Abdominal pain pregnant

1. Pain in the abdomen when pregnant is not only annoying but sometimes disturbing. It is often unknown where the pain comes from. This can also have various causes such as a miscarriage, rumbling bowels or a bladder infection. It is often important to first find out the cause and then decide to proceed to treatment or to wait until the symptoms subside by themselves. How do you recognize the different forms of pain in the lower abdomen?

Pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy

1. During pregnancy abdominal pain is common. There is a difference between mild stomach pain or really severe stomach cramps. The location is also important: the lower abdomen is not the upper abdomen. In the lower abdomen are the bladder, intestines and appendages, kidneys, ovaries / fallopian tubes and uterus. Later in pregnancy, the uterus grows towards the upper abdomen. So pain in the lower abdomen always has to do with one of these organs. Often this has to do with the pregnancy, but this does not always have to be the case.

Cause: miscarriage or premature birth

1. Many pregnant women think of a miscarriage when there is pain in the lower abdomen. That makes sense, because 1 in 10 pregnancies ends in a miscarriage between 4 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. A miscarriage is often heralded by blood loss, pink discharge, or brown discharge. It starts with a little blood loss but gets more intense as the hours or days go by. The stomach cramps that come with miscarriage are inevitable. The uterine wall contracts more and more to expel the dead baby, placenta and endometrium. A miscarriage can often be diagnosed by a doctor or midwife. After a miscarriage, bleeding may persist for a few days, but should quickly reduce to a normal period.

Childbirth

1. A delivery is announced by loss of the mucus plug, loss of amniotic fluid (rupture of the membranes) or abdominal cramps. Initially, these cramps resemble a menstrual-like cramp, but become more intense over time and last longer. They also increase in frequency: they come more often in succession. When the contractions occur within five minutes and last longer than 1 minute, it is time to call the midwife or doctor. You can call in between, but only if you are really worried. Unfortunately, midwives have to visit women very often, even though this was not necessary in retrospect.

Implantation may cause mild abdominal pain

1. After fertilization of the egg, it will implant itself. This happens a few days after fertilization. This implantation can be felt as a slight stomach ache or a cramp. Sometimes this is also accompanied by blood loss. The blood loss is little: always less than a normal period.

Endometriosis in the pregnant woman

1. In endometriosis, the endometrium is located outside the uterus. The endometrium changes throughout the cycle, and the endometrium outside the uterus changes just as much. This causes pain complaints. During pregnancy there is a higher risk of miscarriage. The chance of a stillbirth is also greater due to premature birth. Pain complaints during pregnancy are often reduced temporarily, but return in all intensity after the delivery.

Fibroids

1. A fibroid is a benign growth of muscle tissue. When a pedunculated fibroid becomes pinched, it can cause severe pain in the lower abdomen. A fibroid cannot be removed during pregnancy. However, the growth of the fibroid is closely monitored. During childbirth, the risk of major bleeding is more present. For that reason, women with large fibroids must always give birth in hospital.

Cystitis, bladder stones and kidney stones

1. Women have a higher risk of cystitis than men, but this risk is even higher during pregnancy. A bladder infection can be recognized by painful urination, a burning sensation, pain in the lower back, pain in the lower abdomen and small amounts of urination. A bladder infection can be treated with a course of antibiotics. Kidney stones are an accumulation of minerals that are calcified (petrified). This causes colicky stomach pain, painful urination and blood in the urine. Bladder stones are kidney stones that have become loose and end up in the bladder. They cause the same symptoms as with kidney stones.

Bowel Pain

1. During pregnancy many women suffer from rumbling bowels: restless bowels and often have to go to the toilet. This also involves stomach pain. On the one hand, this is caused by the hormones to which the intestines respond. On the other hand, many women are somewhat tense, especially during the first three months of pregnancy and towards the delivery. This can cause stomach pain. When the tension and stress disappear, the complaints also decrease.