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What causes abdominal pain during pregnancy?
Symptoms such as a slight pulling sensation in the abdomen and the occasional slight abdominal pain are often among the first signs of pregnancy . They are usually normal. However, the cause of the pain is not so easy to determine for most pregnant women. So what causes the pain and when do you have to start worrying about your health?
Possible causes of abdominal pain during pregnancy :
- As the uterus (lat. uterus) and the baby grow, the ligaments, internal organs and muscles are increasingly stressed. The blood flow increases and abdominal pain occurs. Even at the beginning of pregnancy, they can occur in a relatively painful form. Hormonal factors such as the loosening up of body tissue due to pregnancy hormones are often the cause.
- Pulling pain in the ligaments, which run to the pelvic wall on either side of the uterus and extend to the vulva, can develop into cramping pain. The ligaments hold the uterus in an upright, stable position. They are particularly stressed during pregnancy, which causes back and abdominal pain. Abdominal pain, menstrual cramps or sore muscles are also not uncommon in this context. Women often suffer from pain on the right side, which is where the uterus is during pregnancy.
- In the later months of pregnancy, kicks from your baby can also hide behind the pain.
- Your stomach may become hard and painful at irregular intervals. So-called exercise contractions are the cause. They prepare the uterus for child birth.
- Does your stomach hurt after eating? The growth of your baby will be the reason for this. As the pregnancy progresses, the baby takes up more and more space in the stomach, other organs are pushed aside, so your stomach doesn’t have as much space to expand after eating. Eating smaller meals throughout the day relieves the pain.
- Constipation can also be the cause of abdominal pain during pregnancy. The hormone progesterone is increasingly produced under these circumstances, resulting in pain in the abdominal region and slowed bowel movement.
- Sex during pregnancy is by no means forbidden unless there are known medical reasons that speak against it. However, it can cause mild back and abdominal pain during pregnancy, and the exhilarating feeling of orgasm can be accompanied by mild pain.
- In rare cases, abdominal pain indicates pregnancy complications. Up to the 12th week of pregnancy, an early miscarriage can be behind the severe abdominal pain and bleeding that occurs. The reason for the miscarriage is that the baby is not developing properly. However, it can also be an ectopic pregnancy, ie the fertilized egg cell does not nest in the uterus, but outside – mostly inside the fallopian tube. The embryo cannot develop further there, so that it usually dies two to three weeks after fertilization. In both cases, medical help is essential.
- Rather rare, but possible: If there is cramping abdominal pain and spotting or discharge between the 13th and 23rd week of pregnancy, these signs can indicate a late miscarriage. In any case, get yourself checked out by a doctor.
- Between the 24th and 37th week of pregnancy, a premature birth can also cause back, pelvic or abdominal pain. If the pain is particularly severe, a trip to the hospital can delay the rupture of the amniotic sac and the premature start of labor.
When should you seek medical help?
If the abdominal pain has been occurring for weeks or months, or if the pain is so severe that nothing helps, then you should definitely be examined by a doctor in order to be able to identify or rule out complications and illnesses at an early stage.
It does not always have to be due to pregnancy complications, diseases such as kidney or gallstones, appendicitis or cystitis can also be the cause of the symptoms. If the abdominal pain is accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, fever, bleeding or burning when urinating, a medical examination is essential.
