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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Heartburn, constipation and haemorrhoids are extremely common in pregnancy; pain under the ribs after 20 weeks or vomiting that stops fluids staying down are warning signs, not indigestion.
- Severe abdominal pain, bleeding or reduced movements: maternity unit now, or 112 if you are collapsing or bleeding heavily.
- Nausea dominates the first trimester, heartburn and constipation build through the second, and night reflux peaks in the third.
- Heartburn in pregnancy is uncomfortable but does not affect the baby, and safe, effective treatment options exist.
- Iron supplements are a common constipation trigger in pregnancy; changing the preparation often solves it.
Two patterns should skip the booking page. If you cannot keep fluids down, are losing weight, feel dizzy or are passing little, dark urine, that is severe pregnancy sickness and needs same-day assessment through your maternity unit or urgent care. And pain high in your tummy, under the ribs and especially on the right, from 20 weeks onwards can be a sign of pre-eclampsia rather than indigestion: contact your midwife or maternity unit urgently, especially with headache, vision changes or sudden swelling. Severe abdominal pain, bleeding or reduced movements: maternity unit now, or 112 if you are collapsing or bleeding heavily.
Can an online doctor help with digestive problems in pregnancy?
An online doctor can assess and treat the common digestive problems of pregnancy: heartburn and indigestion, constipation, haemorrhoids and mild to moderate nausea. Treatment uses options compatible with pregnancy, from alginates and certain antacids to laxatives and anti-sickness medicines where needed. Vomiting with dehydration, or upper abdominal pain after 20 weeks, needs same-day maternity assessment instead, and medicine availability varies by country.
Digestion bears more of pregnancy than almost any other system: progesterone relaxes the muscle of the gut, so everything moves slower, valves close less tightly, and the growing uterus squeezes what is left. The result is the familiar trio of heartburn, constipation and haemorrhoids, plus nausea in early pregnancy. All are common, all are manageable, and none should simply be endured for months when safe treatment exists.[2]
What we treat online in pregnancy digestive problems, and what needs in-person care
Usually handled online: all three conditions in this section, because relieving these symptoms is a standard part of antenatal care, not an optional extra.[4]
- Constipation in pregnancy: fibre, fluids and pregnancy-suitable laxatives
- Haemorrhoids in pregnancy: topical treatment and habits that break the cycle
- Indigestion and heartburn in pregnancy: alginates first, stronger acid control when needed
Assessed online, but often needs in-person or urgent care: the escalation in this area belongs to pregnancy sickness, which has its own guide.
- Morning sickness and hyperemesis: nausea you can drink through is treated online, but vomiting that stops fluids staying down needs same-day maternity assessment and usually rehydration
Pages in this section
Pregnancy sickness has its own dedicated guide, including severe sickness and the treatments that actually work: see morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum.
Why does pregnancy upset digestion?
Three forces stack up. Hormones, mainly progesterone, relax smooth muscle throughout the digestive tract, which slows the gut and loosens the valve between stomach and food pipe, letting acid rise. Mechanics follow: the uterus grows into the space the stomach and bowel used to occupy, worsening reflux and pressure on veins around the back passage. And iron supplements, valuable for anaemia, are famously constipating, which is worth mentioning to a doctor rather than quietly stopping the iron.
The pattern typically shifts by trimester: nausea dominates the first, heartburn and constipation build through the second, and by the third, reflux at night and haemorrhoids are at their peak. Knowing the mechanics matters because it points at the fixes: smaller meals, fibre and fluids, positioning at night, and targeted treatment where self-care runs out.[2]
When is stomach pain in pregnancy serious?
Most upper tummy discomfort in pregnancy is reflux or indigestion: burning behind the breastbone, worse after meals or lying down, relieved by antacids. The serious mimic is pre-eclampsia: persistent pain high in the abdomen, often under the right ribs, from 20 weeks onwards, particularly with severe headache, visual disturbance, sudden swelling of face or hands, or simply feeling suddenly unwell. That pattern needs urgent maternity assessment and blood pressure measurement, not a stronger antacid.[3]
Lower down, cramping with vaginal bleeding at any stage, severe one-sided pain in early pregnancy, or constant severe abdominal pain later on all belong with your maternity unit the same day. Vomiting has its own escalation rule: nausea you can live around is common, but vomiting that stops fluids staying down, with weight loss or scant dark urine, is hyperemesis gravidarum territory and needs same-day assessment and often rehydration, because effective anti-sickness treatment exists and nobody should white-knuckle it.[1]
Online care or maternity care for digestive symptoms?
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Situation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | Where to go instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heartburn or indigestion, worse after meals or at night | Diet and position changes, then alginates or antacids; further options after assessment[2] | Usually yes | Maternity review if pain localises under the ribs or will not settle |
| Constipation, straining, or itchy painful haemorrhoids | Fibre, fluids and movement, plus suitable laxatives or topical treatment | Yes | In-person review for bleeding that is more than streaks, or severe pain |
| Nausea and vomiting you can still drink through | Small frequent meals and fluids; anti-sickness options after assessment[1] | Often yes | Escalate the same day if fluids stop staying down |
| Cannot keep fluids down, losing weight, dizzy, dark scant urine | Same-day assessment and usually rehydration | No | Your maternity unit or urgent care today |
| Pain under the ribs after 20 weeks, severe pain, bleeding, or fewer movements | Urgent maternity assessment[3] | No | Maternity unit now; 112 if collapsing or bleeding heavily |
Availability of individual medicines and who may prescribe them vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies where you are.
