Functional Constipation in Pregnancy; Need to Furnish Some More Emphasis

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.