"Fluttering" sensations in the abdominal region can point to a number of different things. For women of reproductive age, one of the possibilities is, of course, pregnancy — fetal movement is often described as a slight fluttering when it first shows up, though the kicks and punches an unborn baby deals its mother certainly become more intense as a pregnancy progresses. It's helpful, then, that the person asking what could cause this kind of sensation shares that she is not pregnant.
What else could cause fluttering in the "stomach" — the abdominal or pelvic region, to be more precise?
The SteadyHealth team reacts
As we see in this thread, even women with "fluttering sensations in the stomach" who say that they aren't pregnant are bombarded with suggestions that they might be expecting after all, despite negative pregnancy tests. Given the fact that many women who do experience these feelings describe them as being very similar to the sensations of fetal movement, that isn't exactly surprising. What is surprising, however, is just how many things can be responsible for these kinds of sensations.
Is there a medical term for this? Dr Sasa Milosevic, SteadyHealth's "in-house doctor", enlightens us: "You can call this an abdominal wall flutter, as it appears in scientific literature. The term tremor of the abdominal musculature is used to describe involuntary movements of the abdominal muscles."
He continues by explaining that, where involuntary muscle movement is concerned, there are multiple terms that describe different levels of severity:
- Fasciculations (twitches) — these are very mild and typically undetectable by the naked eye, and noticeable only to people experiencing them. These twitches are, Dr Milosevic points out, "contractions of particular muscle fibers of the muscle, rather than the whole muscle".
- Tremors affect one or more small muscles, and others will be able to see them as well.
- Cramps are more severe muscle contractions.
- Spasms are longer-lasting cramps that are usually related to neurological diseases.
Gastrointestinal problems
As some people who participated in the discussion suggested, gastrointestinal issues can indeed cause fluttering sensations — and there's an explanation for the fact that many people who experienced the feelings said they don't feel like it's "just gas" as well. The abdominal muscles can respond to high levels of acid or gas within the digestive system by twitching. However, Dr Milosevic says:
"Abdominal cramps can occur for a number of reasons and usually come along with abdominal pain."
If you experience abdominal flutters and feel less-than-ideal dietary habits could be the cause, try eliminating spicy and highly processed foods from your diet for now to see if that makes a difference, and also ensure you are properly hydrated. Should these lifestyle changes not help, see a doctor. You could have a chronic condition such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, or inflammatory bowel disease.
StressStress is also sometimes said to have the ability to cause muscle twitches or spasms, as well as general gastrointestinal upset. People who experience fluttering sensations while exposed to a lot of stress may have already found a likely cause in their stress, but should still seek medical attention to rule out other possibilities.
Parkinson's DiseaseParkinson's Disease is a movement disorder characterized by tremors (mostly at rest), rigidity, slow movement, and changes in speech and mental function. Most people will be familiar with the fact that Parkinson's often causes hands, feet, arms, or legs to "shake" — but did you know that Parkinson's disease patients also report "internal tremors" quite frequently? These tremors occur within the abdominal area and aren't visible to outside observers. Though Parkinson's most commonly affects people over 60, it can also have an earlier onset. Anyone who recognizes early symptoms of Parkinson's, which include a loss of the sense of smell, posture changes, sleep problems, and changes in facial expression, should seek medical attention.
Diaphragmatic flutterA rare condition, diaphragmatic flutter is caused by involuntary contractions of the diaphragm and respiratory muscles. Besides fluttering sensations, pain is another common symptom. The condition is rather uncommon and its management complex, and it has been linked to neurological disorders.
Muscle twitches and spasms: CausesLet's also take a look a possible causes of general muscle twitches and spasms, which can occur in the abdominal area but also in other places:
- Dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance can do this to you.
- It's also possible that you have simply overworked certain muscle groups, by exercising or performing vigorous physical labor, for instance.
- Nerve compression can lead to muscle twitches.
- Spasms can occur when your muscles are not being supplied with enough blood.
Discussion highlights
Questions
Plenty of questions came up, mostly from people who also wanted to find out what could cause fluttering feelings in the stomach:
- So really what is really going on.
- has anyone has solution to this now?
- I need an answer to this and now lol could I be pregnant but all the test say neg.
- What do you think?
- I am not pregnant, why do I feel a fluttering in my lower stomache?
Discussion
Further discussion about fluttering sensations focused on the possibility of pregnancy, and also considered other possibilities, such as gastrointestinal problems or the pulsating of arteries:
- I'm 67 so I'm definitely not pregnant.
- I was thinking it would have to be something with my digestive track since the large intestine is in that area.
- I was thinking of going to the doctor to get this checked out.
- hi, guys i have 3 kids and for the past couple of years not all the time but now and then i will feel fluttering and kicking and even hiccups and it does feel like there is a baby in there but if you have done several pregnancy test including blood and come out negative it may sound yuk but its usually gas for some people that have had kids it could be gas or your uterus contracting.
- when i first felt this i went to the doctors and when the pregnancy results came back negative he did an ultrsound because i was sure i knew what being pregnant felt like so we made sure there was no baby but that feeling was nothing but gas.
Symptoms
Fluttering sensations in the abdomen were described in various ways:
- I felt stomach flickering or light kicking too.
- but the movement is growing more strong
- For about 4 days I have had this fluttering in my lower right area.
- It happens sometimes after I eat but sometimes just whenever.
- hi, guys i have 3 kids and for the past couple of years not all the time but now and then i will feel fluttering and kicking and even hiccups and it does feel like there is a baby in there but if you have done several pregnancy test including blood and come out negative it may sound yuk but its usually gas for some people that have had kids it could be gas or your uterus contracting.
Suggestions
What do SteadyHealth community members think people experiencing abdominal fluttering should do, and what do they have to say about possible causes? Let's take a look:
- the fluttering and pulling/pinching sensations you get can be your body getting ready to have a period, but can also mean your possibly pregnant.
- But just take in mind if you feel baby movements and a home test comes out negative and not convince take a trip to visit your doctor.
- If you have more than one of these symptoms persistently, I'd reccommend getting it checked out, and any kind of persistent pain or uncomfortableness should be checked out no matter what :)
- She recomended a cat scan to see what it shows.
- I did think that if you felt "fluttering" while carrying a child that it didn't begin until your third or fourth month.