Poisoning during pregnancy is a delicate and serious problem for the expectant mother. The feeling of nausea, diarrhea, chills during poisoning is perceived more acutely when the girl is in an interesting position than under normal circumstances.

Firstly, during pregnancy there is a clear fear of losing the child. Secondly, when a woman is poisoned, she may begin to panic because she cannot take the usual remedies for her illness. After all, it is known that they can harm the fetus, including miscarriage.

Therefore, in case of poisoning, it is necessary to strictly follow simple rules that will protect the little man in the womb of the expectant mother from the harmful consequences of the disease.

It is known that poisoning is accompanied by high intoxication of the body. It causes the rejection of harmful substances. This results in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills and fever. Gradually, the body becomes dehydrated: it loses a lot of water and nutrients necessary for the development of the fetus. This can lead to serious illnesses of the child in the womb: impaired blood supply to the fetus, the threat of premature birth, and so on.

Sometimes the severe result of poisoning a pregnant woman can be the loss of a child. This does not happen often, but it does occur in medical practice. The cause of the loss of a child and the death of a mother may be failure to provide first aid in case of poisoning on time.

Thus, a pregnant woman from Moscow felt serious consequences and severe illness in mid-January 2012. Her family, her husband and two young children, were poisoned at dinner. Unfortunately, the daughters could not be saved. And the pregnant woman had to be hospitalized and undergo intensive measures to restore her body. First aid for poisoning became my salvation. Mother and child are now out of danger.

In case of possible poisoning, doctors advise every pregnant woman to have her own personal first aid kit with safe and effective remedies. In case of poisoning, obstetricians-gynecologists try to prescribe a minimum of pharmaceuticals. After all, there is a possibility that they can seriously harm the fetus or cause premature birth. Therefore, there is a practice of using proven folk methods to alleviate the condition before the ambulance arrives.

So, at the first symptoms of poisoning, it is important to cleanse the stomach. Moreover, experts do not advise pregnant women to induce vomiting, but to expect the fluid to be removed naturally. To prevent dehydration, you should drink plenty of fluids and take rehydron. Also remove toxic substances using sorbents. During the Soviet era, activated carbon was used for poisoning. However, now there are more effective and safe means that cannot harm the body of a pregnant woman and her child.

To remove toxic substances that cause acute intoxication from the body, it is now recommended to use enterosorbent Polysorb MP. The drug, due to its fine dispersion, quickly binds and naturally removes toxic substances that cause poisoning from the body. Due to the fact that it is not absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract, the drug is safe for the woman’s body and, most importantly, the fetus.

To treat poisoning during pregnancy, before the ambulance arrives, you should take a double dose of Polysorb MP - 2 tablespoons per ? or? glasses of boiled water. This emergency measure will help save the life and health of the expectant mother and fetus.

After emergency treatment and going to the hospital for poisoning, pregnant women are often advised not to eat for several days. When the symptoms of poisoning (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, fever) begin to subside, you need to slowly start eating wheat bread, porridge and drinking large amounts of liquid. You can also include Polysorb MP in your mother’s diet an hour before or after meals, 1 tablespoon 3 times a day. This therapy will remove the remaining toxic substances from the body and quickly normalize the condition of the fetus and the pregnant woman.

So, poisoning is a rather dangerous situation. However, thanks to the development of modern medicine, it can be solved. Now the expectant mother does not have to worry about the well-being of the fetus during pregnancy during treatment for poisoning. Effective first aid for poisoning can be provided at home, without harming the health of the child and mother. But this measure should not replace a pregnant woman’s visit to the ambulance service. Remember that the life and health of the expectant mother and fetus depends on how effectively and how quickly first aid is provided in case of poisoning.

Food poisoning is one of the most common reasons for seeking emergency care at a medical facility. Moreover, only more or less severe cases are subject to recording. How many people don’t go to doctors, preferring to solve the problem themselves?! But it’s one thing if you endanger only yourself, and quite another when you are responsible for the life and health of an unborn child. But food poisoning during pregnancy is a big risk not only for the mother, but also for her baby, who is connected to the mother by one umbilical cord.

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ICD-10 code

A05 Other bacterial food poisoning

Epidemiology

Food poisoning by toxins is one of the most common pathologies, and the bulk of poisoning during pregnancy occurs through the fault of the woman herself (consumption of suspicious foods, including mushrooms, unwashed fruits and berries, failure to comply with hygiene requirements, etc.). This is a problem not only for pregnant women, but they bear the greatest responsibility.

In the first place among toxic infections are poisoning with meat and dairy products (staphylococci), in second place is poisoning with fish and eggs (staphylococcus, salmonella), as well as poisoning with mushrooms, and in third place is with fruits and vegetables. You can become infected with botulism by consuming poor-quality preserved food (in particular canned meat and fish). But seafood can cause non-bacterial types of poisoning.

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Causes of food poisoning during pregnancy

The expectant mother should eat well, because her body now works for two. A pregnant woman's diet must include dairy and fermented milk products, fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and other foods that are healthy in terms of nutritional value. But will all the food products she eats turn out to be useful, because food poisoning, both during pregnancy and during other periods, can be caused even by the dishes we are used to if they are stored incorrectly.

Yes, the most common cause of food poisoning during pregnancy is failure to comply with the timing and temperature conditions when storing various food products. Initially, the products may have been benign, but their improper storage could lead to spoilage of the products, the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in them that cause intestinal disorders, and the accumulation of toxic substances formed during the life of the same pathogenic microorganisms.

