinal bloating. Eat some starchy foods first, such as biscuits, steamed buns, etc.; pasta has a better stomach-nourishing effect, so you can change rice to pasta; jujube, tofu, cabbage, carrots, yam, lotus seeds, etc. are all spleen and stomach-nourishing foods, you can eat more of them appropriately; drink a small glass of water after a meal to dilute and flush away the stomach acid that refluxes to the esophagus and relieve heartburn.

Stay away from "stomach-damaging" foods: The caffeine contained in tea and coffee can relax the esophageal sphincter and aggravate gastric acid reflux, so they should be avoided; high-fat foods are difficult to digest and tend to stay in the stomach for a long time, increasing the possibility of reflux of gastric contents, so they should be eaten less; alcohol has a greater irritation to the gastric mucosa and can aggravate damage to the gastric mucosa, and alcohol can affect the normal development of the baby, so expectant mothers should never drink alcohol; chili, pepper, and mustard are all highly irritating foods, so expectant mothers are advised to say goodbye to them temporarily; carbonated drinks can cause abdominal bloating and promote gastric acid reflux, so expectant mothers should drink less.

Is there a relationship between heartburn in pregnant women and the amount of hair in the baby?

There is a strong correlation between heartburn and the amount of baby hair, but there seems to be no direct causal relationship. Is there a third factor that determines these two events? Following this line of thought, the researchers proposed a third hypothesis that seems more reasonable: both events are dominated by another factor-estrogen levels. Behind heartburn is the phenomenon of gastroesophageal reflux, and some recent studies have shown that excessive estrogen levels may relax the esophageal sphincter, which will cause heartburn to a certain extent. This theory has been confirmed in animal experiments. On the other hand, the level of estrogen is related to the amount of adult hair. Some studies have also found that estrogen can "neutralize" the effects of androgens to a certain extent and alleviate the symptoms of hair loss caused by androgens. In other words, higher estrogen levels may bring more hair.

Putting these two things together, we get a theory: whether it’s heartburn or extra hair in babies, maybe it’s all due to estrogen.