A new analysis shows that chewing gum three times a day, every 30 minutes, can help restore normal bowel function in women after cesarean section.
Statistics from the journal Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine show that every year a woman who gives birth by cesarean section has a " reflux" after surgery.
Post-operative bowel movements mean slow or sometimes stopping contractions to digest food, according to Professor Vincenzo Berghella, a researcher and obstetrician-gynecologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, USA.
Paralysis can lead to symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain and bloating. The cause is believed to be inflammation from the abdominal opening.
Usually, post-operative paralysis will go away on its own about three or four days after surgery, but the patient may feel uncomfortable throughout this time, according to Live Science.
Doctors can apply a variety of different methods to help women restore bowel function, including encouraging them to get up and walk, or eat early after surgery.
However, because women with post-operative bowel paralysis may feel nauseous, they may not want to eat. Chewing gum may help.
Chewing gum can deceive the body into thinking that the person is eating, Prof. Berghella said. This helps stimulate saliva secretion in the mouth and can help send signals to the intestines to start working again.
emphysema is one of the earliest signs that the mother's intestines have returned to normal function after surgery. That is a signal that the intestines are no longer clogged and all normal activities are going smoothly.
In most studies, women were given sugar chewing within 2 hours of cesarean section and were given three chews per day, each 15 to 30 minutes.
Researchers found that, on average, women chewed chewing gum slightly about 6.5 hours earlier than those who did not chew gum.
People who chew chewing gum for the first time after about 23 hours of surgery had to wait about 29.5 hours after surgery. There are no side effects of chewing gum, according to Prof. Berghella.
Dr. Gabriele Saccone, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, adds that chewing gum after surgery is a simple and cheap way to help restore bowel function.
Researchers note that more high-quality studies are needed to increase evidence to support women chewing gum after cesarean section.
But Prof. Berghella said he hopes one day to officially include the recommendation of "chewing gum until the first step" in his patients' post-operative instructions.
