What causes stomach pain when you are 8 months pregnant?

The eighth month of pregnancy is already the late stage of pregnancy, and the fetus has developed relatively well. However, many pregnant women in their eighth month still experience some discomfort symptoms, such as abdominal pain. Abdominal pain in late pregnancy is mainly caused by frequent period, uterine contractions, late miscarriage or reflux esophagitis. Below, I will introduce to you the common causes of abdominal pain during the eighth month of pregnancy!

1. Frequent fetal movement

The fetal movements are active in the 8th month of pregnancy, and the frequent movements make the pregnant mother feel pain, but this stomach pain will disappear naturally after a while. This is normal. Of course, if the fetal movements are frequent and continue, you need to be highly vigilant, because it may mean that the fetus is not in good condition, such as hypoxia, which can cause great harm. For knowledge about frequent fetal movements, please read the recommended article below.

2. Uterine contractions

Starting from the 28th week of pregnancy, the abdomen will often experience "false contractions". If the pregnant woman stands or sits in the same posture for a long time, she will feel her abdomen hardening (i.e. symptoms of tight stomach). This is "false contractions". Its characteristics are irregular time of occurrence and sometimes strong and sometimes weak degree. Before delivery, due to the traction stimulation of the lower segment of the uterus caused by the descending fetal head, false contractions will become more and more frequent. This is also normal.

3. Late miscarriage

Late miscarriage mainly refers to abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding that occurs after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The process of late miscarriage is similar to childbirth. First there are waves of abdominal pain due to uterine contractions, and then placental detachment and bleeding. Therefore, the condition is more serious than early miscarriage, but generally late miscarriage rarely occurs.

4. Reflux esophagitis

In the later stages of pregnancy, the fetus gradually grows larger and 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. Gastric acid stimulates the esophageal mucosa, and reflux esophagitis occurs, which can cause abdominal pain in pregnant mothers. This situation occurs occasionally and requires treatment in the hospital.