Pregnancy Pains

During pregnancy, most of the women experience some form of pain or discomfort which includes headaches, round ligament pains or backaches. But the domain of pain relief is totally different during pregnancy rather than known in pre-pregnancy.
 
Many women can experience infrequent sessions of lower abdominal pain during pregnancy. Abdominal pain is quite a normal pregnancy complaint, which may be harmless. But if the discomfort is having a sign of a serious problem then it may be harmful. Harsh or repetitive abdominal pain should never be ignored. So it becomes important for you to consult with doctor, if you have any worries regarding abdominal pain during pregnancy.
 

Causes of pregnancy pains

In early weeks of pregnancy, lower abdominal pain is experienced by some women. For some women this pain is a simply a sign of uterus preparation. But if abdominal pain is accompanied with symptoms like fever, chills or spotting, there can be something serious.
 
Causes of normal abdominal pain during pregnancy:-
• False labor
• Stretching of ligaments
• Implantation of embryo in the lining of the uterus.
• Cramping can be a sign that labor is almost ready to begin.
• Normal abdominal pain may also be caused by gas pains and bloating caused by hormones that slow your digestion, the pressure of your growing uterus, constipation and heartburn.
 
Some serious causes of abdominal pain are:-
• Ectopic Pregnancy – In normal pregnancy, the eggs attach to a fallopian tube. But when a fertilized egg implants outside of a woman’s uterus, this condition is known as ectopic pregnancy. This condition should get be treated in first few weeks of pregnancy. If left untreated, it can be life threatening for the patient and may result in rupture of the fallopian tubes.
 
Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are spotting or bleeding, abdominal or pelvic pain and tenderness, back pain, shoulder pain, dizziness or faintness. If an ectopic pregnancy is suspected, the doctor should be contacted immediately.
 
• Miscarriage – The loss of pregnancy in the first 20 weeks is known as miscarriage. The first symptom can be spotting or bleeding accompanied with abdominal pain varying from few hours to a few days later. The spotting or bleeding may be light or heavy. Women can feel cramps or repetitive pain which can either be mild or sharp. While other women can experience back pain. If there any symptoms of spotting, heavy bleeding and cramping, contact your doctor immediately.
 
• Preterm Labor – Preterm Labor is also known as premature labor. If a women experience the stretching of uterus before 37 weeks of pregnancy with lower abdominal pain or cramping, this may be a sign of premature labor.
 
Preterm labor is usually described by regular abdominal contractions that start stretching and wearing away the cervix. The symptoms of preterm labor are increased vaginal discharge, vaginal spotting or bleeding, abdominal pain, low back pain and increased pressure in pelvic area. Be sure you contact your doctor immediately to rule out premature labor.
 
• Placental abruption – It is a life-threatening condition in which a woman’s placenta gets separated from uterus, either partially or completely before baby’s birth. The symptoms of placental abruption can sometimes cause sudden and obvious bleeding with uterine tenderness, back pain, or frequent contractions in the uterus and it can stay hard with a pain or contraction that doesn’t stops. There can be visible decrease in baby’s activity. Immediate medical attention is a must.
 
• Preeclampsia – It is a complex disorder of pregnancy which causes blood vessels variations and can affect a number of organs, including your liver, kidneys, brain, and the placenta. Symptoms of preeclampsia includes swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, more than slight swelling in your hands, and excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles.