Is chewing gum for heartburn safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about chewing gum for heartburn during pregnancy?

1. Gum belongs in the same tier as the other no-medication measures NIDDK lists, which include changing eating habits and diet and elevating your head off the bed 6 to 8 inches with a foam wedge or extra pillows. 1
2. The mechanism is straightforward: chewing gum stimulates the salivary glands, and that saliva can help neutralize acid. 2
3. Salivary bicarbonate secretion rises up to three-fold when the upper esophageal lining is exposed to acid and pepsin, which is the buffering step gum is trying to amplify. 3
4. Researchers describe stronger salivary secretion through chewing a sugarless gum as a simple way to help people with reflux, which is why the sugarless version is the one that shows up in the literature. 3
5. For anyone hoping gum helps nausea too, that is a separate mechanism: chewing has been studied in pregnancy nausea through sham feeding, where chewing raises gastrointestinal activity through cephalic vagal stimulation. 4

Is chewing gum for heartburn safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Heartburn is less common this early, but if nausea has you eating small amounts all day, gum after each mini-meal is an easy habit to build while the stakes are low.
• Second trimester. Heartburn usually starts climbing here as pressure builds. This is the trimester where a post-meal chewing habit is worth actually testing for a week before you judge it.
• Third trimester. Reflux tends to peak now, and gum on its own is rarely enough. Pair it with the measures NIDDK lists, such as raising the head of the bed 6 to 8 inches, and talk to your provider about what to add.