4 Ways to Detect and Treat Gallstones in Pregnancy
As if you didn't have enough on your mind during pregnancy, your risk of gallbladder problems, including gallstones, increase while you await baby-to-be.
As if you didn't have enough on your mind during pregnancy, your risk of gallbladder problems, including gallstones, increase while you await baby-to-be. In fact, about 25 to 30 percent of pregnant women will experience some sort of gallbladder ailment, with 3 to 10 percent of those patients eventually developing gallstones. That's because the gallbladder--which harbors bile in your belly, helping you to digest--doesn't work as efficiently during pregnancy, leaving behind extra bile "sludge" that may develop into a stone. These tiny pebbles can wreak major havoc on your digestive system, blocking the flow of bile throughout your intestines and causing pain and discomfort.
As if you didn't have enough on your mind during pregnancy, your risk of gallbladder problems, including gallstones, increase while you await baby-to-be. In fact, about 25 to 30 percent of pregnant women will experience some sort of gallbladder ailment, with 3 to 10 percent of those patients eventually developing gallstones. That's because the gallbladder--which harbors bile in your belly, helping you to digest--doesn't work as efficiently during pregnancy, leaving behind extra bile "sludge" that may develop into a stone. These tiny pebbles can wreak major havoc on your digestive system, blocking the flow of bile throughout your intestines and causing pain and discomfort.