The exact causes of dry mouth during pregnancy are still not clear, but most doctors believe that you can experience it because of the below reasons.

Dehydration

Once you are pregnant your body begins to store more water. This is to help supply more blood volume. The increased water storage causes frequent urination and leads to a dry mouth in turn. It is a sign of dehydration and that your body and the foetus inside needs more water.

Gestational Diabetes

High levels of sugar in the blood also causes an increase in the levels of thirst and urination. This is because the bodies of diabetic women lose more water thereby leading to dehydration.

Medicines

Mouth dryness is often a side effect of many prescribed medicines If you are experiencing a dry mouth, do consult your doctor but never discontinue any medication without consultation.\

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms of dry mouth are:

  • Cracked lips
  • Parched throat
  • Bad breath
  • Difficulty in eating

Tips

Some tips that will help you to overcome the irritability of a dry mouth are:

  • Sip water every half an hour
  • Suck on ice chips
  • Keep your mouth closed during sleep and keep a humidifier in the room
  • Breathe in steam
  • Stop consumption of alcohol and caffeine and quit smoking completely
  • Suck on hard candy as this helps in the production of more saliva
  • Chew on foods like celery, parsley and aniseed as they reduce mouth dryness.

Dry mouth should be addressed properly as it can make you more susceptible to oral disease – a dry environment makes it easier for the bacteria to build up in the mouth. So do stay well hydrated. Also, now that you are pregnant you need to be extra careful about everything. So do speak to your doctor about mouth dryness before you try any of these remedies at home.

What did you do to prevent dry mouth during your pregnancy? Share your tips and solutions with us here.