What are symptoms of heartburn?

Heartburn is not pleasant and in most cases causes a burning type pain in the left lower chest. The pain can last from a few minutes to several hours. Often the pain is aggravated by lying down or bending after eating. When lying down, sometimes there may be a burning sensation in the throat. Others may complain of a salty or acid taste at the back of the throat. With severe heartburn, one may also have difficulty swallowing and there may be a sensation of food sticking at the back of the throat. Heatburn can also cause a chronic dry cough or hoarseness.   

Often the heartburn during pregnancy may be accompanied by excess sweating, facial flushing and dizziness. Sometimes the pain of heartburn can be mistaken for a heart attack.

Heartburn during pregnancy is not life threatening but it can affect the quality of life. 

The diagnosis of heartburn is not difficult. Doctors can use a variety of tests to make the diagnoses of heartburn. The good news is that once the pregnancy is over, heartburn spontaneously resolves.