INFORMATION FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE FODMAP INTOLERANCE DURING PREGNANCY OR BREASTFEEDING

What is FODMAP intolerance in pregnancy?

FODMAP is an acronym that stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. If you have a FODMAP intolerance, it means that you have trouble digesting any of a range of carbohydrates, which is one pathway leading to what’s called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Increasingly, people who feel digestive discomfort after consuming complex carbohydrates, such as bread or pasta, are told by unqualified health practitioners that they suffer from “non-celiac gluten sensitivity,” which is not an actual condition. What they do often have, however, is FODMAP intolerance. Consequently, they often feel better when they reduce the amount of wheat in their diets, but they don’t feel better because they are reducing their intake of gluten (a pair of proteins contained in wheat), but rather because they are eliminating fermentable oligosaccharides. However, there are different types of FODMAPs, and wheat products contain many things that are good for you, so it’s important to get a correct diagnosis to make appropriate dietary adjustments. As with other categories of IBS, symptoms of FODMAP intolerance consist of gas and diarrhea. You may have a chronic intolerance to FODMAPs that is fairly mild, but as with other forms of IBS, pregnancy can exacerbate your symptoms, because of pressure on your intestines as your womb grows and the contents of your abdominal cavity move around.