Constipation in women: causes and treatment

With such a delicate problem as intestinal obstruction, people of very different ages are facing. In this article we will tell you why there is constipation in women, and what are the modern methods of treating the disease, and also we will share the recipes of folk remedies.

What is constipation?

In what cases is it possible to talk about the diagnosis of "obstruction( full or partial) of the intestine"?Most people, thanks to advertising propaganda, are sure that the process of defecation must necessarily occur at least once a day. In fact, each person's body is individual. In medicine, a normal stool frequency from three bowel movements a day to three a week is considered normal. It is necessary to take into account not so much the number of daily trips to the toilet, how many to pay attention to the change in the number, frequency of bowel movements, and also the accompanying symptoms, which you can learn more about below.

Symptoms of constipation

In addition to the rare frequency of acts of defecation, the patient has one or more minor symptoms:

1. Decrease in the amount of feces
2. Feces become dense, hard to remove
3. There is a feeling of incompleteness of the process of defecation, gravity in the abdomen.
4. Decreased appetite.
5. Bad smell from the mouth.
6. Blood and mucus in stool.

What constitutes constipation?

In addition to unpleasant sensations, abdominal pain, flatulence in women, constipation in women can lead to various complications:

1. Accumulating stool mass, decomposing, can cause an intoxication of the body, which manifests itself as nausea, vomiting, headaches. In severe cases, sepsis may develop.
2. Possible prolapse of the rectum, anal fissures or rupture of the intestines, mucous membranes, which is accompanied by bleeding.
3. Constipation increases the risk of the incidence of infectious diseases, including intestinal diseases.
4. Prolonged intake of laxatives is fraught with the development of intestinal peristalsis.
5. With constipation poorly digesting the necessary nutrients from food.
6. During pregnancy, there may be various complications, which we will discuss in more detail below in a separate paragraph.

Reasons for constipation in women

Medical statistics indicate that women are susceptible to constipation 2 times more often than men. This is explained by the anatomical features of the structure of the genitourinary and hormonal system. Often, future mothers complain about problems with the stool. Why there is constipation in women? Causes may be as follows:

1. The most common cause of problems with defecation is improper, inefficient nutrition. A modern woman simply has no time to take care of a full-fledged diet. Fast food is saturated with fats and useless carbohydrates, while fiber and vitamins in such foods are often completely absent. Contribute to the development of constipation and improper diet, sudden changes in diet or change of foods.
2. Causes of constipation in women can lie in a passive, office lifestyle.
3. Lack of daily water volume. Replacing it with sweet fizzy drinks and coffee also leads to constipation.
4. Disturbance of intestinal microflora due to improper intake of a course of antibiotics or uncontrolled use of laxatives to purify the body or lose weight.
5. Endocrine diseases. Frequent complaints about problems with stools occur in people with diabetes.
6. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract disrupt the correct functioning of the body's excretory system: ulcers, dysbiosis, hemorrhoids and others.
7. Most pregnant women suffer from constipation. This happens because of hormonal changes in the body, and due to pressure on the intestines.
8. Constipation in an elderly woman is due to age-related changes in the body that disrupt the bowels.
9. Neoplasms in the intestines are benign and malignant.
10. Mechanical injuries of the gastrointestinal tract.

Constipation in women: causes, treatment during pregnancy

A common complaint of the fairer sex, who are in an "interesting" position, is constipation. The problem occurs in 57% of expectant mothers. It is extremely dangerous during this period constipation in women. The causes of the ailment are as follows:

1. The growing uterus squeezes the intestines. In this case, blood flow is disturbed and stagnant processes in the small pelvis appear.
2. The human body produces special substances that activate the process of intestinal peristalsis. During pregnancy, the level of synthesis of such substances decreases in order to prevent contractions of the uterus and possible miscarriage. But such an unconditional defensive reaction of the organism affects the process of excretion of stool.
3. Hormonal rearrangement also adversely affects the functioning of the intestine, weakening its function.
4. The reasons for constipation in a woman in the postpartum period are most often the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles, the ruptures during delivery and the soreness of the process of excrement.

The process of treatment of constipation in pregnant women is complicated by the fact that many drugs can not be used in this category of patients. In this case, laxatives and physiotherapeutic procedures are contraindicated, since they can provoke spontaneous abortion. Most often, the problem of constipation in expectant mothers is solved by diet and moderate physical exertion. More details about these methods of treatment can be found below.

Why constipation in women during pregnancy is dangerous? Complicated defecation can adversely affect the process of bearing a child, up to the termination of pregnancy. Inflammatory processes, intoxication of the body, joined infectious diseases lead to serious complications of fetal development.

