Will I have stomach pain when I'm pregnant?

It is easy to have stomach pain after pregnancy. For example, in the early stages of pregnancy, due to the influence of hormones, it will cause heartburn, nausea and vomiting, and stomach pain. As the fetus grows gradually, the uterus may compress nearby tissues and organs. It can also easily cause stomach pain. Pregnant women should strengthen their diet and if the pain is severe, they should go to the hospital for examination.

Will I have stomach pain when I'm pregnant?

Stomach pain in pregnant women may be caused by relaxation of the sphincter leading to reflux of stomach acid, compression of the stomach by the uterus, hormonal stimulation, or unhealed stomach disease before pregnancy.

1. Sphincter relaxation causes stomach acid to reflux. The sphincter is located at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach. Its function is to allow food to enter the stomach smoothly and not come back up. After pregnancy, due to hormonal changes, the sphincter relaxes, making it easy for food to come up again. The acidic contents in the stomach will reflux from the stomach into the esophagus, throat and mouth, irritating the mucous membrane and causing stomach pain. The growing uterus can also put pressure on the stomach, making it easier for stomach acid to surge upward and cause a burning sensation in the chest.

2. The uterus presses on the stomach. In the late stages of pregnancy, the gradually enlarging uterus will exert a certain amount of pressure on various organs, so the stomach may be affected. As the gestational age increases, there may also be mild shortness of breath, also due to uterine compression.

3. Hormone stimulation. After pregnancy, the pregnant woman's blood hCG rises rapidly, which will irritate the stomach and cause vomiting in the pregnant woman.

4. The stomach disease before pregnancy has not been cured. The pregnant woman had stomach problems before she became pregnant, and due to improper diet during pregnancy, she developed stomach pain. If the pregnant woman has stomach problems, or cannot distinguish between gastritis and stomach burning pain caused by pregnancy, it is recommended to go to the hospital to prevent the gastritis from getting worse. In addition, if vomiting is severe and some symptoms of acidosis appear, you should go to the hospital for treatment in time.

Examination of stomach pain in pregnant women

1. Gastroscopy and biopsy: Gastroscopy combined with direct biopsy pathology is the main method for diagnosing chronic gastritis. Superficial gastritis is often most obvious in the gastric antrum and is mostly diffuse. The surface of the gastric mucosa shows red and white or patterned changes, sometimes with scattered erosions, and often with white or yellow-white exudate. The mucosa of atrophic gastritis is mostly pale or grayish white, with thinner or flatter wrinkles. Due to the thinning of the gastric mucosa, the submucosal blood vessels can be seen and appear purple-blue. The lesions can be diffuse or mainly in the gastric antrum.

2. X-ray barium meal examination: Most cases of chronic gastritis show no abnormalities.

3. Gastric juice analysis: In chronic atrophic gastritis, gastric acid secretion is often impaired, especially in the gastric body.

4. Serum parietal cell antibody test and serum gastrin determination: In most cases of gastric body gastritis, serum parietal cell antibodies are often positive, while serum gastrin is often elevated. In contrast, in antral gastritis, serum parietal cell antibodies are mostly negative, while serum gastrin is decreased.