The second cause of food poisoning is the consumption of potentially dangerous products, such as mushrooms, fish, meat, custard or protein cream, preserves, cottage cheese, etc. For example, the health safety of mushrooms is determined not only by their type, but also by the place where they grow. Collected near roads, within industrial cities, in the immediate vicinity of landfills and sedimentation tanks, in radiation hazardous areas, mushrooms are dangerous not only to human health, but often to his life, being a strong source of intoxication or radiation.

Fresh meat and fish can initially be a source of bacterial infection, and even after exposing the product to high temperatures, it will leave a trace in the form of toxins, which are unlikely to be removed by boiling or other methods.

As for creams used in confectionery products, violation of their preparation technology leads to premature spoilage of the sweet product. So, when buying cakes or pastries with a normal shelf life, there is still a chance of purchasing a low-quality product, which is so attractive to children and pregnant women with their sometimes insatiable desire to eat something tasty. And even at home, the preparation of cream is not always subject to strict control by the “cook”.

With canned food the situation is different. High prices for products significantly reduce demand for them, and dishonest manufacturers, distributors or sellers simply beat the dates on stale goods. By purchasing a product with a fake expiration date, the expectant mother, of course, risks her health and the health of her unborn child.

And even when buying a high-quality product with a normal shelf life, you can easily get poisoned if you do not comply with the open storage conditions. We also risk it if, after opening the canned food, we leave it stored in a tin can.

Risk factors

Well, let's sum it up. Risk factors for food poisoning can be considered the consumption of the following foods, which, under some conditions, are fertile ground for the growth of bacteria:

• Milk, dairy and fermented milk products, especially cottage cheese, poisoning with which is considered one of the most severe food poisonings, especially dangerous during pregnancy.
• Pastries with cream, homemade cream.
• Fresh meat and fish, as well as dishes prepared from them, even after heat treatment.
• Sausages if stored improperly.
• Meat broths, soups, borscht, fish soup, which are stored without refrigeration (or in the cold for a long time).
• Salads and vinaigrettes, especially if they have already been seasoned with mayonnaise or sour cream.
• Preservation (mold in the jar, swollen lids indicate spoilage of the product), canned fish, especially those with almost expired expiration date.
• Berries, some types of vegetables and fruits if stored improperly.

Risk, of course, is a noble cause, but not in this situation, when it comes to the health of present and future generations.

Pathogenesis

The development of symptoms of intoxication during food poisoning, including during pregnancy, occurs under the influence of one or more negative factors, united under the common name - toxins.

Based on pathogenesis, food poisoning can be divided into:

• Bacterial (microbial), when the product enters the body with some type of bacteria (Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Clostridium botulism, Clostridium perfringens and other less common infections), which release toxins during their life processes. By the way, the bacteria themselves may no longer exist at the time of eating, but the toxins will not go away.
• Non-bacterial (non-microbial), if the product contains toxins initially (potentially toxic products), received them from the outside, or toxic compounds were formed as a result of a violation of food preparation technology.

Toxic contamination of products depends on the type of infection. Thus, staphylococci produce enterotoxin, salmonella secretes the toxin TTSS-1, which is dangerous even for itself, clostridium botulinum forms spores and produces a strong and very dangerous exotoxin for humans, clostridium perfringens also produces spores and alpha toxin.

Staphylococcal infection is still considered the most common. Moreover, products contaminated with it are no different in taste, smell and color from ordinary uncontaminated ones. The bacteria are quite resistant to aggressive factors: they can withstand high concentrations of sugar and salt and die at temperatures not lower than 80 degrees. Its toxin is even more temperature resistant. Enterotoxin is destroyed if the product is boiled at 100 degrees for at least 1.5 or even 2 hours.

Enterotoxin, starting to act already in the stomach, is capable of increasing gastrointestinal motility, which leads to vomiting and diarrhea, and negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, greatly reducing blood pressure.

Salmonella are capable of secreting the TTSS-1 toxin, which kills competitors, some of the bacteria themselves and negatively affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, causing intestinal inflammation and other pathologies.

Alpha toxin produced by Clostridium perfringens damages the intestinal mucosa, impairs the absorption of nutrients, penetrates into other organs and leads to damage to the vascular wall, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs.

Botulism toxin cannot withstand strong heat, but Clostridium botulism spores die only after 5 hours of boiling. Exotoxin is not subject to destruction by digestive enzymes; it is absorbed both in the stomach and intestines with subsequent distribution throughout the body. The cholinergic parts of the central nervous system are especially affected, stopping the process of acetylcholine production in which leads to paralysis of various muscles.

Symptoms of food poisoning during pregnancy

The general symptoms of food poisoning during pregnancy are no different from the manifestations of the disease in other periods of a woman’s life. But there is a high probability that the disease will not be recognized immediately, mistaking food poisoning for banal toxicosis in the early or late stages of pregnancy.

The main symptoms or first signs of food poisoning, reproduced in the order in which they appear:

• nausea followed by vomiting,
• stomach pain, cramps and colic
• the appearance of dyspeptic symptoms: bloating, belching of rotten eggs in a healthy person,
• diarrhea.

The appearance of the above symptoms may be accompanied by chills, fever (in severe poisoning to critical values), general malaise (weakness and dizziness, even fainting, decreased blood pressure, sometimes headaches).

Symptoms will largely depend on the severity of the poisoning. Food poisoning during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, which occurs in a mild form, is often confused with manifestations of early toxicosis. Mild poisoning often occurs with an incomplete symptomatic picture. One or two symptoms may be absent, such as vomiting, belching, fever, diarrhea. The pressure usually remains normal.

Unlike food poisoning, toxicosis is not associated with food intake, although attacks of nausea are often triggered by the taste, sight or smell of food. Toxicosis is characterized by attacks of morning vomiting, while diarrhea and increased body temperature are not observed.

The condition is unstable with repeated periods of improvement and deterioration of well-being, while in case of poisoning the malaise is long-lasting.