Not sure which row is you? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →What our doctors help with here
- Heartburn that outgrew self-care: reviewing what you have tried, then stepping up through alginates and antacids to acid-reducing medicines that can be used in pregnancy when symptoms warrant them.
- Constipation with the iron question answered: practical fibre and fluid targets, which laxative types suit pregnancy, and how to keep taking iron without paying for it in comfort.
- Haemorrhoids handled without embarrassment: topical options, toilet habits that stop the cycle, and honest advice on what resolves after birth.
- Nausea taken seriously early: assessment of how much you are actually keeping down, anti-sickness options used in pregnancy, and a clear line for when same-day care is needed.
- The pre-eclampsia check: every upper-abdominal-pain consultation after 20 weeks asks about headache, vision, swelling and blood pressure history, so indigestion is never assumed.
When we send you to maternity services instead
We send you to your midwife or maternity unit, the same day, for upper abdominal pain from 20 weeks, especially with headache, visual changes or sudden swelling; vomiting with dehydration, weight loss or ketotic, scant urine; abdominal pain with bleeding, fever or a change in your baby's movements; and black stools or vomiting blood, which need urgent in-person assessment at any stage of life, pregnant or not. Severe pregnancy sickness usually also needs blood tests and sometimes a day-unit rehydration visit, so the honest route is assessment in person first, with online follow-up once you are stable. If the doctor can't treat you online, you get a full refund and clear directions to the right care.
When to get in-person care
Contact your midwife or maternity unit the same day for pain under the ribs after 20 weeks, vomiting that stops fluids staying down, abdominal pain with bleeding or fever, or any change in your baby's usual movements. Call 112 for severe constant abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, vomiting blood, or if someone is collapsing, fitting or severely short of breath.
The daily routine that prevents most pregnancy digestive misery
Most digestive problems in pregnancy respond better to a boring daily routine than to any single medicine, because the causes build slowly and respond slowly. The routine our doctors describe has four parts. Eat smaller meals more often, and stop eating two to three hours before lying down, which protects the squeezed stomach from overflowing upwards at night. Drink through the day rather than in large gulps with meals.
Move every day, even a twenty-minute walk, because the gut slows when you do. Keep fibre climbing gradually: fruit, vegetables, oats and wholegrains, increased over a week or two rather than overnight, so bloating does not spike. And answer the urge to open your bowels promptly instead of postponing it, which is half the battle against both constipation and piles.
Build that base first, and the medicines described on the pages in this section, the safe laxatives, antacids and creams, work better and are needed less. Skip the base, and every medicine fights uphill.
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm. Most patients speak to a doctor within about 15 minutes of their booked time. no subscription, exact price up front.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about digestive problems in pregnancy: a private video call: you describe what you feel, the doctor asks what matters, and you agree the right plan together.
- Leave with your plan: everything agreed before you hang up: your plan, and a prescription to use at a pharmacy near you where medication is clinically right for you. If we can't help you online, you get a full refund.
No sign-up needed
Tick what you feel to see every condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Frequently asked questions about digestive problems in pregnancy
Can an online doctor prescribe heartburn or constipation treatment during pregnancy?
Yes, after a consultation, when treatment is right for you. Alginates and certain antacids are first-line for pregnancy heartburn, with acid-reducing medicines available when symptoms persist, and bulk-forming or osmotic laxatives are commonly used for constipation. A prescription is never issued without a consultation, and prescribing rules vary by country.
How much does a consultation cost, and how quickly can I be seen?
The exact price of a video consultation is shown before payment, and there is no subscription. Appointments are available daily from 7am to 11pm, often within about 15 minutes.
Is heartburn in pregnancy harmful to my baby?
No. Reflux is uncomfortable for you but does not affect your baby, and the old tale linking heartburn to a hairy baby is folklore. It still deserves treatment when it disturbs eating or sleep, because safe, effective options exist and months of misery are not a requirement of pregnancy.
When does pregnancy sickness become an emergency?
When fluids stop staying down. Vomiting with weight loss, dizziness, or passing only small amounts of dark urine suggests hyperemesis gravidarum, which needs same-day assessment and usually rehydration through your maternity unit or urgent care. Nausea you can drink through can be assessed online, often within about 15 minutes.
Why is pain under my ribs a warning sign after 20 weeks?
Because persistent pain high in the abdomen, especially under the right ribs, can be a sign of pre-eclampsia, a blood pressure complication of pregnancy, particularly alongside severe headache, vision changes or sudden swelling of the face or hands. That combination needs urgent maternity assessment, not indigestion remedies.
What should I do about diarrhoea during pregnancy?
Most diarrhoea in pregnancy is a short-lived stomach bug: keep drinking small, frequent amounts of fluid and it usually settles within 48 hours. Do not take anti-diarrhoeal tablets such as loperamide unless a doctor specifically advises them. Get same-day advice for blood in the stool, fever, signs of dehydration, or diarrhoea with abdominal pain, contractions or reduced movements.
Why is my digestion so different in each trimester?
Because two forces take turns. Early on, hormones slow the whole gut to extract more from every meal, which drives nausea, bloating and constipation. Later, the growing uterus adds a mechanical squeeze, pushing the stomach upwards, which is why heartburn peaks in the third trimester just as constipation and piles are also at their worst. Knowing which force is driving your symptom changes the fix: hormone-driven problems respond to routine and fibre, pressure-driven ones to meal size, timing and position.
- Nausea/vomiting in pregnancy, NICE CKS, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, reviewed 2024.
- Dyspepsia: pregnancy-associated, NICE CKS, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, reviewed 2023.
- Hypertension in pregnancy: diagnosis and management (NG133), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2019 (updated 2023).
- WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience, WHO, World Health Organization, 2016.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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