Unexplained taste in the mouth of pregnancy. A sour taste during pregnancy is the cause of an unpleasant sensation in the mouth. Diseases of the digestive system

During pregnancy, every woman listens especially carefully to her body, and if any suspicious signs are detected, she immediately begins to sound the alarm. One of the causes of concern for pregnant women is an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Why does this phenomenon occur and how dangerous can it really be? Let's try to figure it out.

A sharp change in taste when carrying a child and an increase in the level of acidity in the mouth indicate that the fetus, while developing, occupies more and more space and, as a result, puts pressure on the digestive organs of its mother. A sour taste in the mouth can be caused by excess hydrochloric acid in the stomach. If this phenomenon is permanent, then there is a high probability of inflammation of the esophageal mucosa and, as a result, gastric ulcer or gastritis.

Pregnancy, in addition to feeling a sour taste in the mouth, can also be accompanied by heartburn. The vast majority of expectant mothers complain that this unpleasant taste haunts them all the time, starting from the 8-10th week of pregnancy. Experts associate such a manifestation with impaired liver function and, as a result, bile secretion. Such malfunctions in the functioning of the gallbladder and entail the appearance of a bitter taste in the mouth.

Many women already in the first weeks of bearing a baby notice a strange metallic taste in their mouths. The exact cause of its occurrence has not been identified to date, but there are some assumptions. So, according to one of the options, this phenomenon is associated with a lack of nutrients in the diet of a pregnant woman. Other doctors see the cause in bleeding gums and problems in the oral cavity, but the most common is the point of view according to which the metallic taste is explained by hormonal changes and peaks occurring in the body of a pregnant woman.

Ways to get rid of bad taste

First of all, the expectant mother should not self-medicate, it is very important to get expert advice. In the case when taste revolutions bring severe discomfort to the pregnant woman, it is recommended to use Hepatoprotector or Allochol. In addition, the expectant mother should adhere to a certain diet and exclude fatty, salty and spicy foods from her diet, give preference to stewed, baked and boiled foods.

The unpleasant taste in the mouth becomes weaker over time and completely disappears by the last month of pregnancy. This is due to the fact that in the body of a pregnant woman, the production of progesterone, a hormone, is reduced, which for the most part explains all the physiological changes that occur during the period of bearing a baby.

A sour taste in the mouth is one of the characteristic signs that accompany pregnancy from an early date. The feeling of sour appears even before the delay of menstruation and haunts the expectant mother until the very birth. A similar symptom can also be associated with the pathology of the digestive tract and some other conditions that are dangerous for the woman and the fetus. Knowing why it gives off sour mouth during pregnancy, you can not only find the source of the problem, but also get rid of discomfort with minimal risk to your own health.

Sour taste in the mouth as an early sign of pregnancy

Shortly after the conception of a child, the body begins to increase the production of progesterone. This hormone is responsible for the active proliferation of the mucous layer of the uterus - preparation for the upcoming implantation of the embryo. Progesterone creates the conditions for the successful bearing of the fetus. It relaxes the uterus, preventing miscarriage, and thus allows you to bring the child to the due date.

Progesterone is not selective. Its influence extends not only to the uterus, but also to other internal organs. Together with the myometrium, the muscular layer of the digestive tract relaxes. Progesterone also affects the sphincters of the stomach, which provokes the reverse reflux of its contents into the esophagus. Acidic gastric juice, penetrating up the digestive tract, leads to an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth. Often this symptom becomes one of the first in a series of dubious signs of pregnancy.

In addition to the sour taste, the appearance of other characteristic symptoms is noted:

• heartburn, worse after eating;
• eructation of sour and air;
• heaviness in the epigastrium - in the projection of the stomach;
• pain in the hypochondrium;
• bloating;
• flatulence;
• constipation.

All these symptoms indicate problems in the digestive tract associated with excessive exposure to progesterone, and may indirectly indicate the onset of pregnancy. The absence of such sensations is also a variant of the norm.

