Excess Saliva During Pregnancy - BabyCenter

Key Takeaways

• You might have excessive saliva in early pregnancy because of hormonal changes, nausea, and conditions like acid reflux.
• While there's no definitive cure, you can tone down the spit by eating smaller, more frequent meals, maintaining good oral hygiene, chewing sugarless gum, and staying hydrated.
• Also called ptyalism gravidarum, excessive saliva is typically harmless and tends to go away after the first trimester.

What causes excess saliva during pregnancy?

It's normal to have extra saliva during pregnancy. Excessive salivation is called ptyalism, or sialorrhea – in pregnant women, it's called ptyalism gravidarum – and the condition won't affect your baby.

"I see mild ptyalism fairly often," says Kristin Cohen, DNP, a certified nurse midwife and board-certified women's healthcare nurse practitioner in New Jersey. "It is thought to be more common among people of Haitian and African descent, and in my practice I do see these two patient populations more affected. Usually it's not too severe; the pregnant person notices excess saliva and finds it annoying but manageable."

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Under normal circumstances, your salivary glands produce about 1 1/2 quarts of saliva a day, but you generally don't notice it because you swallow continually and unconsciously. If you suddenly seem to have a lot more saliva in your mouth now that you're pregnant, you actually may be producing more or swallowing less – or a combination of the two.

Some women feel as though they salivate more than usual when they're nauseated. A few pregnant women have so much saliva they need to spit it out. All of this is completely normal.

"I've always had excessive saliva, and now that I'm pregnant, I drool sometimes. Well, more frequently than I did before," says BabyCenter Community member MrsJohntel. "I drink enough water, and I sometimes eat pickles. If nothing else, it makes the saliva thinner and taste better."

You might salivate more in your first trimester and potentially beyond from:

• Hormonal changes. Experts don't know why some women have excessive saliva in early pregnancy, but hormonal changes may be one cause.
• Nausea. Feeling nauseated can make some women try to swallow less, and this can cause saliva to build up in the mouth. Ptyalism is more common among women suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness.
• Heartburn. Producing more saliva can also be related to heartburn, which is common during pregnancy. Heartburn causes irritation (from stomach acid) to the esophagus, which then stimulates your salivary glands to neutralize the stomach acid by producing more saliva. (This may also explain why women who are vomiting tend to salivate more.)
• Dental problems. Tooth decay and other oral infections can cause extra saliva – so be sure to keep up with your regular dentist appointments when you're pregnant.
• Irritants. Certain irritants, like smoke, may also cause increased saliva, as can some medications, exposure to toxins (such as mercury and pesticides), and some medical conditions.

When is excess saliva most common during pregnancy?

Excessive saliva is most common in the first trimester of pregnancy and usually resolves by the start of the second trimester. However, there are rare cases where it continues until delivery and may even increase as the pregnancy progresses.

"I was experiencing excessive saliva up until I turned 4 months, and that's when it stopped," says BabyCenter Community member BShanteP21.

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On the other hand, Community member RoxyTulips says, "I was expecting the excessive salivation to go away on its own. … However, I'm almost 32 weeks and I am still spitting."

Even if your extra saliva lasts all pregnancy, it's not a danger to your baby – but it is super annoying, especially if you have to carry around a cup to spit your drool into.

Is excess saliva anything to worry about?

There's no evidence that excess saliva during pregnancy will lead to any complications with your pregnancy and your baby, so it's nothing to worry about. But it can affect your quality of life depending on how much saliva you have.

In addition to spitting more, you may have swollen salivary glands, and that can affect your sleep. It may also feel embarrassing to spit or swallow more often, so that might limit how much you feel like going out.

If you feel like excess saliva during pregnancy is interfering with your quality of life, talk to your healthcare provider – they can help you come up with some solutions.

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How can I treat extra saliva during pregnancy?

Let your provider know that you have excessive saliva so they can help you identify and treat any underlying problems, such as nausea, vomiting, or heartburn.

There may not be much else you can do, but the following can help:

• Brush your teeth, and use mouthwash several times a day.
• Eat small, well-balanced meals often, and don't eat a lot of starchy food.
• Drink plenty of water. Keep a water bottle handy, and take small sips frequently. (This also helps you stay hydrated.)
• Swallow any excess saliva if you can.
• Try sucking on hard candies or chewing sugarless gum. This won't make you produce less saliva, but it could help make the extra saliva less noticeable, says Cohen.
• If swallowing your saliva makes you feel nauseated, spit out the excess into a tissue, washcloth, or cup.

"I pretty much just chew gum and have something to drink nearby," says BabyCenter Community member Krista120612. "I also have started realizing what makes it worse (drinking plain water, eating carbs), and I try to finish my meals with something that has a savory or sour aftertaste. I guess you just need to track it a bit and see when it's the worst so you can avoid those things."

You can track all that extra spit – along with all of your other pregnancy symptoms – on the BabyCenter appOpens a new window.

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For many women, this annoying – and sometimes downright distressing – problem lessens or disappears as nausea subsides around the end of the first trimester. However, just like nausea or morning sickness, it can last throughout pregnancy for a small number of women.