Excessive salivation is common in pregnancy. Read on to find tips for dealing with excessive salivation during pregnancy.Now that you are pregnant you will see many changes occurring in your body. Some of those changes will be pleasant like feeling the creation of life inside your body and some will be unpleasant and socially embarrassing like producing too much saliva. Excessive functioning of the salivary glands is mostly a byproduct of the hormonal changes during
pregnancy. While there is not much that you can do to stop yourself from producing so much saliva; knowing the cause will help you deal with it in a better way.
What Causes Excessive Saliva during Pregnancy?
Here are few reasons why women experience excessive salivation during pregnancy.
Hormonal Changes
Doctors say that medical science has not yet conclusively proved the exact reasons behind
excess saliva production. The changes in the level of hormones estrogen and progesterone are blamed usually as they affect most bodily functions.
Change in Eating Habits
Pregnancy also causes a lot of nausea especially in the first trimester so this urges most women to swallow less food. As normal levels of saliva do not get the chance to be mixed with food; it builds up in the mouth. As a result pregnant women feel that their mouths are full of saliva all time. So if you are pregnant and identify with this problem then understand that saliva production can be majorly due to two reasons; either you are producing more saliva or you are swallowing less. It may also be a mixture of these factors.
Heartburn
Heartburn is a commonly associated problem during pregnancy and when this happens the walls of the oesophagus get coated with acid that produces the strange burning sensation in your body. Saliva is the body’s natural solution to
heartburn as it has high concentration of bicarbonate which can neutralize the acid found in esophagus lining. So if you take precautions to avoid heartburn during pregnancy you will also probably notice a slowdown in saliva production.
How to deal with Excessive Salivation?
The trick to avoid your body from producing extra saliva is to understand the triggers that cause it. You have to understand whether the excess saliva production is being caused by heartburn or by exposure to external irritants. Common irritants like too much smoke, dust and pollution can also cause increased salivation. Once you understand what prompts you to salivate more you can prevent yourself from being exposed to such situations.
Avoid eating deep fried food which can cause heartburn and prevent yourself from being exposed to a smoky dusty environment (this is anyway bad for you and your baby.
Here are 4 helpful tips that can help you battle your saliva.
- Brushing your teeth twice daily and gargling with plain water after eating and several times in a day will prevent saliva buildup.
- Consume a lot of water and keep taking small and frequent sips.
- Suck on sugar free gum and candy when you go out in public; this will help you swallow your saliva fast and will prevent public embarrassment. Sour candy will work against the purpose so avoid them.
- Avoid eating starchy food as this will only provoke saliva production.
If you are well into your
second trimester but have still not experienced a rebate in saliva production then consult your doctor for help. Usually, producing excess saliva flares up in the first trimester and then subsides after that. Keep a small cup and a wash cloth nearby at all times and use them to spit out the excess saliva. You especially need to do this if you find that swallowing your own saliva is making you feel nauseous. Do not worry this is mostly another symptom of pregnancy that fades away with time.