Causes of a sour taste in the later stages

There are several conditions that can lead to the appearance of an unpleasant symptom:

• Biliary dyskinesia. Anomalies in the development of the gallbladder and ducts can provoke pathology. JVP is accompanied not only by sour belching, but also by pain under the ribs on the right. Pain occurs after eating, often at night, can give under the shoulder blade. There is flatulence and bloating. The basis of therapy is the appointment of a diet and the intake of enzyme preparations. In severe situations, surgical treatment is indicated.
• Liver pathology. It is characterized by the appearance of a sour taste and concomitant symptoms: pain in the right hypochondrium, heaviness in the abdomen, impaired stool. Often accompanied by jaundice - staining of the skin and mucous membranes in yellow. It requires correction of nutrition, the appointment of enzyme preparations and other symptomatic therapy.
• Gastritis with increased secrecy, gastric and duodenal ulcer. With this pathology, the appearance of a sour taste in the mouth, frequent heartburn, and aching pain in the epigastrium after eating are noted. Treatment includes taking antibiotics, enzymes, protective agents.

If you suspect a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, you should contact a general practitioner or gastroenterologist, undergo an examination and treatment if necessary.

Not only the pathology of the digestive tract can lead to the appearance of a sour taste in the mouth. Often the problem is explained by much more prosaic reasons:

• Compression of the stomach by the growing uterus. Sour taste occurs in the second half of pregnancy and is due to the regular reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus and oral cavity.
• Sudden movements, excessive physical activity provoke pressure on the organs of the digestive tract.
• Sleep in an uncomfortable position, which increases pressure on the organs of the digestive tract and increases reflux.
• Diet errors. The use of sweet, overly salty, spicy, spicy, fried and fatty foods provokes heartburn and the appearance of a sour taste in the mouth.
• Active fetal movements. The movements of a grown baby disturb the stomach and lead to an increase in reverse reflux.

All these are natural conditions that occur during pregnancy in a perfectly healthy woman. Treatment is not required - after the birth of the child, the situation returns to normal.

How to alleviate the condition and get rid of the sour taste in the mouth?

First of all, the expectant mother needs to follow a diet:

1. Eliminate foods that provoke the appearance of unpleasant symptoms. Fatty foods, pickles and marinades, spicy seasonings and spices, sour juices, berries and fruits are banned.
2. Eat often, but in small portions. The best option for a pregnant woman will be five meals a day.
3. Drink more fluids: up to 1.5-2 liters per day (in the absence of pathology from the heart and kidneys). Ordinary water, herbal tea, fruit compotes will benefit. It is not recommended to consume sour fruit drinks and carbonated drinks.
4. The last meal should be 2-3 hours before bedtime. The habit of eating at night slows down intestinal motility and leads to the reflux of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus.

Normalization of nutrition in most cases helps to cope with the problem. A change in lifestyle will also help. It is recommended to move more: walk in the fresh air, do yoga, master breathing practices, do not forget about gymnastics for expectant mothers. Reasonable exercise stimulates the digestive tract and reduces the likelihood of reflux. It has been observed that women who lead an active lifestyle are less likely to suffer from similar symptoms during pregnancy.

A metallic taste during pregnancy is the result of hormonal changes in the body. During pregnancy, the amount of progesterone and estrogen hormones in a woman's body increases. These hormones can influence taste sensations.

When does a metallic taste occur?

A pregnant woman is advised to consult a doctor if she has an unusual perception of food, smells or a deterioration in well-being. A metallic taste in the mouth during pregnancy can be caused by pathology. To determine the disease, you will need to undergo an examination, take blood, urine and smears for analysis.

Feeling a metallic taste during pregnancy, you need to visit a doctor

Causes of a metallic taste in the mouth during pregnancy:

• fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone and other hormones, as a result of which the receptors react differently to familiar foods;
• taking perinatal drugs, vitamin complexes or remedies for anemia;
• bleeding wounds in the mouth, respiratory tract, digestive organs;
• acid reflux - the entry of gastric contents into the larynx when regurgitation of food, belching;
• beriberi, iron deficiency anemia;
• diseases of the oral cavity - stomatitis, glossitis, others;
• mercury fumes poisoning.