The onset of toxicosis cannot be called sudden; symptoms increase gradually over several days. On the contrary, poisoning is characterized by suddenness. And, despite the fact that the first signs can appear either half an hour or an hour later, or several days after eating poor-quality food (it all depends on the incubation period of a certain type of bacterial infection), multiple symptoms actually appear one after another within a few hours.

In late pregnancy, and especially before childbirth, the picture changes in the opposite direction. Some women experience vomiting, loose stools, and headaches on the eve of childbirth, which resembles the symptoms of poisoning. It is very important to distinguish between these two conditions by seeking help from specialists. After all, treatment of non-existent poisoning is no less dangerous for a pregnant woman and fetus than the lack of appropriate treatment if poisoning does occur.

Stages

Any food poisoning goes through the following clinical stages in its development:

1. Latent period. It can also be called a hidden, asymptomatic or even incubation period for the development of a pathological process. It lasts from the moment of consumption of poor-quality food until the appearance of a complete clinical picture of the pathology.

This stage is considered optimal for starting therapeutic measures, since toxins have not yet entered the bloodstream and intoxication of the entire body has not begun.

1. The toxicogenic period or the period of developed symptoms, in which the main symptoms of poisoning come to the fore. It begins with the appearance of signs of poisoning and ends with the removal of bacteria and harmful toxins from the body.
2. Period of late complications. Toxins and bacteria have been removed from the body, but the pathological processes launched by them in various organs and systems of the body are in the stage of active development.
3. The recovery period (also known as the revalescence period). The longest period when the body slowly recovers from toxic exposure with treatment for its consequences, which often make themselves felt for many years.

The greatest danger to the mother and fetus during food poisoning that occurs during pregnancy is the second toxicogenic stage, which causes the greatest number of complications, in some cases reminiscent of themselves throughout life. Therefore, it is so important to seek help as early as possible, before the poison has yet begun its destructive effect.

At the slightest suspicion of poisoning, a pregnant woman should immediately contact a medical facility where she will receive the necessary assistance. To speed up the process of prescribing an effective treatment, it is important to presumably indicate which product could cause such a condition.

Forms

All food poisoning that occurs during pregnancy or at other times can be divided into:

• Bacterial food poisoning (both bacteria and their toxins have a negative effect): salmonellosis, staphylococcal food poisoning, botulism, toxic infections caused by Clostridium perfringens, including antibiotic-associated diarrhea, necrotic enteritis, etc.
• Food poisoning of a non-bacterial nature (the poisonous effect of toxins without an infectious agent): poisoning with mushrooms, berries, herbs, solanine (a mixture of toxins that form under the skin of green or sprouted potatoes), fruits and vegetables grown in environmentally unfavorable areas, etc.
• Poisoning of unknown etiology.

Poisoning by certain types of fish, seafood and food additives can be considered a separate subtype of non-bacterial poisoning. The appearance of poisons in the meat of mackerel fish, cyagutera, black mussels, and scallops is associated with their food preferences. These poisons affect humans differently. Some can cause some kind of allergic reaction, others have a nerve-paralytic effect and disrupt the functioning of the digestive system.

Food additives, often used in Chinese restaurants, can cause an allergic reaction accompanied by intestinal disorders for an organism unaccustomed to such food.

Most often, from the complaints of pregnant women, you can learn about poisoning from dairy products, fish, meat, sausages, creams, compotes, as well as other products due to improper storage.

The latter is especially true in the summer, when food spoils very quickly. Hence, there are quite frequent cases of watermelon poisoning during pregnancy. Under the influence of heat, fermentation processes begin quite quickly in the sweet berry, causing the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Let a watermelon sit in a warm place for a couple of hours and there is a high chance of getting food poisoning.

It must be remembered that during pregnancy any type of food poisoning is considered dangerous. Bacterial and toxic effects on the mother’s body pose a great threat to the fetus, both in terms of the course of pregnancy and in the sense of a high probability of abnormalities in the development of the unborn baby.

Watermelon poisoning can be classified as both bacterial and non-microbial toxicosis. After all, it can be caused both by bacteria that appear as a result of spoilage of the product, and by the presence of harmful substances in the product - nitrates coming from fertilizers.

Another fairly common type of poisoning during pregnancy is poisoning from fish and seafood, most often due to improper storage.

Fish is an easily digestible and very healthy food product that can be prepared in various ways, including salting, smoking and drying. It is in the latter methods of preparation that the whole danger of contracting botulism or salmonellosis lies, which can lead to pregnancy failure. Not to mention Chinese delicacies in the form of fresh fish.

And even if the fish is subjected to prolonged heat treatment, but then stored in unsuitable conditions, fertile ground is created for the proliferation of a bacterial infection, which subsequently becomes the cause of food poisoning.

But the most dangerous case of toxic effects on the body during pregnancy is considered to be mushroom poisoning, which, fortunately, is not so rare. Nevertheless, mothers, in anticipation of the birth of their baby, become more careful in choosing foods and dishes that are also a source of vitality for her and the child.

Very rare cases of poisoning by poisonous mushrooms are fraught with serious consequences for both, and in some cases even fatal for the pregnant woman and her baby. Non-poisonous mushrooms, for various reasons, have accumulated toxins that penetrate the placenta and will also leave their mark, causing a miscarriage, premature birth in a woman, or developmental pathologies in her child.

Among other things, mushrooms are considered heavy food, which can themselves provoke intoxication due to their slow passage through the digestive tract with the formation of toxins.

During pregnancy, food poisoning from berries and herbs often occurs. In such a delicate time, many people prefer herbal medicine, considering plants less safe for the unborn baby than synthetic drugs. All this is true, but not all medicinal herbs are so harmless. Take, for example, wolf's bast, datura, celandine, immortelle, larkspur, wrestler, etc.

