Abdominal pain during pregnancy: Causes & Treatments

Miscarriage

Bleeding is generally the first symptom of a miscarriage. It is followed by abdominal pain a few hours to a few days later, where the bleeding could be light or heavy. The pain can be crampy, as menstrual cramps or often stronger, and rhythmic. Some women feel it as a low backache, others as a dull abdominal pain or pelvic pressure, but still it refers to the same problem. It is important to know that pregnant woman should call her practitioner if she has signs of a miscarriage, if she has severe pain or heavy bleeding.

Preterm labor

Woman has problem with preterm labor that is also known as premature labor, if she starts to have contractions that efface or dilate your cervix before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Any symptom in your second or third trimester that refers to an increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge should be reported to the doctor. If discharge is particularly watery, mucus-like, or bloody, and even if it's pink or just tinged with blood, it should be considered as symptoms. Beside this, vaginal spotting or bleeding, abdominal pain, menstrual-like cramping, or more than four contractions in one hour, an increase in pressure in the pelvic area or low back pain, especially if there were no previously this kind of pain, should be checked by the doctor.

Placental abruption

Placental abruption is the partial or complete separation of the placenta from the uterus. This is problem when it happens before the baby is born. There's wide variation in symptoms for placental abruption. Sometimes a placental abruption can cause sudden and obvious bleeding, but in some cases there may not be any noticeable bleeding at first. Some women reported only light bleeding or spotting. Woman might have uterine tenderness, back pain, or frequent contractions, or the uterus might contract and stay hard as a cramp or contraction that does not go away. It is also reported feeling of decrease in baby's activity, so immediate medical attention is recommended.

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a disease common in pregnancy, which causes spasms and other changes in blood vessels. It can also affect a number of organs, including liver, kidneys, brain, and the placenta. Preeclampsia is diagnosed if woman has high blood pressure and protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It is commonly reported problem with swelling in face or puffiness around pregnant woman’s eyes. Slight swelling in hands or excessive or sudden swelling of the feet or ankles could also happen during preeclampsia. It should be clear this water retention can also lead to a rapid weight gain. When severe preeclampsia happens, woman may also have intense pain or tenderness in the upper abdomen, a severe headache, visual disturbances, or nausea and vomiting. Similar to any other problem, preeclampsia requires immediate doctor's exam.

Urinary tract infections

Being pregnant makes woman more susceptible to urinary tract infections of all kinds, including kidney infections as well. Symptoms of a bladder infection are pain, discomfort, or burning when urinating, pelvic discomfort or lower abdominal pain, and frequent or uncontrollable urge to pee, even when there is very little urine in the bladder. Cloudy or foul-smelling urine could also be the sign of bladder infection. Since untreated bladder infection can lead to a kidney infection and premature labor, these symptoms should not be ignored. Signs that the infection has spread to the kidneys and that is needed to seek medical attention immediately, may include a high fever that happens with shaking, chills, or sweats. Pain in lower back or in side just under ribs, on one or both sides, nausea and vomiting, and possibly blood in urine are symptoms that should be reported to the doctor.

Other causes for abdominal pain

Many other conditions can cause abdominal pain, whether woman is pregnant or not. Some of the most common ones that doctors will consider are stomach virus or food poisoning, appendicitis, kidney stones, hepatitis, gallbladder disease or pancreatitis. These symptoms are often a result of gallstones, which are more common during pregnancy. Common is bowel obstruction, which may be caused by the pressure of the growing uterus on previously scarred intestinal tissue and is most likely to occur in the third trimester.

What could be cause of harmless abdominal discomfort?

The fact is that not all abdominal discomfort is a sign of a serious problem during pregnancy. For example, pregnant woman may notice a bit of cramping during or right after an orgasm. However, as long as it is mild and short-lived, it is perfectly normal and nothing to be alarmed about. There are some most common causes of harmless abdominal discomfort during pregnancy.

Gas and bloating is more likely to occur during pregnancy because of hormones that slow digestion and the pressure of growing uterus on stomach and intestines.

Braxton-Hicks contractions occur sometime after midpregnancy, when woman may start to notice some tightening in uterus from time to time. Before 37 weeks, these contractions should be infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless, which should be reported to the doctor. It is especially recommended if those symptoms are accompanied by lower back pain, or if woman feel more than four contractions an hour.

Treatment for abdominal pain during pregnancy

The best advice woman might get is to sit down, put your up, and relax when she feel abdominal pain. Resting comfortably should quickly relieve any of these symptoms. Other tips woman could do is to avoid quick changes in position, especially turning sharply at the waist. When the pain is felt, woman should bends toward the pain to relieve it, as well as walking, doing light housework, or changing position may help relieve some of the symptoms such as gas pains.