What is the reason for abdominal pain like labor pain during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, you should carefully observe every change in your body and find the appropriate cause to make a judgment. Many pregnant women will feel low back pain, general fatigue, pelvic pain, and thigh pain during pregnancy. These are all pains caused by uterine compression. This is a normal phenomenon and you don’t need to worry too much. However, if you have abdominal pain during pregnancy, such as labor or colic, you must determine the specific cause. This does not rule out uterine contractions, signs of miscarriage or delivery, and also includes abdominal pain caused by frequent fetal movements. Therefore, abdominal pain during pregnancy is also divided into physiological and pathological, which require timely examination and judgment. Abdominal pain should not be underestimated. If abdominal pain is accompanied by bleeding, it should be considered a risk factor.

What is abdominal pain during pregnancy

Abdominal pain during pregnancy refers to the pain that a woman experiences in her lower abdomen when she is pregnant. However, if the abdominal pain is caused by uterine ligament stretching, normal uterine contraction, fetal movement, etc., there is no need to worry, as it is usually a normal phenomenon.

Causes of abdominal pain during pregnancy

main reason

Pregnant women often experience abdominal pain, and some even experience abdominal pain from the early to late stages of pregnancy. Although there are various types of pain, experts point out that the main cause of abdominal pain in pregnant women is irregular contractions of the uterus.

Other causes

However, expectant mothers should not take abdominal pain lightly. If abdominal pain occurs, they still need to go to the hospital to carefully check for other causes, such as lesions, tumors, etc. Because the enlarged uterus during pregnancy will squeeze other organs in the abdominal cavity, it is easy for pregnant women to confuse normal abdominal pain during pregnancy with abnormal abdominal pain. Therefore, when expectant mothers have abdominal pain or other discomfort, they should go to the hospital for examination and carefully screen the cause of the abdominal pain to ensure the health of themselves and the fetus.

Physiological abdominal pain

1. Abdominal pain caused by fetal movement

The 28th to 32nd week of pregnancy is the period when fetal movement is most significant. Generally speaking, the number of fetal movements in pregnant women ranges from 100 to 700 times a day. At around 20 weeks of pregnancy, the average number of fetal movements per day is about 200 times; but at 32 weeks, it may rise to around 375 times. At this time, the fetus gradually grows and occupies more and more space in the uterus. Correspondingly, the space for the fetus to move in the mother's womb is getting smaller and smaller. At this time, if the baby kicks hard, it will make the expectant mother feel pain, especially if the baby's head hits the mother's pelvic floor muscles, the pain will be more obvious.

2. Abdominal pain caused by uterus pressing on ribs

As the fetus matures, the pregnant woman's uterus also gradually expands and grows. At this time, the huge uterus will often stimulate and compress the ribs, causing pain to the pregnant woman. However, this type of abdominal pain is mostly a normal physiological phenomenon and does not require drastic treatment. It only requires some adjustments in daily life. For example, sleeping on the left side can relieve this type of abdominal pain.

3. Abdominal pain caused by false labor

In the late stages of pregnancy, there will be some false labor contractions, which can cause abdominal pain to the expectant mother to a certain extent, and this abdominal pain usually appears at night and disappears during the day. Compared with the abdominal pain before delivery, the frequency of uterine contractions in this situation is not consistent, the duration is not fixed, the intervals between pains are longer and irregular, and this type of abdominal pain is not accompanied by a feeling of falling. But on the other hand, false labor also means that delivery is imminent, so expectant mothers are reminded to prepare early, conserve their energy, maintain a healthy body, and conserve their strength to welcome the arrival of the baby.