Some plants and their fruits are not poisonous (such as black elderberry), but during pregnancy it is better to refrain from traditional medicine and drinks based on them.

So before brewing a medicinal infusion, you need to consult a doctor about the possibility of using such a medicine and its safe dosage.

Complications and consequences

Consequences and complications of food poisoning usually appear during pregnancy, but they can be felt for many years to come. Moreover, the risk to the fetus from mushroom poisoning often significantly exceeds the likelihood of severe pathology or death in a woman.

Severe food poisoning during early pregnancy is fraught with termination of pregnancy (spontaneous miscarriage), delayed physical and mental development of the fetus due to dehydration, disturbances in blood composition and weakening of cardiac activity (drop in blood pressure), causing fetal hypoxia. The consequence of food poisoning can be the fading of pregnancy in the early and middle stages.

If serious food poisoning occurs late in life, there is no less cause for concern. Intoxication can cause premature birth, cause placental insufficiency, which is dangerous to the life and health of the child, and developmental pathologies, manifested in the discrepancy between the weight, height and general development of the baby and the established period of pregnancy.

This is not to say that food poisoning will not affect the woman herself. But here the dependence of the consequences on the type of bacterial infection and the severity of poisoning is clearly visible.

Doctors consider poisoning from poisonous mushrooms to be a particularly severe food poisoning during pregnancy, causing intoxication of the mother and fetus due to the passage of toxins through the placental barrier.

Bacteria from the genus Clostridia cause particularly severe consequences in the form of botulism, characterized by paralysis of the respiratory system, or necrotic enteritis, in which the mucous membrane of the small intestine dies. Both diseases are considered life-threatening. The fatal outcome in both cases is about 30%.

Dangerous complications of food poisoning include infectious-toxic shock requiring emergency care, various circulatory disorders (there is a risk of myocardial infarction and the development of cerebral ischemia), pneumonia, and acute renal failure.

But it’s not just bacteria and toxins that pose a danger. Diarrhea and vomiting with any food poisoning invariably lead to dehydration to varying degrees. As a result, the risk of blood clots due to blood thickening increases.

Along with the loss of fluid in the body, an active process of loss of salts and minerals occurs. As a result, the water-salt balance is disrupted, and the expectant mother loses the vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal development of the child.

Loss of fluid leads to a decrease in the volume of circulating blood and an increase in the concentration of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for uterine contractions, which poses a threat of premature birth.

It is worth saying that if the process of intoxication is captured at the very beginning, when toxic substances have not yet spread with the blood throughout the body, and all measures are taken to remove poisons from the body, various complications that affect not only the digestive system can be avoided. Otherwise, the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory systems, and primarily the body’s main filter, the liver, may suffer.

Diagnosis of food poisoning during pregnancy

The health and life of not one person, but two at once, depends on the timely and correct diagnosis of food poisoning during pregnancy. Assuming such responsibility, the doctor must not only make an accurate verdict, but also try to reduce as much as possible the negative consequences of food poisoning by prescribing treatment that is effective and safe for the unborn child.

The main directions for diagnosing food poisoning during pregnancy are:

1. taking an anamnesis with studying the patient’s complaints,
2. laboratory research.

With the first point, everything seems to be clear. What did you eat, at what time, when did the first symptoms appear, what was the situation at the time of seeking help, etc. The answers to these questions will help to recreate the expected picture of poisoning without specifying the causative agent. To combat mild to moderate intoxication, this would seem to be sufficient. But in severe cases and if an intestinal infection is suspected, additional research is required.

In any case, laboratory tests will help clarify the picture:

• general blood analysis
• blood biochemistry
• general urine analysis
• scatological examinations of stool, including bacterial cultures to determine the pathogen and to identify possible disorders of the intestinal microflora. They will also help assess the efficiency of the digestive system, in particular the process of digesting food.

General and biochemical blood tests, as well as a urine test, are carried out in order to detect a possible inflammatory process, disturbances in the functioning of the liver, kidneys and other organs and systems of the body, which are determined through laboratory tests.

Instrumental diagnostics for food poisoning are not always used. However, in some cases, the doctor may prescribe an abdominal ultrasound and retromanoscopy (examination of the rectum and part of the sigmoid colon) to the expectant mother.

If there is every reason to suspect botulism, electromyography is prescribed to determine the likelihood of severe complications.

In mild cases, a diagnosis in a medical facility by a medical specialist may not be necessary. The symptoms of food poisoning are quite obvious, and if there is also reason to suspect it, the issue will resolve itself.

Mushroom poisoning during pregnancy is a special case, requiring mandatory medical examination and immediate treatment before the toxins reach the fetus.

You should also seek medical help if you experience symptoms such as breathing and speech problems, heavy eyelids, and infrequent urination some time after eating. Also considered suspicious symptoms are: diarrhea for more than 1 day, a yellow tint to the skin and whites of the eyes, the appearance of rashes, swelling in the joints, signs of dehydration (too dry skin, cracked lips, sunken eyes, scanty urine or its absence).

Differential diagnosis

The need for differential diagnosis in food poisoning arises from the similarity of the symptoms of intoxication with other pathologies. Moreover, some diseases are not even related to the functioning of the digestive system.

Symptoms similar to food poisoning are observed in acute appendicitis: constant pain in the lower abdomen on the right side, intensifying while walking, bending, coughing, fever some time after the onset of pain, stool with diarrhea is not watery, but in the form of mush, possibly vomit. A blood test shows an elevated level of neutrophil leukocytes.

