Enema, Enema Pregnancy Constipation, Colon Cleansing, Prune Juice,Bowel Movement: Can you do Enema During Pregnancy?

Enema

There is no reason to believe that an enema is something that is not advisable during a pregnancy. However, the reason as to why an enema is administered and the dangers of its overuse should be thoroughly understood.

Enema Pregnancy Constipation - Colon Cleansing

Enemas are an age-old treatment that is used for colon cleansing. The reasons for its use in modern medicine lie in relieving constipation and stool leakage, which can happen in children. The reasons for constipation occurring are because of a dying out of fecal matter in the colon. As food passes down from the digestive system into the small intestine, it is a watery nutrient rich mass. All the nutrients are absorbed by the intestine and the indigestible mass that remains is passed from the small intestine to the colon. Here it is processed to its final, drier form and sent further to the rectum for expulsion. For any number of reasons, if the feces is not expelled at the right time and an action is consciously taken to avoid defecating, the feces are sent back to the colon, where any remaining water is also reabsorbed. This is where the problem starts because the feces are then too hard to be expelled. In some children who suffer anal leakage, this is a product of a psychological fear of defecating at the wrong time, and admonishment from a parent. The natural impulse to defecate is suppressed to the point of not being able to defecate. The stool then forms a hard plug and after a certain point, leakage occurs. Basically, it can be understood that an enema is used to relieve constipation. Only in very rare cases is it used to inject material in the colon directly.

Enema During Pregnancy - Prune Juice

During pregnancy, there is no specific reason as to why the procedure cannot be administered, but the question then comes up of the use a laxative instead. These drugs work by lubricating or hydrating stools and allowing the normal excretory process to continue and few of these are harmful to a woman and her fetus. A natural remedy in laxative is available through ingesting many types of fruits and nuts – most notably prune juice are a better option, or even the consumption of Aloe juice could serve this purpose well. Having said this, if you are expecting to undergo a Caesarian section, then an enema might be administered on you to clear your bowels before going in for the operation. Apart from this, there is no need for an enema in itself, unless expressly ordered.