Laxatives for constipation during pregnancy are not the best medications available to treat constipation. Even the doctors think that it should be adopted in extreme cases when you are suffering from the most stubborn and difficult constipation and all the best possible safe and home remedies for constipation during pregnancy must have failed.

Laxatives are those foods or medicine or compounds which help in softening and free evacuation of the stool; in simpler words they help in stimulating the bowel movements and in treating constipation. Constipation can be of varied sense like it is a condition in which a person may have very hard, dry stool or may experiences infrequent bowel movements, less than three per week.

The use of laxatives during pregnancy should be avoided as it can harm the intestinal system of the pregnant woman and might cause intestinal cramping which can really be confused with preterm labour. Laxatives can cause large amount of stools which may lead to dehydration in a pregnant woman further causing cramping in the uterus and can also hasten labour pain. Laxatives are also believed to have penetrating capacity to cross the placenta and enter the bloodstream of the baby which can be harmful to the baby and its development.

Still, for some pregnant women if laxatives is the last resort then it is always better to use some safe Laxatives advised during pregnancy only after consulting a physician.
These are:

• Prune Juice is considered to be one of the safest laxatives for constipation during pregnancy and is recommended by many doctors in pregnancy. Prune juice is the natural form of sugars such as fructose and sorbitol, which helps in absorbing more fluids from the intestines, thus relieving constipation.

• Castor Oil is available in liquid, tablet and capsule forms and should be prescribed only after consulting a doctor. Castor oil is made up of Ricinoleic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid. These ingredients help in expulsion of faeces by stimulating the colon walls and increasing the bowel movement.

• Fybogel, the most common home laxative also known as ispaghula husk is a natural, bulk-forming laxative. Fybogel is consumed with lots of fluids as it increases the volume of gut content. This automatically induces the gut to quickly push out the faecal matter.

These are the best and safe laxatives for constipation during pregnancy and are proven to work for pregnant women, but still never think to take them without prescription of your doctor.