Abdominal colic, vomiting, bloating due to increased gas formation, fever and diarrhea can also be observed with mesenteric thrombosis developing against the background of intestinal ischemia. But the stool is characterized by alternating constipation and diarrhea; there is often an admixture of blood in the stool.

Food poisoning during pregnancy may resemble manifestations of acute cholecystitis or cholecystopancreatitis. Abdominal colic, vomiting, chills resemble poisoning, but diarrhea is most often absent, and the pain is localized in the right hypochondrium, radiating to the back.

Food poisoning must also be differentiated from manifestations of diabetes mellitus, cholera, shigellosis, acetonymic ketosis and other pathologies.

Some symptoms resembling poisoning may be observed in pregnant women on the eve of childbirth. And here, too, it is very important not to make a mistake.

Treatment of food poisoning during pregnancy

Intoxication due to consumption of poor-quality food in the majority of cases is treated at home. Hospitalization may be required only in severe cases.

The effectiveness of treatment of any food poisoning primarily depends on the time of onset of therapeutic actions. It costs you more to procrastinate here. But you shouldn’t overdo it either.

So, during pregnancy, you should not rush to rinse your stomach if symptoms of food poisoning appear. In the presence of vomiting and diarrhea, harmful substances will leave the body on their own; the main thing is not to stop the above symptoms unless their manifestation is excessive.

Sorbent preparations will help reduce intoxication of the body. Activated carbon is considered the most popular and accessible of them, however, to achieve a positive effect you need to drink a decent amount of it (the recommended dose is 1 tablet per 10 kg of the patient’s weight).

Any other medicines that have the property of binding and removing toxic substances from the body are also suitable: Enterosgel, White Coal, Polysorb, as well as antidiarrheal drugs with adsorbing and regulating intestinal microflora properties, Smecta and Enterol.

"Enterosgel"- enterosorbent in the form of a paste, packaged in packs and tubes. Effective against poisoning and intestinal infections. You need to take the drug in the amount of 1 sachet or 1 ½ tbsp. l., designed for one dose. The frequency of taking the drug is 3 times a day. The drug should be taken one to two hours before or after meals with water. The therapeutic course is usually 3-5 days.

The drug is not prescribed for intestinal atony and in case of individual intolerance to the components of the drug. Nausea and constipation may occur while taking Enterosgel.

Enterosorbent "Polysorb" Available in powder form in bags or jars. Before use, the powder is diluted in a quarter or half a glass of water. The dosage of the drug depends on the patient’s weight and is determined at the rate of 0.1-0.2 g per 1 kg of the patient’s body weight per day. It is recommended to take the drug 3 or 4 times a day 1 hour before meals or medications. On average, a single dose of the drug corresponds to 1 sachet (3 g) or 1 tbsp. l. with a slide.

Contraindications to the use of the drug are ulcerative lesions and bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal atony, hypersensitivity to the drug. Taking the drug may be accompanied by allergic reactions or constipation.

"Smecta"- antidiarrheal drug in powder form with orange and vanilla flavor. Taken as part of complex therapy for severe diarrhea caused by intestinal infection or consumption of poor quality food.

A suspension for oral administration is prepared by dissolving the contents of 3-6 packets in 0.5 glasses of water. The daily dose is drunk in 3 doses. Therapeutic course – from 3 days to a week.

The medicine is not prescribed for intestinal obstruction, fructose intolerance, or individual sensitivity to the components of the medicine.

To treat diarrhea, it is enough to take 1-2 capsules of the drug 2 times a day for 3-5 days.

Pregnancy is not a contraindication to taking the drug, but consultation with a doctor in this case is required.

Diarrhea and vomiting due to food poisoning contribute to rapid loss of fluid and the onset of dehydration, which is especially dangerous during pregnancy. Among other things, minerals that are so necessary for the fetus are lost along with the water.

To replenish the fluid supply, non-carbonated mineral water is suitable, as well as special preparations "Hidrovit", "Regidron", "Normohydron" etc. But vitamins and vitamin-mineral complexes for pregnant women will replenish the beneficial substances lost with liquid.

Antibiotics for bacterial poisoning are very rarely prescribed, except in severe cases of botulism or salmonellosis. Sometimes they are used to treat persistent diarrhea and vomiting. But the selection of drugs during pregnancy is more careful than usual, because we are talking about the safety of the new life maturing in the womb of a woman.

Traditional treatment and homeopathy

When it comes to unconventional treatment of food poisoning during pregnancy, you need to understand that it is effective only in mild stages of the pathology. In difficult situations, alternative treatment is applicable only in conjunction with drug therapy.

And yet, traditional medicine recipes can significantly alleviate the condition of the expectant mother.

To eliminate nausea, a dill decoction is perfect (1 tsp of herb per glass of water, boil for a quarter of an hour), which should be drunk 30 minutes before meals in the amount of ½ cup, adding half a tablespoon of honey.

High-quality black tea with toast made from black bread will help neutralize any toxins without medications. For the same purpose, pharmaceutical seaweed powder is added to food.

The juice of 3 lemons with sugar will help quickly cope with most symptoms of food poisoning. It will also prevent the spread of the infectious process in the intestines.

Herbal treatment comes down to drinking tea based on chamomile, mint, marshmallow flowers and leaves. In the first days, teas can replace other foods, giving rest to the exhausted stomach and intestines.

But to begin treatment of food poisoning during pregnancy, when it is undesirable to rinse the stomach or induce vomiting on your own due to the threat of miscarriage, is better with the help of homeopathy medications. An important condition for this is a consultation with a homeopathic doctor and compliance with all his instructions regarding the dosage and method of use of the drugs.

For any food poisoning accompanied by cramping abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, belching, chills, the drug Nux Vomica will be useful.

