Excessive salivation is common in pregnancy and some women experience it more than others, especially when they feel nauseated. Since much saliva is produced in the mouth some women feel the urge to spit it out. This particular syndrome seen during pregnancy is known as ptyalism or sialorrhea and is often co-related with a severe kind of morning sickness. Medical experts are not sure what causes pregnant women to have excessive salivation during early pregnancy, but some believe that hormonal imbalances are likely triggers. However, since morning sickness is also a condition experienced by most pregnant women, they tend to swallow less thus causing a buildup of saliva in the mouth.
In a normal person, the salivary glands produce approximately one and half quarts of saliva every day, but because swallowing is an instinctive habit which takes place on a continuous basis and unconsciously, most people do not generally notice the saliva. Hence most people who suddenly seem to notice a lot of saliva in their mouth, could experience this because the individual is producing more saliva or because of a lack of swallowing or even a combination of the two.
Heartburn which is a common phenomenon in pregnancy can also induce increased salivation. Since most of the contents in the stomach are acidic in nature, they tend to back up and irritate the esophagus thus causing a burning sensation. This burning sensation tends to trigger the salivary glands to produce more saliva. However there is an increased concentration of bicarbonate in this particular form of saliva, which is alkaline in nature.
Each time an individual swallows the saliva; it helps to coat the walls of the esophagus and neutralizes gastric acid. This is another reason why pregnant women could tend to vomit due to increased salivation. Apart from neutralizing the gastric acid, the produced saliva in the mouth is also useful for other important functions such as lubricating the mouth and producing other necessary enzymes that help in aiding digestion. The saliva also contains a number of properties such as anti-viral, antifungal and antibacterial agents that help in protecting the mouth and teeth.
Inform your caregiver about the symptoms you are experiencing other than increased salivation, such as morning sickness or heartburn. Although there is not much that can be done about excessive saliva, some measures can help in controlling the feeling of increased salivation. These include: