What causes stomach pain in pregnant women?

Many pregnant women will feel mild or severe pain in their abdomen during pregnancy. Sometimes the pain lasts for a long time, and sometimes it lasts for a long time, causing the pregnant women to suspect that there is something wrong with their body or the fetus. There are many factors that affect abdominal pain in pregnant women, which can be mainly divided into pathological abdominal pain and physiological abdominal pain. It is best for friends to do relevant examinations and understand the situation.

Causes of abdominal pain in early pregnancy

In the early stages of pregnancy, many expectant mothers always feel some stomach pain, sometimes accompanied by early pregnancy reactions such as vomiting. This is mainly caused by increased gastric acid secretion in the early stages of pregnancy. At this time, you should pay attention to diet adjustment. The meals should be light and easy to digest. You can eat some toasted steamed bread slices or soda crackers for breakfast. The discomfort will disappear naturally as the first trimester ends.

Pathological abdominal pain

If you experience abdominal pain in early pregnancy, especially lower abdominal pain, the first thing you should consider is whether it is a pregnancy complication. Common complications include threatened miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

1. If a pregnant woman experiences paroxysmal lower abdominal pain or regular abdominal pain, back pain, or pelvic pain in the first few months of pregnancy, the problem may be more complicated. If it is accompanied by vaginal spotting or a noticeable feeling of abdominal heaviness, it may indicate threatened miscarriage. Expectant mothers should move less, stay in bed more, avoid sexual intercourse, avoid lifting heavy objects, drink water, and seek medical attention promptly. If pain worsens or bleeding continues, seek medical attention immediately.

2. If you experience severe unilateral lower abdominal pain, accompanied by vaginal bleeding or fainting, it may be an ectopic pregnancy and you should go to the hospital immediately.

Causes of abdominal pain during pregnancy

Physiological stomach pain

1. Around 4 months of pregnancy, the uterus enlarges and the round ligament of the uterus is stretched, and many expectant mothers will feel some abdominal pain. This type of pain is mostly located on one or both sides of the uterus in the lower abdomen, and is referred pain, dull pain or lack thereof. The pain becomes more obvious when walking a long distance or changing body position. Expectant mothers don’t need to worry, the symptoms can be relieved by resting in bed more.

2. Exerting too much force during sexual intercourse in the second trimester may also cause stomach pain in pregnant mothers.

Pathological abdominal pain

1. Late miscarriage. Late miscarriage mainly refers to abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The process of late abortion is similar to childbirth. First there are waves of abdominal pain caused by uterine contractions, and then there is fetal separation and bleeding. Therefore, the condition is more serious than early abortion, but late abortion generally occurs less frequently.

2. Hiatal hernia and reflux esophagitis. In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, as the fetus grows gradually, the intra-abdominal pressure also increases. If the hiatus widens, the bottom of the stomach can be pushed into the chest cavity through the widened esophageal hiatus. This is medically called a hiatal hernia. Because the upper opening of the stomach is loose, gastric acid, gas, and food in the stomach can reflux into the esophagus or mouth. Reflux esophagitis occurs when gastric acid irritates the esophageal mucosa. This can cause abdominal pain in pregnant mothers. This happens occasionally.

3. Severe uterine torsion. During pregnancy, if the uterus has uterine fibroids, congenital malformations, or ovarian tumors and causes the uterus to twist more than 90 degrees, it may cause acute abdominal pain; in severe cases, it may also cause shock to the pregnant mother or distress to the fetus. As for the abdominal pain caused by mild uterine torsion, it can be improved by bed rest, taking painkillers* and changing the pregnant mother's posture. If it is serious, it can only be corrected by laparotomy. If the fetus is mature, a cesarean section can also be performed at the same time.