Causes and remedies for bitter mouth in pregnancy
It often happens to feel a bitter mouth during pregnancy and the number one cause is progesterone, the female hormone that increases after conception and which can alter the sense of taste and smell in some cases. women perceive a bad taste in the mouth, accompanied by poor salivation total disgust towards certain foods.Here is a list of foods to watch out for if you are pregnant!
Bitter mouth in pregnancy: what is it?
If you are pregnant and you constantly feel a bad taste in your mouth, or you also feel a bitter and dry mouth characterized by an acid taste, you should know that this is a completely normal condition. Having a bitter mouth in pregnancy, in fact, is very common. It is a disorder that can depend on several factors, but it remains absolutely harmless for the health of the mother and baby. Most pregnant women experience bitter mouth especially in the morning, which turns into a metallic taste in the mouth at different times of the day. Let's see what are the main causes and the most effective remedies.
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Progesterone, liver disorders and bitter mouth in pregnancy
One of the first things that come to mind when we are pregnant and feel bitter mouth is liver health. As already mentioned, the main cause of bitter pregnancy is progesterone, the hormone that plays one of the main roles during gestation, that is to create the ideal environment to welcome and develop the embryo. In some cases, it is he who causes an acute sharpening of the senses of taste and smell, giving the sensation of a bitter and dry mouth. Even in cases where women manage not to perceive a strange taste in the mouth, they still undergo a change in their perceptions, becoming more sensitive to tastes and smells.
Dysgeusia: a complication of the bitter mouth
One of the complications of bitter mouth in pregnancy is dysgeusia, a persistent disorder that involves the distortion or weakening of the sense of taste in the mouth. This impaired or reduced ability to perceive and distinguish flavors is a very common manifestation in pregnancy. The altered taste can also be much more annoying than the bitter mouth in pregnancy.
It often happens that a pregnant woman prefers not to eat or drink foods and drinks that were previously very welcome. At the same time, it happens to feel the desire for new and different flavors, or to eat with relish foods that were previously absolutely discarded. This malaise can also be associated with morning sickness, one of the most frequent symptoms in pregnancy.
Metallic and bitter taste in the mouth: symptoms, causes and treatment
During pregnancy it can often happen that you also feel a taste of metal in your mouth, often associated with the taste of iron or blood. The ferrous taste is caused by estrogen but can also be due to a particular condition of water retention.
In addition, this disorder can be at the basis of a feeling of muddy mouth, dry throat and lump in the throat. In addition to the aforementioned, dry throat and sticky mouth can also be causes of poor oral hygiene or respiratory tract infection.
When you feel the bitter mouth in pregnancy and beyond, stomach and intestine are the two organs on which you should investigate, especially if this sensation persists and if you are not pregnant. If you are pregnant, however, the bitter taste in the mouth is one of the most common symptoms and can occur together with a bitter mouth and white tongue. The tongue covered with a white film can be caused, in addition to hormones, by a poor diet, poor oral hygiene or a pathology of the respiratory tract. In rare cases, this condition is attributable to a more serious disease, such as a tumor in the mouth.
Bitter mouth and nausea are also annoyances that are often felt together. It is not uncommon to also present bitter tongue, bitter saliva and dry and bitter mouth attributable to the same causes. As we have said, the sensation of bitterness in the mouth has a hormonal character.
Bitter mouth in pregnancy: remedies
What to do
- Take care of nutrition, choose digestible foods, always ensure a nutritional balance, distribute the macronutrients in the various meals.
- Keep under control any metabolic and digestive system diseases.
- Maintain oral hygiene by brushing your teeth after all meals, use dental floss and mouthwash.
- Avoid taking medications during pregnancy unless prescribed by your doctor.
- Reduce levels of nervous stress which can affect digestion or stomach acid.
- Practicing light motor activity such as yoga.
In addition to all the good habits mentioned above, to defeat the bitter taste in the mouth during pregnancy, you can add half a teaspoon of baking soda to your toothbrush before applying the toothpaste. Baking soda, like lemon, can facilitate digestion.
Poor digestion and gastroesophageal reflux can be other causes of bitter mouth.
