*the podcast will be changing to every other week during the COVID-19 outbreak due to my interviewees busy schedules*
Today I interview Dr. Kumkum Sarkar Patel on gut motility in functional gut disorders, what normal motility is, and how and why this changes in pregnancy.
Nutrition Pearls for Digestion During Pregnancy
- Normal motility is up to 4 hours digestion in the stomach, 6 hours in the small bowel, and up to 59 hours to transit through the colon
- Motility can change in pregnancy due to hormonal changes including an increase in hCG and progesterone, and a decrease in motilin
- Gut issues can persist after pregnancy, and work up from a gastroenterologist is key, as they will do important tests like bowel motility and function tests
- Pelvic floor dysfunction is a frequent cause of changes in bowels post pregnancy
- Post partum depression can impact gut symptoms – be sure to talk to your doctor about any changes in mood as well because it can play a role in gut function!
Dr. Kumkum Sarkar Patel graduated Magna Cum Laude with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has a Master degree in Public Health from Dartmouth medical school at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and went on to get her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at NYU Winthrop Hospital and then went on to Gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Dr. Patel practices general Gastroenterology and has a special interest in functional bowel disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, and upper and lower G.I. motility issues. She spent additional dedicated time completing motility training at Washington University in St. Louis through the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society. She is a very energetic and enthusiastic physician. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her husband and sons, traveling, and singing a cappella.
Dr. Patel and I discuss:
- what gut motility is
- what the timing for normal motility is
- types of tests to diagnose motility disorders & dysfunction
- reasons why gut motility changes
- self management of gut motility issues and why a diagnosis is so important
- why do disturbances in motility occur IBS and other functional gut disorders
- how does pregnancy influence motility in the gut
- common gut symptoms in pregnancy
- what to do during and after pregnancy to manage digestive symptoms
- the overlap between pregnancy and an IBS diagnosis
You can follow Dr. Patel on Instagram @dr.gut_motility.
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