Does pregnancy cause constipation?

Pregnancy can cause constipation.

Significant changes in hormone levels during pregnancy, such as elevated progesterone levels, can slow intestinal motility, resulting in prolonged fecal retention in the intestine, which can easily cause constipation. As pregnancy progresses, the uterus gradually increases, causing pressure on the intestine, limiting normal intestinal motility, and the process of fecal passage through the intestine becomes less smooth, thus causing constipation. Not only that, due to the increased burden of the body during pregnancy, the activity of pregnant women tends to be relatively reduced, which will affect the peristaltic function of the intestinal tract, make the defecation power insufficient, and increase the possibility of constipation.