If poisoning with meat or fish is accompanied by weakness and diarrhea, you can resort to the help of the homeopathic drug Arsenicum album.

In case of poisoning with meat, fish and seafood, accompanied by a feeling of heat or cold inside, you can take Carbo vegetalis or Pulsatilla. The latter is effective for poisoning with fatty foods if the diarrhea has a different color and consistency.

• Careful food selection. You cannot buy them in spontaneous markets; when purchasing, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the product, smell, production date, terms and storage conditions.
• Compliance with hygiene requirements. You need to wash your hands not only before eating and after visiting public places, but also before preparing food.
• Proper food storage. Compliance with temperature conditions and acceptable proximity. You cannot store raw foods together with cooked ones. Ready-made meals can be stored outside the refrigerator for no more than 2 hours.
• Cooking. Try to thoroughly cook most products whenever possible.
• Maintaining cleanliness in the living area and especially in the room for preparing and eating food.
• Food safety. Refrain from consuming potentially dangerous products (dried fish, mushrooms, etc.).

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During pregnancy, the condition of her child depends on the woman’s well-being. Naturally, the processes occurring in the mother’s body during food poisoning cannot be called favorable for the child. Vomiting, diarrhea, persistent nausea, abdominal cramps are only superficial symptoms. In fact, much more dangerous processes occur in a woman’s body: dehydration, intoxication, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract. A pregnant woman's body, and, consequently, her child, does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients. One of the most pressing issues is how to treat food poisoning during pregnancy, because a woman must be selective about medications, and the effect must be obtained as quickly as possible.

Features of poisoning during gestation

During pregnancy, as in any other period of a woman’s life, food poisoning is the result of eating missing, expired, or improperly stored food. Poisoning can occur due to poisonous mushrooms, berries, fruits or fish entering the stomach.

During the period of bearing a child, women often feel a craving for exotic fruits, which can be “stuffed” with harmful nitrates. Watermelons, grapes, strawberries and other fruits purchased in a supermarket outside of their ripening season pose a danger to a pregnant woman and can cause poisoning.

The risk of poisoning is especially high in the summer. If storage standards are violated, products quickly deteriorate, pathogenic microorganisms actively multiply in them, and their toxins accumulate. Even half an hour of storing a product without a refrigerator can lead to its spoilage, especially when it comes to sausages, salads with mayonnaise, fermented milk products, and confectionery with cream.

Note: depending on what caused the poisoning, they are divided into microbial and non-microbial. Microbial poisoning occurs when eating foods contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses). Non-microbial ones are caused by the consumption of poisonous plants and animal tissues (shellfish, fish, offal).

The mechanism of development of food poisoning in a pregnant woman is the same as in other people: microbes and their toxins enter the gastrointestinal tract, and when microorganisms die in the digestive tract, toxic substances are released again, which irritate and damage the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, disrupting their motility. As a result, a person experiences abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. When toxic substances penetrate into the blood, signs of intoxication appear. Due to diarrhea and vomiting attacks, the body becomes dehydrated.

Food poisoning in pregnant women: what is the danger?

Poisoning is a strong stress for the body of a pregnant woman and can affect the health of her child. The symptoms of poisoning themselves are unpleasant, but in addition to them, dehydration and intoxication pose a danger.

Due to dehydration, the volume of blood circulating in the body decreases. This leads to an increase in the level of oxytocin in a woman’s blood; under the influence of the hormone, the contractility of the uterus increases, which can negatively affect the course of pregnancy. In addition, dehydration leads to increased blood pressure, a woman experiences symptoms of hypertension, and her risk of developing blood clots increases. With the fluid released from the body, vitamins and microelements are washed out, which could be used to maintain vital processes. Dehydration poses a risk of miscarriage.

Intoxication of the body, which occurs with food poisoning, disrupts the functioning of many organs. The severity of intoxication symptoms depends on the amount of toxic substances entering the blood. A woman may experience symptoms of intoxication such as:

• headache;
• impotence;
• rise in temperature, chills;
• muscle pain;
• joint pain;
• nausea;
• lethargy, apathy.

With severe intoxication, the pulse and breathing may increase, and dizziness convulsions may appear.

Symptoms of intoxication are especially severe when poisoned by poisonous mushrooms and fruits. During pregnancy, a woman should not eat mushrooms, even if they are collected by experienced mushroom pickers. Even edible-looking mushrooms can be a source of botulism. If mushrooms grew near a roadway or in an industrial area, they are highly likely to have collected harmful substances from the soil and air. Such mushrooms will cause poisoning.

Attention! There are about 70 species of poisonous mushrooms found in Russia, the consumption of 20 of which is especially dangerous for humans. During the year, cases of mushroom poisoning are registered in every fifth Russian family. Some of them end in death.

Food poisoning during pregnancy is considered a dangerous condition. In the later stages it can lead to premature birth, in the early stages it can lead to miscarriage. Among the dangerous consequences:

• bleeding;
• placental abruption;
• slow fetal development;
• oxygen starvation of the fetus.

The above consequences can develop in severe poisoning. In mild forms, when the woman’s condition deteriorates slightly, poisoning does not pose a serious threat to the life of the child and the course of pregnancy. But the woman still requires treatment under the supervision of a doctor.

First aid

Pregnant women are among the people at high risk of developing complications from poisoning. Therefore, the first thing to do if signs indicating food poisoning appear during pregnancy is to call an ambulance.

Important! A pregnant woman needs to be prepared for hospitalization. Having called an ambulance, you should prepare the things necessary for your stay in the hospital: personal hygiene items, bedding, documents.

While waiting for doctors or if for some reason it was not possible to call an ambulance, it is necessary to provide first aid to the woman yourself.

