GERD diagnosis question

A little background info.. I had never experienced heartburn or any of the symptoms prior to getting pregnant with my son. During the pregnancy, I had severe heartburn daily, no matter what I ate or drank. After having my son, the heartburn was still consistant. Now after almost 2 years, I still get heartburn atleast 3-4 times a week, sometimes more often. I was treating it with the OTC Gaviscon, it was helping for a while, but I think that now my system has built up an immunity to it. I am now suspecting that I have GERD with the consistant heartburn.

I was curious.. Is a scope examination necessary to diagnose GERD? Or are there other tests that are used for diagonsing GERD?

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi Makuahine,
Symptoms of GERD can occur during pregnancy. If the symptoms persist after delivery, consider -

1. Taking PPI twice a day immediately before meals
2. Life style modifications ( discuss with your doctor about it)

24/48 hours pH monitoring is the confirmatory test for GERD.
Endoscopy is done to see whether acid reflux has done any damage to your esophagus.
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The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.

- Ratnakar Kini M.D.