Dry Mouth During Pregnancy.

Dry mouth during pregnancy is not an unusual problem. If the cause is not diabetes, home remedies are sufficient to treat it. However, if it turns out to be a symptom of diabetes or other diseases, a medical practitioner’s attention is required.

A number of problems may appear during pregnancy, and a dry mouth which is also called a “cotton mouth” is just one of them. Here, in this article, let us examine some of the symptoms, their causes, possible effects as well as the remedies.

Along with the joy of being pregnant, comes some health conditions besides the usual dos and don’ts. As a result of the continuous changes in hormone levels due to metabolic activities in the body, discomfort is possible. Indications of discomfort can be backache, vomiting, sudden need to urinate often, heartburn and increased weakness. Other than these common signs, a dry mouth is also a usual symptom.

It is usual for a pregnant woman to be thirstier and have a dried out mouth. However, a small number of these women may have the problem of too much saliva. So many pregnant women experience thirst and the dryness of the mouth that it makes us wonder whether there is any connection between dry mouth and pregnancy, whether dry mouth is a normal happening.

Symptoms

A dry mouth, whether it occurs during pregnancy or at normal times, has the same symptoms. When no saliva is produced to keep your mouth wet, you certainly will feel the dryness of your mouth. Besides that, other possible signs of mouth dryness are a sticky mouth, dry, rough, cracked and sore lips, dry throat, and a red and painful tongue. With the mouth dry, talking, chewing as well as swallowing food can be a problem. All these may lead to headache and dizziness.

Causes

The main component of saliva is water; with 98 percent of it in the saliva. One of its functions is to wet the mouth and reduce friction to the areas in the mouth. Thus, without saliva, the mouth is bound to become dry. It is the main reason for a dry mouth. The major reason for the non-release of saliva into the mouth can be dehydration. Dehydration is most probably the root cause of dryness in the mouth.

Diabetes and Pregnancy – Video Guide

So, what is the effect of dehydration on a woman who is pregnant?

If a pregnant woman were to drink the same quantity of water that she normally consumed before pregnancy, there is the possibility that she can suffer from dehydration. This can happen because that same quantity of water is being used by her and her fetus. Together with the nutrition from the food, water is taken in by the fetus. So, what was sufficient for just the woman is no longer sufficient for both the woman and her fetus. Besides that, medication and metabolic changes can also cause dehydration.

Dry mouth can be an indication of diabetes which causes frequent urination as well as thirst. These diabetic symptoms result in much loss of body liquid through the urine. As a result, diabetic women have greater chances than healthy women of getting dry mouth during the early stage of pregnancy. Pregnant women who experience dry mouth as well as anxiety problems ought to inform their gynecologist.

Effects

It is certainly uncomfortable to have a dry mouth.

• Pregnancy offers dehydration a better opportunity to overheat a woman’s body.
• When the temperature of a pregnant woman goes up, the increase in temperature is also experienced by the fetus.
• Dehydration during the first trimester can result in neutral tube defects.
• Dehydration during the later stages can result in uterus contraction, constricted umbilical cord, labor complications, premature delivery or cesarean delivery.
• Dehydration can result in the inability of the mother and her baby to properly excrete their body waste. This can bring problems to the mother and put a strain on the liver and kidneys of the baby.
• Dehydration can cause miscarriage.
• It can cause you to feel like vomiting.
• It lessens the amount of blood in the body and pregnant women experience extreme tiredness.
• Dry mouth can lead to an increase in bacteria in the mouth and this can result in tartar, bad breath, cavities and tooth decay.

Remedies

When it comes to healthy women, dry mouth during pregnancy is not a problem which requires medical attention. However, those women who have experienced gestational diabetes, or other types of diabetes, have to see a medical practitioner.  The medical practitioner may carry out blood tests, urine tests and use certain diagnostic methods to find out if the women have diabetes. If diabetes is confirmed, lifestyle changes and medications will be recommended in order to get the blood glucose level back to its normal range. Since diabetes is the cause of the dry mouth, when diabetes has been treated, such symptoms as extreme thirst and dry mouth will be lessened.

Since dry mouth is just a symptom and cannot be considered a disease, no specific treatment for dry mouth is available. However, there are some home remedies and ways to overcome the uncomfortable situation. An effective and successful remedy to overcome the frequent occurrences of discomfort of dry mouth, is to drink plenty of water to replace the amount of water lost as well as to ensure that the body has sufficient liquid. To encourage the release of saliva into the mouth, sugarless chewing gum or hard candies can be used. When the mouth is wet with saliva, the discomfort is removed.

Recommendations

• Drink a minimum 2-3 liters of water each day.
• Do not eat dried foods. Consume foods which contain lots of liquids such as soups, gravies and curries.
• Mouthwashes which contain alcohol must not be used since alcohol can dehydrate the body.
• Do not use sugary, spicy and salty food.
• Do not drink aerated drinks, coffee and tea as they contain caffeine which can dehydrate the body.
• Eat fruits which are juicy. Fresh juices can also be taken.
• Artificial saliva which comes in swabs, gels, rinses, tablets and sprays can be tried. Many of them need a medical practitioner’s prescription.

If both dry mouth during pregnancy and bad breath come together, consult your gynecologist about products which are safe for treating the bad breath. It is important to practice proper oral hygiene in order to reduce the possibility of you getting dental problems, as well as other health problems which your baby can suffer from. As you can see, this dry mouth can be successfully overcome with the right remedies before it can develop into health problems.