Pain on both sides of the abdomen during pregnancy

During pregnancy, women will experience various health problems. For example, pain on both sides of the abdomen in the second trimester is a common phenomenon. If this phenomenon occurs, pregnant women must pay attention to it in time, because it is most likely caused by gastrointestinal diseases, ureteral diseases, pelvic inflammation or complications of ovarian cysts. Of course, it may also be caused by some physiological reasons!

1. Digestive tract diseases

If a pregnant woman has gastrointestinal dysfunction due to a history of unclean diet or other reasons, she may experience spasmodic pain in the intestines on both sides of the uterus, which is often persistent and accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. In addition, as the uterus enlarges during pregnancy, the appendix will be pushed outward and upward. If appendicitis occurs during pregnancy, there will be pain in the right side of the uterus, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever and other symptoms of gastrointestinal inflammation.

2. Ureteral disease

The ureters are located on both sides of the abdomen. During pregnancy, the secretion of estrogen and progesterone increases significantly. Estrogen causes the thickening of the ureteral muscle layer, and progesterone relaxes the ureteral smooth muscle and weakens peristalsis. The enlarged uterus compresses the ureters on both sides of the uterus, which can form mechanical obstruction. If the pregnant woman has a history of ureteral stones, it is more likely to occur during pregnancy. The abdominal pain caused by ureteral disease is mainly manifested as paroxysmal colic, which may be accompanied by low back pain, frequent urination, urgency, dysuria, fever, hematuria and other symptoms.

3. Pelvic Inflammation

Pelvic inflammatory disease mainly involves inflammation of the fallopian tubes and ovaries on both sides of the uterus. Due to the influence of hormones during pregnancy, the pelvic veins become significantly congested, which can also induce or aggravate pelvic inflammation.

4. Complications of ovarian cysts

During mid-pregnancy, the enlarged uterus may compress the ovarian tumor, causing complications such as rupture or torsion. It may manifest as sudden severe pain on one side of the abdomen accompanied by nausea or even shock symptoms. Patients with a history of ovarian tumors should pay more attention to the occurrence of this complication.

5. Physiological reasons

Three months after pregnancy, the uterus begins to enlarge significantly and rises into the pelvic cavity. As the uterus grows, the round ligament of the uterus is stretched; in addition, the increase in estrogen levels during pregnancy and the secretion of placental relaxin can cause the pelvic ligaments to relax and cause nerve stretching. Therefore, many pregnant women will feel pain on both sides of the abdomen during pregnancy. The abdominal pain caused by this physiological reason is mainly located on one or both sides of the uterus, presenting as referred pain, dull pain or hidden pain, etc., which may occur from time to time. The abdominal pain will be relieved quickly after rest.