Imagine being pregnant and unable to have a bowel movement for over a month. This happened to Ivana Gogh* from Pittsburgh, Pa.

Needless to say, she was very uncomfortable. Her stomach hurt a lot and she felt bloated. Her belly was distended, and it wasn't from the pregnancy – because at 8 weeks she was too early to be showing as much as she was. Gogh was extremely fatigued and barely had enough energy to take care of herself, much less her toddler. Many days it was a struggle to even shower.

Unfortunately, Gogh's predicament – while extreme in its length – is common for pregnant women.

More than 50 percent of all pregnant women suffer some degree of constipation, says Dr. Ken Troffater, director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and professor of Clinical Obstetrics in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of South Carolina. "It is probably only second to headaches among common pregnancy complaints. Think of it as 'nature's way' of getting the mother to absorb the most food and fluid from her diet she possibly can to help maintain the pregnancy."

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