Have you ever experienced severe and sudden pain on any side of your abdomen? Well, this pain might have a lot of different causes. One of those causes can be the presence of stones in your gallbladder.
So, what are the most common gallstones symptoms in females treatment?
Females suffering from Gallstones can have some specific symptoms related to gallbladder disorder. Starting from nausea, vomiting, Diarrhea, and bloating, the symptoms may vary among different females. Also, gallstone issues are common among pregnant women and those who have lost a lot of weight through unhealthy ways.
In this article, we will discuss all the symptoms, possible causes, and treatments of gallstones in females. Keep reading to know the facts!
Table of Content
What are Gallstones? Causes & Symptoms!
The gallbladder is a part of the digestive system that performs its role in the digestion of fats. It emulsifies fats for their proper digestion. Cholesterol, lipids, and all the fats-related products enter the gallbladder for the process of emulsification.
Overeating fatty food or having high levels of cholesterol in the body lead to the formation of cholesterol and bilirubin crystals inside the gallbladder. It also occurs due to decreased production or release of bile acid. However, these stones are called gallstones.
Causes of Gallstones
There can be several different causes of Gallstones. The most common causes are as under:
- High cholesterol levels
- High levels of bilirubin
- Obesity
- High-dose estrogen therapy
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Cirrhosis
- Crohn’s disease
- Family history of gallstones
Gallstones Signs & Symptoms
Most of the time, gallstones remain asymptomatic. However, sometimes the following symptoms may appear;
- Pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen
- Pain after eating fatty foods
- Fever and chills
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Clay-colored stools
- Dark urine
Gallstones Symptoms in Females
Many times, men and women present with common symptoms of gallstones. However, the following symptoms are more common in females.
Acidity and Heartburn
Mostly the females can experience acidity or heartburn in case of acute cholecystitis or gallbladder problems. In case you feel sudden heartburn, you should visit the doctor for a proper examination.
Jaundice
Jaundice is a common symptom related to gallstones. It occurs when bile can not flow into the intestine because of obstruction due to the presence of gallstones.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is also a common symptoms in patients with gallbladder problems. When pancreas get inflamed due to infection or gallstones it is called pancreatitis . Acute mild or severe pancreatitis can be one of the symptoms of gallstones.
High Fevers with Chills and Rigor
Gallstones can cause severe pus and infection in the gallbladder. Therefore, the patient feels fever, chills, and rigor along with abdominal pain.
Bloating
Another common gallstone symptom in females is bloating. So, the female patients suffering from gallbladder stones feel a sense of fullness and no appetite. Bloating is one of the chronic gallstone symptoms in females.
What are the First Signs of a Bad Gallbladder?
Some unusual gallbladder symptoms in females that are the first signs of a bad gallbladder. The following symptoms are very unusual but are the major signs of any problem with the gallbladder.
- Heartburn
- Chest Pain
- Indigestion
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
Also, along with these symptoms, the patient might feel fatigued and lethargy. Chest Pain is the most unusual but alarming symptom of Gallstones.
What do Gallstones Look Like in a Toilet?
Usually, the gallstones pass out in the stools and the patient can also observe those stones. They are yellow, green pigmented stones. The size can be large or small depending upon the type of Gallstones.
So, how can you tell if you’re passing gallstones when you poop? Well, when a patient passes gallstones in poop, he experiences sudden pain in the abdomen or chest, breastbone, or right shoulder. Also, the patient observes clay-colored stools and experiences nausea and vomiting.
Gallstones Symptoms in Females Treatment
Gallstones treatment depends on the fact that whether the gallstones are acute or chronic. If the gallstones have just started to develop or there is just a chance of developing gallstones, some slight changes in diet can cure the problem.
Following are the three common treatments for Gallstones. Among these, the first two are gallstones treatment without operation.
Gallstones Diet
Gallstone Symptoms specific diet for females and males is a very good way to get rid of gallstones. First of all, you need to understand that the function of your gallbladder is to digest fats.
Now that the gallbladder is having problems, it can’t function properly, so you need to limit the amounts of fats that you take. By fats, here it means Saturated fats. You can take unsaturated fats such as olive oil.
A specific healthy diet can help heal the Gallstone at its early stages. Following are some diet-related tips for gallstone patients.
- Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet to keep yourself well hydrated.
- Consume more and more fiber such as psyllium husk that can keep your cholesterol level low.
- A liquid diet is the best option for gallstone patients, as it can maintain fluid levels in your body.
- Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil to lower your cholesterol levels.
- Cut off the junk out of your diet to heal your gallbladder quickly.
Gallstones Medication
If your doctor suggests that your Gallstones can not be cured just with dietary changes, you must go for proper medication for gallstones. The medicines available to dissolve gallstones are Actigall ( Ursodiol) and Phoenix.
You should use these medicines according to the dose that your doctor will suggest. These medicines contain bile acids that can dissolve your gallstones and can help in the proper functioning of the gallbladder.
Along with these medicines, you can take painkillers or NSAIDs such as Diclofenac, ketorolac, Flurbiprofen, and celecoxib. These medicines can help relieve the pain caused by gallstones irritating the gallbladder.
Also, there are some shockwave therapy techniques available to dissolve gallstones. These techniques include shockwave therapy and high-frequency sound waves that can dissolve these gallstones.
Gallstones Removal Surgery
Surgery is the only method to remove persistently troublesome gallstones. Those gallstones that are very big and are causing a lot of damage to the gallbladder are good to remove through surgery as soon as possible.
In this method, they remove the whole of the patient’s gallbladder. Then the bile directly flows from the liver to the small intestine without the emulsification of fats. Hence, a patient who has got the gallbladder removed should not take high amounts of fats.
Nowadays there is a minimally invasive method of gallbladder surgery that is called laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is comparatively a safer method for gallbladder removal. The surgeon makes incisions in the body that are quite small. Then, he uses a thin instrument to remove gallstones.
Are Gallstones Dangerous?
Gallstones are not dangerous if they have just started developing. In the initial stages, it is possible to cure the gallstones with the help of some dietary changes and medications. A lot of patients get a complete recovery through proper diet and medicines.
However, if the gallstones are persisting, and the patient is neglecting his health or diet, the gallstones can be dangerous. If gallstones are not removed through surgery they can cause complete obstruction of the bile duct or even gallbladder cancer.
FAQs
What are the three treatments for Gallstones?
The three main treatments for Gallstones include a healthy diet, proper medication, or surgery. It is best to avoid or heal the gallstones with the help of diet first. Then, if you need medication, just go for it. Surgery is the last option to get rid of persistently troublesome gallbladder stones.
What is the most common treatment for gallstones?
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the most common treatment for gallstones. It is a very less invasive surgical procedure to remove the gallstones with the help of thin instruments. But after surgery, the patient has to cut down the fats from his diet to survive and live a healthy life.
Can I treat gallstones myself?
You can not treat gallstones yourself unless they are in the initial stages and not very big. If you have noticed a problematic gallbladder at the initial stages, it is most likely that you can heal yourself with the help of diet. But in severe cases, you need to take a doctor’s services.
What is the fastest way to relieve gallstones?
A healthy diet and medication is the fastest way to relieve gallstones. Also, an effective way to treat gallstones is to cut down the fats in your diet. This is because as soon as you remove the fats, there will be less formation of bile stones and also there will be less load on the gallbladder. Hence, you may heal faster.
Bottom Line
Understanding the gallstone symptoms in females and the treatment for gallstone removal is the need of the hour. With the increased intake of junk foods, every second person is suffering from gallstones. The disease is most common in Pregnant females.
You just need to understand the diet that you have to take if you’re suffering from Gallstones. Also, if you have undergone surgery for gallbladder removal, you should avoid fatty foods to recover as soon as possible.
