Appendix in pregnant women

Inflammation of the appendix during pregnancy - what to do?

In fact, inflammation of this organ during pregnancy is not uncommon. There are contradictory statistics on this matter. Some researchers cite figures according to which one in 800 pregnant women suffers from this phenomenon, while others speak of a more optimistic prognosis - one in 2,000. One way or another, you should not worry in advance. Firstly, a woman does not need an additional source of stress during pregnancy, and secondly, prevention of acute appendicitis is not possible.

While carrying a child, a woman should be very vigilant about her own health.

Abdominal pain is the most obvious symptom of inflammation of the appendix of the cecum, often ignored by pregnant women.

Therefore, when a pregnant woman has appendicitis, it is important to detect it in time, rather than try to endure the pain. Therefore, if the pain persists for several hours, then it is no longer a question of making an appointment with a gynecologist, but of the need for urgent help.

In addition to abdominal pain, the following conditions are also symptoms of appendicitis:

• nausea and vomiting;
• upset stomach (diarrhea);
• high temperature.

As a rule, these symptoms are combined, so nausea with this disease is difficult to confuse with typical toxicosis, because fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain are also observed. Diagnosis of acute appendicitis in most cases is not a problem. An exception is the late stages, when some of the woman's internal organs shift naturally due to the growth of the fetus. Ultrasound, urine microscopy and blood tests of the patient are used for diagnosis. In other cases, pain with appendicitis is initially localized, but then concentrated in the lower right abdomen. However, trying to diagnose yourself is contraindicated. Consultation with an obstetrician and surgeon is necessary.

Treatment of acute appendicitis during pregnancy

Inflammation of the appendix of the cecum is treated exclusively by surgery, so the answer to the main question is unambiguous - yes, appendicitis is removed in pregnant women. This is very important, because peritonitis can kill both the mother and the baby.

Another question is how to make the surgical intervention the least risky, but at the same time - effective?

In this case, it is necessary to choose the right anesthesia. Sometimes local anesthesia is used when removing the appendix. In other cases, epidural anesthesia is used.

There are two main techniques for removing the inflamed organ:

• laparoscopic surgery, used both for diagnostic purposes and for direct removal of the inflamed organ;
• classical technique for surgical removal of the appendix.

The choice of treatment method depends on both individual indications and the technical capabilities of the medical institution in which the woman is undergoing treatment. Laparoscopic surgery is less invasive. The surgeon inserts a flexible and thin fiber-optic tube with a camera at the end and special instruments through small incisions in the abdominal cavity. This is a complex operation that requires experience and special skills of the doctor. However, the classical approach is also more difficult to implement during pregnancy than under normal circumstances. The incision should be neat and small, about 10 centimeters. The abscess, if any, is removed by drying with special tubes. The appendix itself is removed with special care. Special antibiotics are used that will not harm the fetus. It is worth noting that laparoscopic surgery, despite its technical complexity, is more reliable in terms of diagnostic accuracy, since the surgeon can first conduct diagnostics using this method to eliminate the possibility of error. However, preference for one or another method is given primarily based on individual indications and the characteristics of the condition of a particular pregnant woman.

These difficulties and nuances are not a reason to panic. On the contrary, you should act clearly, harmoniously and quickly. If the inflammatory process was detected in time, the selection of the treatment method takes into account the individual characteristics of the patient, and the operation is performed by an experienced specialist, the risk is significantly reduced. It should be noted that in any case, the operation is dangerous in the first three months of pregnancy at the end of this period. The fact is that the first weeks are the period of laying the foundations of all the internal organs of the baby, so any interference in the well-established system of the female body during this period is dangerous. The last weeks are dangerous because surgical intervention can provoke premature birth.

The rehabilitation period after surgery also has a number of nuances. The woman needs specific physiotherapy, she is prescribed special drugs that do not affect the fetus, do not provoke unnatural changes in the tone of the uterus or any other system of the woman's organs.