Gallbladder Attack Symptoms And Pregnancy Diet

What Are Gallstones?

The gall bladder is a small sack like organ situated beneath the liver. Its function is to store the enzyme called bile that is produced by the liver. The gall bladder uses bile to breakdown the cholesterol as well as old red blood cells and helps in the digestion of food by providing digestive enzymes and bile to the small intestine. The bile is made up of fats, water, bile proteins, cholesterol, bile salts and bilirubin as a waste byproduct of the blood used in respiratory process. Gallstones are produced due to an excess quantity of cholesterol in the bile.

High production of estrogen and progesterone hormones during pregnancy or the use of birth control pills or medicines may also promote gall stone formation. These gallstones are not real stones but are small, pebble-like, hard materials.

Symptoms Of Gallstones During Pregnancy

The pain caused due to gallstones’ presence in the gall bladder occurs suddenly and is generally felt immediately after a fatty meal and during the night. The pain occurs when a gallstone blocks a duct and the gall bladder pushes against the stone to get rid of the blockage. After this, the gall bladder relaxes and the pain disappears as quickly as it has appeared.

Some commonly observed symptoms of the presence of gallstones in the gall bladder during the pregnancy period are:

Constant and rapidly increasing pain in the upper abdomen that may lasts for 30 minutes to several hours.

Nausea or vomiting.
An intolerance towards fatty foods.
Excess gas production in the stomach.
Indigestion and bloating of the abdomen.
Severe pain under the right shoulder.
A sharp pain between the shoulder blades.

A doctor should be consulted immediately, if a pregnant woman experiences any of the following symptoms like sweating, chills, low fever, yellowing of the skin or whites of eyes, or clay-colored stools. If the gall bladder is inflamed, the abdominal discomfort, nausea, and belching will be rather severe and it would be advisable to visit a doctor as soon as possible.

Diet For Gallstones Patient During Pregnancy

The following diet plan should be followed by the pregnant women suffering from gallstones:

Fried foods that are heavy in fats should be avoided by the patients having gallstones.
Alcohol, soda beverages and caffeine drinks should not be used by pregnant women.
If diagnosed with gallstones, eggs should be eaten only occasionally.
Spicy food should not be eaten by pregnant women with gall stones.
Foods causing obesity should be avoided as it causes the bile salts to reduce in quantity and may cause gallstones production. Oily foods have high levels of fatty acids called triglycerides which may cause gallstones in pregnant women.

Treatment

The laproscope surgical removal of the gall bladder is the most commonly adopted treatment for gallstones in pregnant women. Gall bladder surgery is sometimes done at the time or after child birth.

Submitted on January 16, 2014