To prevent the further spread of toxins throughout the body and remove the source of poisoning from it, it is necessary to rinse the stomach. The procedure is considered to be most effective in the first hours after poisoning. Washing is carried out as follows:

• drink a glass of clean water at a comfortable temperature in one gulp (the water should not be hot, so as not to enhance the absorption of toxins in the stomach, or too cold, as this can lead to a spasm of the muscles of the organ);
• if after drinking liquid vomiting does not begin on its own, gagging is provoked by pressing on the root of the tongue with a spoon or finger;
• after vomiting, drink 1-2 glasses of clean water again and induce vomiting again;
• the procedure is repeated many times, 7-8 times, until all the contents come out of the stomach (until clean rinsing water).

Water can be replaced with one of the gastric lavage solutions:

• weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• saline solution (a tablespoon of salt per 2 liters of water);
• soda solution (the proportions are the same as with salt).

Important! Provoking vomiting can lead to increased uterine tone. Therefore, for women who experience uterine hypertonicity during pregnancy, lavage is contraindicated. Under no circumstances should rinsing be carried out if there is a risk of placental abruption. You must wait until vomiting begins naturally.

After vomiting stops or after gastric lavage, it is necessary to take sorbents. This can be activated carbon, Polysorb, Smecta, Enterosgel. All these drugs are allowed for pregnant women, subject to dosages.

Next, you need to replenish the fluid lost by the body. To do this, the woman is given clean water, herbal decoctions, weak unsweetened tea, and dried fruit compote to drink. With normal tolerance, it is better to replenish the water balance with a solution of Oralita or Humana Electrolyte. You need to drink in small sips so as not to provoke repeated bouts of vomiting.

Important! All other medications (antispasmodics, antibiotics) should be prescribed to a pregnant woman exclusively by a doctor! You need to contact him as soon as possible!

Nutritional Features

In case of poisoning, it is recommended to refrain from eating food on the first day and limit intake of liquids. But this recommendation is not relevant for pregnant women. Even short-term fasting can negatively affect a child's well-being. As soon as a woman feels better, she should eat some light food: vegetable broth, mashed potatoes, rice porridge with water, tea with crackers.

Poisoning during lactation

Food poisoning can also occur during breastfeeding, despite the fact that many women follow a strict diet during lactation. In case of mild food poisoning, there is no need to stop breastfeeding; the woman can continue to feed the baby. The likelihood of toxins passing into breast milk is low. In addition, with mother's milk, the child receives antibodies to the infection produced by the woman's immune system.

But in case of severe food poisoning, a nursing mother requires hospitalization. In this case, the answer to the question whether it is possible to breastfeed the baby will be negative. The child is temporarily transferred to formula. To maintain lactation, a woman should express milk. Of course, milk expressed in the infectious diseases department should not be passed on for feeding the baby. Once the woman returns home, she can continue breastfeeding if there are no other contraindications (taking antibiotics).

After recovery and elimination of all symptoms of poisoning, the woman should discuss with the doctor monitoring the pregnancy the advisability of taking multivitamin complexes. Breastfeeding young mothers also need to replenish their vitamin and mineral balance.

When carrying a child, you would like not to get sick, but anything can happen, including food poisoning during pregnancy.
Perhaps this is due to the woman’s desire to eat more varied and healthy - the diet is changing, vegetables and fruits are added to it, which may not have been eaten often before. Or maybe the intense rhythm in which all organs work during pregnancy suggests periodic failures.
The signs of poisoning are the same as without pregnancy - a feeling of discomfort, loss of appetite, there may be stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and later diarrhea, sometimes without pain, more often with abdominal pain and increased gas formation. There may be an increase in temperature up to 38 degrees, with severe intoxication - chills, headache, weakness. Blood pressure may decrease and you may feel dizzy, even fainting.
Why is food poisoning dangerous during pregnancy?
First of all, the presence of intoxication and the possibility of dehydration. When blood thickens, which always accompanies dehydration, there is a danger of thrombosis, for example, in the veins of the lower extremities, especially those affected by varicose veins. As the volume of circulating blood decreases, the concentration of the hormone oxytocin increases, which can lead to the onset of contractile activity of the uterus - this can lead to miscarriage or premature birth or its threat. In addition, with liquid - vomiting and diarrhea - vitamins and minerals are lost, and the body begins to suffer from their lack.
In case of serious intoxication, for example, with mushrooms, the poison may penetrate the feto-placental barrier, which is fraught with very unpleasant consequences. But this is still a rare occurrence. In ordinary, mild poisoning, the body suffers from an intestinal infection that entered it with poor-quality food. In this case, the infectious agent does not affect the child and does not enter his blood system.
Treatment of poisoning during pregnancy is, in principle, standard, but we must remember that for a pregnant woman, intoxication and dehydration are more dangerous and one should strive to deal with them as early as possible and more effectively. In case of severe vomiting or poor general health, you should urgently call an ambulance - most likely, the woman will be hospitalized for detoxification therapy with the help of droppers.
If you stay at home: gastric lavage is important, but it is contraindicated if there is a threat of miscarriage and even more so if there is a threat of bleeding, for example, with placental abruption.
Vomiting can provoke repeated bleeding, here it is better to wait until the stomach empties naturally, and then use sorbents that absorb harmful substances and bacterial bodies and remove them from the body through the intestines - enterosgel, polysorb, activated carbon.
As soon as the vomiting has stopped, you need to replenish the lost fluid, little by little, preferably with mineral solutions sold in pharmacies, or simply with purified water. Drink increased amounts of liquid in small portions until thirst and dry mouth disappear. The use of antibiotics is most often not required - the body cleanses itself; only in cases of severe poisoning and mild vomiting and diarrhea may this become necessary.
A few hours after the end of vomiting, you can gradually expand the fasting diet - sweet strong tea, later - low-fat chicken broth, dried bread. Fasting, even short-term and easily tolerated by ordinary people, is extremely harmful for pregnant women, so light protein-carbohydrate nutrition must be restored. After complete recovery, it is good to drink a high-quality vitamin and mineral complex to restore the balance of vitamins and minerals in the body.
And the last thing that women are always interested in is whether poisoning during pregnancy affects the condition of the child, can intrauterine infection with an intestinal infection occur?
The second question must immediately be answered in the negative, and the child’s condition is affected by any ill-being of the mother, but he, like the mother, will recover and there should be no consequences.

