It is quite common to experience some lower abdominal pain during pregnancy and in the majority of the cases there is no serious cause of it.
Nonetheless it could also indicate a severe health problem or some problem with the baby so women shouldn’t ignore this problem.
Information about pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy
Although there are some common causes of the problem, you should never try to diagnose yourself. If you happen to experience spotting, fever, bleeding, chills, faintness, vaginal discharge, nausea, vomiting or discomfort during urination, you should make sure to talk to your practitioner as fast as you can.
Ectopic pregnancy
Such a pregnancy could lead to pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy. It refers to the situation when the fertilized egg doesn’t get implanted into the uterus, but somewhere else, such as the fallopian tubes.
Besides the pain it could also cause some other symptoms.
In case the source of the lower abdominal pain during pregnancy isn’t treated, it could turn into a life threatening problem.
Call your practitioner if you experience, pelvic pain, spotting, bleeding, the pain getting worse when you perform physical activity or pain in your shoulder.
Miscarriage
This is another more serious cause of the pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy. It refers to the termination of the pregnancy in the first 20 weeks. In the majority of the cases, the first symptom is bleeding or spotting and the pain appears a few hours or days later.
The lower abdominal pain during pregnancy could be accompanied by heavy or light bleeding, and the pain could be mild, persistent or sharp and you could experience some pressure. If you experience any of the symptoms, you should call your practitioner.
Preterm labor
The pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy could come in the form of contractions and if this is the case it is possible that the contractions will make the cervix dilate.You have preterm labor if all this happens before the 37th week of pregnancy.
The symptoms of preterm labor besides lower abdominal pain during pregnancy include an increased volume of vaginal discharge or a change in the consistency of the discharge, spotting or bleeding, a feeling of pressure in the pelvic zone and pain that spreads to the lower back as well.
Placental abruption
This is another life threatening condition that results in pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy. It means that the placenta is separated from the uterus, completely or partially even before the baby gets born. There are a lot of different symptoms that you could experience, such as bleeding.
The bleeding that accompanies the lower abdominal pain during pregnancy could be abrupt but in other cases at the beginning is hardly noticeable. Other symptoms include uterine tenderness, frequent contractions, back pain and it is possible that the uterus contracts and it stays hard.
Preeclampsia
This is a complex disorder that leads to pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy. The condition could affect different organs such as the kidneys, placenta, liver, brain and the blood vessels. It is said that you are affected by the condition if you have high blood pressure and you have protein in your urine.
The symptoms of the condition besides lower abdominal pain during pregnancy involve swelling of the face, puffiness around the eyes, swelling of the hands, ankles and feet. The swelling is caused by water retention which can lead to rapid weight gain. If the condition is severe, you could also experience some tenderness in the upper abdomen, vomiting, nausea, visual disturbance and headaches.
