Why do you have abdominal pain during early pregnancy?

The little life begins to grow in the belly, which brings infinite joy to the expectant mother. However, women will encounter various early pregnancy reactions during pregnancy. They endure abdominal pain for the sake of their children. Abdominal pain during pregnancy is a common symptom encountered by expectant mothers. Which abdominal pains are normal physiological reactions and which are disease warnings from the body. Expectant mothers should treat them with caution and not be careless. If they find any, they should go to the hospital for treatment immediately.

1) Abdominal pain in early pregnancy. In early pregnancy, some abdominal pain is physiological, that is, a normal reaction caused by pregnancy, but some is pathological and may indicate the occurrence of crises such as miscarriage.

1. Physiological abdominal pain in the early stages of pregnancy, many expectant mothers always feel some stomach pain, sometimes accompanied by early pregnancy reactions such as vomiting, which 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.

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

① If expectant mothers experience 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. Some expectant mothers believe that abdominal pain in early pregnancy may be accidental and it is not a big deal and they just need to lie down in bed and rest. This blind measure of bed rest to protect the fetus is not advisable. You should go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time to avoid delaying the disease.

2) Abdominal pain in mid-pregnancy 1. Physiological abdominal 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 can also cause abdominal pain in pregnant women.

2. Pathological abdominal pain In the second trimester of pregnancy, the baby gradually grows and the intra-abdominal pressure of the expectant mother also increases. If the expectant mother's esophageal hiatus (the hole through which the esophagus descends to connect to the stomach) widens, "esophageal hiatal hernia" may occur, causing abdominal pain. At this time, abdominal pain is often accompanied by symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, chest pain, acid reflux, and hiccups.

The incidence of hiatal hernia during pregnancy is about 30-50%, and the symptoms are sometimes more obvious in the late pregnancy. Therefore, expectant mothers are advised to: eat small and frequent meals, eat less sweet, spicy, or sticky food; do not lie flat on the bed or lie too low after meals, and try to bend over as little as possible to reduce acid reflux; keep bowel movements open. If you find symptoms of gastric reflux, try to raise your upper body about 20 degrees.

3) Abdominal pain in late pregnancy In the late pregnancy, as the fetus continues to grow, the burden on the mother's abdomen and body gradually increases. In addition, as delivery is approaching, the frequency of abdominal pain will increase significantly compared to the second trimester.

1. Physiological abdominal pain ① As the baby grows, the expectant mother's uterus also gradually grows. The enlarged uterus constantly stimulates the lower edge of the ribs, which can cause dull rib pain in expectant mothers. Generally speaking, this is physiological and does not require special treatment. Lying on the left side can help relieve pain. ② In the late pregnancy, expectant mothers sometimes experience lower abdominal pain due to false labor when resting at night. The pain usually lasts only a few seconds, with intervals of several hours. It is not accompanied by a feeling of falling, and the symptoms will be relieved during the day.

2. Pathological abdominal pain ① Placental abruption: It often occurs in the late pregnancy. The expectant mother may have pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome, chronic hypertension, or abdominal trauma. Tearing pain in the lower abdomen is a typical symptom, often accompanied by vaginal bleeding. The degree of abdominal pain is affected by a combination of factors such as the size of the abruption area, the amount of blood, the internal pressure of the uterus, and whether the uterine muscle layer is damaged. In severe cases, the abdominal pain is unbearable, the abdomen becomes hard, the fetal movement disappears, and even shock may occur. Therefore, in the late stages of pregnancy, expectant mothers with high blood pressure or abdominal trauma should go to the hospital in time to prevent accidents.

②If the expectant mother suddenly feels persistent severe pain in the lower abdomen, it may be premature birth or threatened uterine rupture. You should go to the hospital for treatment in time and do not delay.

4) Abdominal pain due to non-pregnancy reasons Some diseases during pregnancy can also cause abdominal pain in expectant mothers, but these diseases are not directly related to pregnancy, such as appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, cholelithiasis and cholecystitis. Because abdominal pain is common during pregnancy, sometimes abdominal pain caused by non-pregnancy reasons is easily ignored by expectant mothers.

1. Acute appendicitis may occur in the early, middle, and late stages of pregnancy. Most people with acute appendicitis experience abdominal tenderness in the right lower abdomen. However, for pregnant women, due to the presence of the baby, the tenderness in the right abdomen gradually moves upward as the pregnancy progresses. Expectant mothers who experience abdominal pain due to acute appendicitis generally have a history of chronic appendicitis and are accompanied by symptoms such as increased body temperature.

Because the disease will progress more rapidly after appendicitis occurs in expectant mothers, they should go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time.

2. Intestinal obstruction If the expectant mother has undergone abdominal surgery before pregnancy, intestinal adhesions that occur after the surgery are often the cause of intestinal obstruction during pregnancy. There are no typical symptoms for expectant mothers with intestinal obstruction, so if they feel abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea, they should go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible.

3. Cholelithiasis and cholecystitis are affected by the physiological changes of pregnancy. If you have cholelithiasis before pregnancy, it can easily lead to gallbladder inflammation if you are not careful. When the gallbladder is inflamed, upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever may occur, and the pain may be triggered or aggravated by food or drink. Expectant mothers should chew their food slowly, avoid overeating at one meal, and eat less fat-rich foods.

Based on the above statements, we know that there are many reasons why expectant mothers experience abdominal pain, so we kindly remind you that there are many possible reasons for abdominal pain during pregnancy, and it is difficult to distinguish between symptomatic abdominal pain and abdominal discomfort caused by pregnancy. Based on the location, time, degree of pain, etc. of the abdominal pain, it is difficult to know the cause of the abdominal pain without examination.