Ways to eliminate a metallic taste during pregnancy

If an unpleasant sensation of iron in the mouth occurs in the I-II trimester, it is recommended to interrupt it with home methods - jam or rinse your mouth with a weak soda solution.

You can remove the metallic taste if:

• eat sour, spicy food, mint candy;
• drink lemonade or cherry compote;
• to exclude from the use of mineral water enriched with iron.

Removing food debris in the mouth prevents the receptors on the tongue from continuing to contact them, causing a lingering aftertaste. Brush your teeth and tongue every time you eat or drink.

Pregnancy is a special state for a woman when a new life develops in her body. Often this is accompanied by the appearance of not too pleasant sensations that can occur at different periods of bearing a child. You just need to experience them and not give yourself up to vain experiences. Many at this time are concerned about nausea, belching, heartburn or bloating. This is quite acceptable, taking into account all the changes taking place in the body.

Many women also pay attention to the appearance of an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth. When this occurs for the first time, the pregnant woman tends to think about the causes of this condition. But the opposite situation also happens - these sensations periodically arose earlier, but the woman did not pay attention to them. Why this happens and what needs to be done to eliminate an unpleasant symptom, the doctor will tell you. But a woman herself can guess about some moments of its development.

An unpleasant taste in the mouth is certainly a problem that worries a woman. But it is not always necessary to give this increased attention.

Causes

A foreign taste can haunt a woman from early pregnancy. There are many explanations for this: physiological changes in the body or various pathological disorders. But before you look for any diseases in yourself, you should think about whether this is not a normal phenomenon. First you need to consider the possible causes of this condition and exclude the most unfavorable of them. So, the appearance of an altered taste in the mouth during pregnancy can be triggered by such factors:

• Physiological restructuring of the body.
• Diseases of the digestive system.
• metabolic pathology.
• Diseases of the oral cavity.
• Deficiency of vitamins and microelements.

It is possible to determine what actually caused the incomprehensible aftertaste only after a comprehensive examination of the pregnant woman. But some deviations in the state of health are not always detected. In this case, they talk about the normal reaction of the body to bearing a child.

Why there are certain sensations during pregnancy, only a doctor can determine.

Symptoms

If we consider in detail the problem of altered taste, we must take into account all the points that may indicate its origin. First of all, you should find out what preceded the appearance of such a symptom: it is often associated with the woman’s diet or certain aspects of her lifestyle. It is necessary to establish the characteristics of such a manifestation, because the taste can be completely different:

1. Sour.
2. Gorky.
3. Sweet.
4. Metallic.

This symptom is often accompanied by other manifestations: heartburn, belching, discomfort in the abdomen. It can change over time, be constant or intermittent, pronounced or weak. It all depends on the condition of the woman at the time of the examination and the characteristics of her body.

Differential diagnosis will help determine the origin of any symptom.

Physiological restructuring of the body

Pregnancy proceeds against the background of hormonal changes in the body and changes in the functioning of various systems. Unfortunately, this is not always a pleasant experience. Even before a woman is aware of her condition, one of the most common signs is a change in taste. But this can also be considered in the context of early toxicosis, when nausea and vomiting are disturbing in parallel.

In the second and third trimester, when the fetus grows rapidly, the uterus begins to rise and squeeze the surrounding organs. The woman begins to feel sour belching, heartburn, a feeling of fullness after eating. This is due to increased pressure in the abdominal cavity and relaxation of the sphincters. The contents of the stomach, in which there is hydrochloric acid, actively penetrates into the esophagus and leads to a change in taste in the mouth. And this is not a sign of pathology.

In addition to feeling sour in the mouth, a woman may be bothered by the taste of bitterness. This condition appears due to the penetration of bile into the stomach against the background of reflux (reverse reflux) from the duodenum.

Physiological changes during pregnancy, as a rule, do not have such pronounced manifestations as in pathology.

Diseases of the digestive system

Often, an altered taste in the mouth indicates certain diseases of the digestive tract. Such a pathology can be suspected by the symptoms that bothered the woman even before pregnancy, since when carrying a child, an exacerbation of chronic diseases is often observed.

