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Pregnancy is a journey that is full of surprises. Some of them are pleasant, some worrisome, and yet some are downright amusing. Blame it on the soap operas or those rom-com movies that we grew up on, but a lot of us take this step towards motherhood with candyfloss dreams in our eyes. Little do we know that there is more to pregnancy than just those romanticized versions that we have been fed. Going through those painful needle piercing sessions (no, not the recreational ones) for innumerable blood tests are just the tip of the iceberg. And, of course, familiarizing oneself with those tongue-twisting medical jargons is a herculean task. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, understanding their meanings is a totally different ballgame altogether.
One such term that blew my mind was – hold your breath – Ptyalism!! I’m sure you didn’t get that either in the first shot. Of course, the ‘P’ is silent. Try now. Got it? Yes, that sure is TIE-ahl-ism. But if that hasn’t surprised you enough, here’s more. This complicated word simply means an excessive production of saliva! So, all you folks who might be thinking now if this is another pregnancy-related complication, let us discuss this further.
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First and foremost, the often-ignored saliva is actually very important for our mouth. Though it is mostly composed of water, it also contains mucus, antibacterial compounds, electrolytes, and different types of enzymes. What’s surprising is (bet you didn’t know this either) that, on an average, a healthy person produces up to 1.5 liters of saliva every day. Saliva protects the organs and tissues in our mouth from damage and other complications like ulcers, infections, dental decay, etc., to name a few. Under normal circumstances, we are able to swallow and restrict the saliva inside our mouths. However, on occasions when we have no control over our saliva and it flows outside our mouths, this is known as drooling or ptyalism (1). Although this may not be a major health problem, it can be very annoying and a cause of embarrassment as well.
Pregnant women may sometimes notice in the first trimester that their mouth produces a lot of saliva. One of the reasons for this could be the morning sickness associated with the first trimester. Due to constant vomiting, a pregnant woman may find it difficult to restrict her saliva inside the mouth. Usually, this condition should resolve after the first trimester as bouts of vomiting abate. Yet, in rare cases, it may continue till the end of pregnancy. But is also known to resolve soon after childbirth (2).
Pregnancy heartburn can also be another contributing factor that causes ptyalism in a pregnant woman. Heartburn generally starts somewhere between the first and second trimester and continues throughout the gestational period. A symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease, this condition also causes difficulty in swallowing and hence leads to ptyalism (3).
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Like mentioned earlier, ptyalism may not be a serious condition. But it causes a lot of discomfort to pregnant women, especially while they are sleeping or talking, which is also when it causes the most amount of embarrassment. While ptyalism will resolve on its own, here are a few suggestions that can help you control it in the meantime –
Reduce your intake of starchy food since they are known to increase the production of saliva.
Drink plenty of water. Add a few drops of lemon juice for better results.
Every time you feel that you are drooling excessively, try to chew on some sugarfree gum or candy.
If ptyalism is heartburn-related in your case, sleep either on your left side or with your head elevated (4).
Try to eat frequent but short meals in order to combat the acid reflux and reduce saliva production (5).
I hope that this information was an eye-opener for you like it was for me. I’m sure you’ll now look at (or feel) your saliva from a different perspective altogether. However, if you have any doubts regarding your condition, do not hesitate to seek the advice of your doctor, like I did!
