One of the most common complaints of pregnant women is abdominal pain during pregnancy. In the majority of the cases this is something harmless, but it is also possible that there is some underlying cause which could be a serious problem. If the pain is severe or if it persists, you shouldn’t ignore it.
What causes pain in the abdomen during pregnancy?
Ectopic pregnancy
Such a pregnancy appears in case the fertilized egg gets implanted outside the uterus. Usually this happens in the fallopian tubes. During early pregnancy the problem could cause cramping. If the problem isn’t treated, it could turn out to be life threatening.
If you have some other symptoms as well besides abdominal pain when being pregnant, call your doctor. The alarming symptoms include pain and tenderness, vaginal bleeding or spotting, the pain getting worse after you have physical activity, or pain in the shoulders.
Miscarriage
If you have abdominal pain during pregnancy it could also be a sign of miscarriage. This is known to be the loss of the pregnancy before the 20th week. Usually the first symptom is vaginal bleeding or spotting, and the pain is supposed to appear a few days or hours after the first symptoms.
The bleeding that accompanies the abdominal pain while being pregnant can be heavy or light. The pain could be persistent or crampy, sharp or mild and it is also possible that it will feel like pressure in the pelvic area and there could be pain in the back. If you see any signs you should make sure that you call your doctor.
Preterm labor
The abdominal pain during pregnancy could also mark the beginning of preterm labor. This means that you have contractions before the end of the 37th week of pregnancy. The symptoms in this case also include an increase of the vaginal discharge and the characteristics of the discharge could also change.
It is also possible that besides pain in the abdomen when being pregnant you will also experience some bleeding or spotting, cramps that are similar to the menstrual cramps, increase of the pelvic pressure and pain in the lower back. This is an important symptom if you didn’t have any pain before.
Placental abruption
If the abdominal pain during pregnancy is caused by placental abruption you should know that this is a life threatening situation. During this the placenta gets separated from the uterus even before childbirth. There are a lot of possible symptoms. For instance you could experience sudden bleeding.
In the same time besides pain in the abdomen while being pregnant you could also have some light spotting. If the water breaks it is possible that you will also see some bloody fluids. Besides this you could also experience back pain, uterine tenderness and frequent urination.
You can see that abdominal pain during pregnancy is a serious situation so you should seek immediate help if the pain is severe or if it lasts for longer periods of time.
