Diet and nutrition are an important part of living well with kidney disease. As your kidney disease progresses, your dietary needs will likely change as well. Click on the appropriate stage below to learn more about diet and kidney disease.
Tocolytics are drugs that minimize the strength and number of contractions. Although an ideal goal would be to stop preterm labor completely, the most that can be reasonably expected from current tocolytics is a delay of 48 hours. This delay allows time for treatment with steroids and antibiotics.
However you should avoid any laxatives, like castor oil, that work quickly by jump-starting the movement of your bowels (these are usually labeled stimulant laxatives), since they can also trigger contractions. You shouldn't take a laxative during pregnancy without your doctor's approval. The iron in your prenatal vitamin or extra iron supplements you may be taking for anemia might also be part of your constipation problem, but you shouldn't stop taking them without talking to your doctor first.