Functional Constipation in Pregnancy; Need to Furnish Some More Emphasis

Authors

  • Shabnum Shamim
  • Amna Begum

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58397/ashkmdc.v24i2.37

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of  functional  constipation  in  ob- stetric population in our context and  to  explore  the  extent  to  which  pregnant  females  were  aware of the problem and their usual practices to deal with it.

Methodology: This was a cross sectional study conducted on 332 pregnant females, from June 2017         to June 2018 in gynaecology unit 3, Karachi  Medical  and  Dental  College  (using  a  convenient  sam-  pling technique after taking ethical approval). All the pregnant females visiting antenatal out-patient department from age 17 - 46 years were included in the study. The validated Rome III criteria were         used to diagnose functional constipation. Information regarding awareness of constipation and de- mographic data, with the measure used for relief of constipation identified.The data analysis was per- formed by SPSS version 20. Qualitative data was presented as frequency and percentage. Bar graph      was also used for presentation of the qualitative data.

Results: Out of the total of 332  pregnant  females,  functional  constipation  was  observed  in  207  (62.3%) females according to the Rome III Criteria. Evaluating the awareness of constipation and its associated problems during pregnancy our study showed that 61.1% pregnant females  responded  positively when reporting to doctor about constipation. While  encountering  functional  constipation  the most commonly used remedial measure was Ispaghol (Husk) observed  in  74  (35.7%)  pregnant  fe-  males. The observations of our study revealed that 89 (43.0%) pregnant women having functional constipation were well aware about constipation and its consequences in pregnancy.

Conclusion: It is concluded that functional constipation occurs commonly in pregnancy in our context. Moreover, these females were mostly well aware of constipation and its worst outcomes during pregnancy.

Author Biographies

Shabnum Shamim

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital & Karachi Medical & Dental College

Amna Begum

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital & Karachi Medical & Dental College

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Published

2019-06-30