Patient's question:
I am 4 months pregnant and have been experiencing severe constipation these days. I haven't had a bowel movement for 3 days, and my abdomen is hard and slightly bloated. Before getting pregnant, I had a history of constipation and underwent a hemorrhoid surgery. I have tried bananas, pears, yogurt, and honey, but none of them have worked.Doctor's answer:
Your condition may be due to a deficiency-cold constipation. Deficiency-cold constipation is more common in individuals with prolonged illness and qi deficiency, or the elderly and frail. It can also develop from long-term use of bitter-cold purgatives like senna leaves due to habitual constipation.Clinical manifestations include difficult and painful bowel movements, weak straining during defecation, sweating and shortness of breath when straining, fatigue after defecation, stools that are not excessively dry, pale complexion, fatigue and lack of vigor, cold limbs, preference for warmth and aversion to cold, abdominal cold pain, clear and copious urine, soreness and coldness in the waist and back, pale and delicate tongue with thin white coating, and a deep, slow, and weak pulse.
This is caused by spleen and kidney deficiency-cold, inability to generate warmth, impaired transportation and transformation, and insufficient strength to defecate. It is recommended to use Jichang Decoction or Wenshi Decoction for treatment.