For example, if a woman has a sour mouth, this may indicate gastritis, stomach ulcers, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In turn, many of them are accompanied by:

• Pain and heaviness in the abdomen.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• heartburn.
• Belching of sour or air.
• Constipation.

When talking about a feeling of bitterness in the mouth, it is necessary to pay attention to the work of the gallbladder, because this can be a sign of biliary dyskinesia, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis. In this case, the appearance of pain in the right hypochondrium is characteristic, sometimes jaundice and loosening of the stool occur. A sweet taste may indicate liver problems with hepatitis or cirrhosis.

Diseases of the digestive system require timely treatment. This is the only way to eliminate unpleasant symptoms.

Pathology of metabolism

Diabetes may cause a sweet taste in the mouth. This is due to an increase in blood glucose. But this is a rather rare symptom of the disease. Most often, the pathology is accompanied by such symptoms:

1. Thirst and dry mouth.
2. Excretion of large amounts of urine (polyuria).
3. Skin itching.
4. Reduced vision.
5. Increased weight or, conversely, weight loss.

Diabetes can be detected by a simple blood sugar test and a carbohydrate tolerance test.

Diseases of the oral cavity

Unpleasant taste and smell from the mouth is a common symptom of dental diseases and ENT pathology. This is observed with the development of inflammation or impaired sensitivity of the receptors of the tongue. Such symptoms are characteristic of stomatitis, tonsillitis, gingivitis and even caries. A sweet taste may appear due to purulent processes in the oral cavity or upper respiratory tract, sour or salty - with inflammation of the salivary glands.

Do not neglect the treatment of dental diseases. Although this is often unpleasant, it will prevent much bigger problems in the future.

Deficiency of vitamins and microelements

Most often, a change in taste can be traced with a lack of iron in the body. Moreover, this is typical for the depletion of its tissue reserves, which is observed with a rather long deficit of this element. This condition will inevitably lead to chronic anemia, which is not uncommon during pregnancy and is accompanied by such signs:

• Weakness, fatigue.
• Dizziness.
• Paleness of the skin and mucous membranes.
• Changes in hair and nails (brittleness, fragility).
• Atrophic changes in the tongue, esophagus and stomach.

A metallic taste can occur when bleeding from the gums, which may be the initial symptom of a vitamin C deficiency in the body.

Treatment

To eliminate sour or any other taste in the mouth, it is necessary to focus on the results of the diagnosis. After a medical and additional examination, it is possible to plan therapeutic or preventive measures, which should have an exclusively individual focus.

Only a specialist will tell you what to do to a pregnant woman to eliminate unpleasant taste sensations.

Diet

Dietary recommendations are of great importance. Proper nutrition will be the key not only to the prevention of many diseases, but also to the normal course of pregnancy. To do this, a woman must consider the following principles:

1. The regularity of meals, the usefulness and variety of the diet.
2. Exclusion of spicy, smoked, fried and fatty foods.
3. Advantage over products in boiled, stewed or baked form.
4. Limit sweets, pickles, cabbage, legumes.
5. Sufficient intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.
6. Give preference to cereals, dairy products, lean meats and fish.
7. Refusal to drink alcoholic beverages and smoking.

Proper digestion will help walks in the fresh air, light morning exercises and a good mood.

Diet for a pregnant woman is important. Don't ignore your doctor's nutritional advice.

Medical therapy

The basis of traditional treatment of many diseases is the use of drugs. This is the simplest and most effective way to cope with the disease. However, a pregnant woman should remember that the independent use of any medication can turn into a danger to the fetus. Therefore, you can take medicines only as directed by a doctor.

Based on the situation, it may be reasonable to use the following groups of medicines:

• Prokinetics.
• Antisecretory.
• Enzymes.
• Hypoglycemic.
• Anti-inflammatory.
• Iron preparations.
• vitamins.

In dental and ENT pathology, much attention is paid to local treatment with the use of antiseptic and antibacterial agents.

Unpleasant taste sensations can pester a woman throughout the entire period of pregnancy. To minimize or completely eliminate them, you need to contact specialists in time.