Treatment of constipation with a diet

How to overcome constipation in women? Causes and treatment are interrelated. To get rid of the disease, you must first eradicate the root cause of the problem, namely, malnutrition.

The main rule of the diet for constipation is the use of a large amount of fiber. It is not digested in the body, but serves specifically to excrete the products of vital activity from the intestine. Cellulose-rich fresh vegetables, fruits, uncooked cereals, coarse bread, bran and dried fruits. Prune is a separate place in the diet. He, in addition to cellulose, contains a substance such as sorbitol, which has a laxative effect. Drink a compote of dried fruits or eat a few pieces of prunes, soaked overnight in water, in the morning on an empty stomach.

Constipation in women can also occur due to lack of fluid in the body. Be sure to use a sufficient amount of water. It promotes softening of fecal masses and soft excretion of them from the body. The mineral medicinal water "Essentuki", "Jermuk", "Borjomi" and others help.

Sour-milk products improve intestinal motility. Daily eat foods such as yogurt or yogurt, helps with constipation of natural kvass.

Eliminate the consumption of rice, flour products, sweets, animal fats. But vegetable oils, especially olive oil, on the contrary, normalize the work of the intestines.

Physical activity with constipation

Why constipation in women occur more often? The answer lies in the lack of movement and activity. It is difficult to overestimate the beneficial effect of moderate exercise in bowel problems. Thanks to exercises, the muscles of the pelvic floor are strengthened, blood flow and metabolism are accelerated, and the intestinal peristalsis improves. Choose the type of physical activity that suits you and do not forget to practice every day. It can be a visit to a sports club, a pool or a morning morning exercise. For example, the following exercises help with constipation:

1. Lying on your back, lift your legs bent at the knees alternately and both at once.
2. Lying on your back, move your bent legs to the right and left one by one.
3. Exercise "kitty": stand on all fours, round your back with an arch, then bend backwards.
4. Exercise "bicycle": lying on your back "twist the pedals" with your feet.
5. From the standing position, tighten each knee one by one alternately to the chest.

All the exercises repeat 15 times.

For pregnant women, effective methods of prevention and treatment of constipation are swimming, yoga and exercises with fitball. Before attending a training session, consult your doctor.

Constipation preparations

Not always compliance with diet and exercise leads to the solution of the problem of constipation. People who are elderly are especially often in need of taking medications. Drugs for constipation are classified as follows:

1. Drugs that provoke intestinal peristalsis: root of buckthorn, Senna herb, "Guttalax", "Senadexin", "Dulcolax".These drugs do not work right away, the result will appear 10-12 hours after application.
2. Drugs that inhibit water in the intestines, which contributes to the softening of stool: sodium sulfate, Carlsbad salt, sericose magnesia.
3. Prebiotics form acids during cleavage, which increase the volume of stool and delay water: Dufolac, Exportal. The effect of the drug will manifest within a day.
4. Preparations with dietary fiber have the effect of using fiber: cellulose, flaxseed, agar-agar.

Preparations are available in the form of syrups, tablets and capsules, as well as rectal suppositories. The latter type of medicines is the safest and most effective. Popular in the Russian market are such candles from constipation, as "Evakju", "Bisakodil", "Mikrolaks".

Most drugs are addictive and have a number of other contraindications and side reactions. Constipation in an elderly woman, his treatment with medicines requires special control by the doctor. Self-medication is unacceptable.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy methods for the treatment of constipation are widely used. The doctor appoints them taking into account the symptoms, the severity of the disease process and the accompanying health problems. The following procedures are applied:

• electrophoresis with antispasmodics;
• abdominal ultrasound;
• thermal procedures;
• mud and paraffin applications;
• diathermy;
• ascending shower;
• reflexology.

Traditional medicine

In folk medicine use the healing properties of plants, making them decoctions. Constipation is helped by such herbs as:

• buckthorn alder;
• licorice root;
• leaves of the century;
• kelp;
• leaves of Senna;
• seeds of plantain.

In order not to be mistaken in the dosage, it is better to purchase ready-made medicinal herbs in the pharmacy and apply according to the instructions.

Vegetable and fruit juices also have a laxative effect: beet, peach, carrot, radish, celery, redcurrant drink.

Not just an unpleasant, but also very inconvenient problem of "constipation" in women. Causes and consequences of the disease are very different. Constipation is a serious ailment that is dangerous for complications. He requires a call to a specialist. Do not forget that proper nutrition and physical activity are effective preventive measures.