It's no secret that pregnant women are often drawn to incompatible dishes. In addition, there is always a risk of eating a low-quality product. In the latter case, food poisoning may develop and require treatment. All expectant mothers need to know how to avoid food poisoning and what to do if it does occur.

Symptoms of poisoning during pregnancy.

Food poisoning usually manifests itself 2-3 hours after consuming a poor-quality product. In this case, the following symptoms arise:

The severity of symptoms depends on the severity of poisoning. If the condition is mild or moderate and the woman adheres to adequate treatment, then the body returns to normal within 3 days. Severe toxic infection, in the absence of adequate treatment, can cause complications.

In any case, at the first symptoms of poisoning, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. In exceptional cases, an ambulance should be called. This will allow you to start therapy as soon as possible and prevent adverse consequences for the woman and her baby.

What to do in case of poisoning during pregnancy?

What to do if food poisoning occurs? It is important to consider that vomiting during pregnancy can cause premature birth or miscarriage. If the expectant mother is in serious condition, then it is advisable for her to drink water in small sips in order to saturate the body with moisture without adverse consequences. It is not recommended to eat any food until vomiting and diarrhea stop.

Gastric lavage can be performed only if there is no threat of miscarriage and the woman does not suffer from nagging pain in the lower abdomen, as well as bleeding caused by placental abruption. Antibiotic poisoning should not be treated without prior medical advice. Firstly, this can harm the fetus, and secondly, in most cases the use of such medications is not required.

To prevent the absorption of harmful substances into the intestines and treat poisoning, it is recommended to take sorbents (for example, enterosgel, activated carbon, polysorb and others) allowed during the gestational period. Other medications can be used as prescribed by a specialist.

Treatment of poisoning can be carried out independently, but only if the symptoms are not severe. High body temperature, vomiting and diarrhea that do not go away for a long time require an urgent call to the ambulance team. You should immediately consult a doctor if you faint, or if the cause of poisoning lies in the consumption of mushrooms or canned foods. For analysis, it is advisable to save the remains of the food that caused the unpleasant symptoms.

How to eat if poisoned during pregnancy?

In case of poisoning, it is necessary to replenish the volume of fluid lost due to dehydration. To do this, you need to drink more boiled water. Drinking other drinks in the first 24 hours after signs of foodborne illness appear is not recommended.

For 2-3 days after the cessation of unpleasant symptoms, you must adhere to a gentle diet. It is advisable to drink strong and sweet tea, chicken broth with white bread croutons and rice porridge with water. Other foods should be introduced into the diet gradually, observing the body's reaction.

It is impossible to go hungry during pregnancy, so the expectant mother, faced with signs of poisoning, needs to establish her usual diet as soon as possible. It is desirable that the body receives a sufficient amount of protein and light carbohydrate foods.

It is not recommended to eat meat, fish, raw fruits and vegetables within 10 days after the onset of unpleasant symptoms. As soon as the gastrointestinal tract begins to function normally, you need to drink vitamin and mineral complexes, which the doctor will prescribe.

Poisoning during pregnancy: common consequences.

Food poisoning very rarely leads to serious consequences, but requires treatment. It is often accompanied by diarrhea, which quickly causes dehydration. At the same time, the blood in the vessels thickens, the blood flow between the mother and the fetus worsens, which can provoke intrauterine hypoxia.

In addition, a decrease in blood volume stimulates the production of oxytocin, a hormone that significantly increases the tone of the uterus. The body perceives this as a signal for the onset of labor, which can lead to miscarriage or premature birth of the baby.

Poisoning during pregnancy must be treated because it forces a woman to give up proper nutrition, limiting the supply of nutrients to the child. In addition, food poisoning is often accompanied by severe vomiting, which provokes the leaching of vitamins and minerals from the mother’s body.

Low blood pressure is a common sign of pathology. If it is observed for a short time, then there is no danger to the fetus. However, it is worth paying attention to prolonged hypotension, which can lead to intrauterine hypoxia of the child and fainting in the expectant mother.

When the placenta is functioning properly, harmful substances do not reach the fetus. The exception is the poisons contained in mushrooms: they penetrate the placental barrier and can cause deviations in the development of the baby. This is why a woman should be careful about her diet during pregnancy.

Prevention of poisoning.

To avoid food poisoning during the gestational period, you need to carefully monitor your diet. It is advisable for the expectant mother to choose the following food products with special care:

• mushrooms;
• canned food (including homemade);
• seafood;
• quickly perishable sweets (for example, cakes, pastries, especially those with cream filling);
• various types of sausages;
• fermented milk products (kefir, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt and others);
• vegetables and fruits supposedly saturated with pesticides and nitrates (melons, watermelons).

To prevent poisoning, you must:

Poisoning during pregnancy rarely leads to serious consequences for the mother and her baby, however, if unpleasant symptoms are detected, you should consult a specialist. If it is not possible to receive medical care, then self-treatment with drugs approved during the gestational period is allowed. If you feel very unwell, or are poisoned by canned food or mushrooms, you should urgently call a doctor.