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Heartburn And Pregnancy – Heartburn While PregnantHeartburn is a common problem among women who are pregnant. They often complain of a burning sensation from their abdomen rising up to their necks. Heartburn is a normal occurrence during pregnancy. Though normal, it is highly uncomfortable. During pregnancy, the placenta secretes a hormone called progesterone. Aside from its effects in pregnancy, it also causes the sphincters in between the stomach and the passage way of food to become loose. This loose valve now lets food and the acidic gastric contents to move back up which causes the burning sensation felt by the pregnant woman. The hormone progesterone also decreases peristalsis--the contractions of the intestine and stomach that is responsible for the digestion and carriage of food downwards. With a decrease in peristalsis, digestion takes a much longer time. Therefore, the acidic food in the stomach has a much higher rate of clogging and backing up, which results in heartburn.
As pregnancy prolongs, the heartburn problem will also become more and more pronounced. This is because the baby in the womb is slowly becoming bigger. This increase in the size of the baby enlarges the abdomen and increases pressure on the stomach. This increased pressure accompanied by the previous factors, make heartburn a lot worse as the pregnancy prolongs. Fortunately, the heartburn will only last up until the time of birth, in which all of the above mentioned symptoms will likely disappear. Heartburn causes a lot of unnecessary problems, not life-threatening but very unpleasant. However, it is a normal phenomenon that accompanies the growth of the child in one's womb.
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