What Are the Causes of Pain When Pregnant?

During early pregnancy, expectant mothers often experience headaches such as early pregnancy reactions, burning stomach pain, pain behind the sternum or upper abdomen, and tingling breasts.

Pain during pregnancy

Pain during pregnancy

During early pregnancy, expectant mothers often experience headaches such as early pregnancy reactions, burning stomach pain, pain behind the sternum or upper abdomen, and tingling breasts.

headache

Some women may experience headaches early in pregnancy, which is a common early pregnancy reaction.

Quick treatment: taking some medicines under the guidance of a doctor can quickly relieve pain. Putting a hot towel on your head can also be effective for headaches. To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of water during the day and get at least six to seven hours of sleep each night. If your headache is severe and you are accompanied by dizziness, you should see a doctor immediately.

Burns in the epigastric region

As the uterus grows larger, expectant mothers' stomachs become more stressed, and hormones relax the muscles that isolate the esophagus and stomach, causing stomach acid to easily swell upwards and a burning sensation in the chest. In order to alleviate stomach pain, doctors usually recommend that expectant mothers eat fewer meals, eat less hot and sour foods, and do not lie down for half an hour after a meal (seat as much as possible so that stomach acid will not go up). If you have frequent stomach pains at night, ask your doctor to prescribe some antacids for you to take before bedtime.

Swelling and tingling breasts

Since the breasts begin to enlarge from early pregnancy, and the congestion is obvious, expectant mothers will feel the breasts swell and sting. So as the gestational week increases, choosing the right bra can reduce this feeling.

Early threatened abortion and ectopic pregnancy can cause severe abdominal pain, and threatened abortion can be accompanied by vaginal bleeding. Prospective mothers must go to the hospital immediately if they have unexplained abdomen pain that cannot be relieved, or even vaginal bleeding.

Pain during pregnancy

During the second trimester, expectant mothers often experience round ligament traction, leg pain, and irregular painless contractions of the uterus.

Circular ligament pain

After the second trimester of pregnancy, as the uterus rapidly increases from month to month, the ligaments around the uterus change from their original relaxed state to a tense state, especially the pair of round ligaments located on the anterior side of the uterus, which may cause traction and pain due to excessive stretching. But the pain will not be too severe, only a slight throbbing. This condition does not require special treatment, just pay attention to rest.

Leg pain, cramps

In the second trimester of pregnancy, the lower leg and thigh of the expectant mother may experience pain, similar to sciatica. If the expectant mother also suffers from lower extremity varicose veins, the pain will be more severe.

Quick cure: Bend the soles of the feet to relax the muscles-try to stretch your heels forward while recycling your feet. Massaging your muscles with your fingers can also help, or walking out of bed can eliminate cramps. Doing more physical exercise during the day can improve blood circulation and you should drink plenty of water (dehydration can also exacerbate leg cramps). If cramps occur frequently, your doctor will recommend that you take some calcium supplements.

Irregular and painless contraction of the uterus

Since the 12th week of pregnancy, the uterus has irregular and painless contractions, which can be felt during abdominal examinations, and sometimes also by expectant mothers. Expectant mothers will feel the abdomen stiff, but no pain. This situation need not be stressful, just pay attention to proper rest.

If the expectant mother has unexplained abdomen pain and even vaginal bleeding, it may be caused by late threatened abortion. The expectant mother must go to the hospital immediately.

Pain during pregnancy

Pubic symphysis

In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, some expectant mothers will feel inexplicable pain in the pubic bone and have a feeling of traction. When going up the stairs, the pain is more obvious. Expectant mothers have a wider pubic space than when they are not pregnant, which is an increasing physiological need of the fetus. After the pregnant woman gives birth, the widened space between the pubic bones gradually returns to its original position. The pain caused by pubic symphysis separation in pregnant women can be tolerated by most people. If the pubic bone is severely staggered, causing severe ligament strain and edema when severe separation occurs, making walking difficult, the expectant mother must rest in bed.

Vulvar pain

Some expectant mothers will feel the vulva swell in the middle and late pregnancy, and at the same time, the local skin will be red, and there will be severe pain in the vulva when walking. This phenomenon is clinically referred to as "varicose veins". The main prevention of varicose veins is to avoid standing for a long time in the second trimester; avoid wearing tight pants and shoes and socks; do not approach the heat source or bathe with hot water. If vulvar varicose veins have occurred, expectant mothers can perform a local cold compress, or take a cold bath with cold water to shrink the varicose veins in the vulva. Applying zinc oxide ointment topically and spraying some talcum powder can also help varicose veins to constrict.

Sciatica

With the continuous development of the fetus, the weight of the fetus will put pressure on the mother's back and squeeze the sciatic nerve, so that the mother will have a strong tingling from the waist to the leg.

The main ways to improve sciatica are:

Pay attention to choosing a comfortable position and sleeping position in daily life to reduce this pain;

Lie on your left side while sleeping and place a pillow between your legs and knees to increase blood flow to the uterus;

Do not stand or sit in the same posture for more than half an hour during the day;

Try not to lift heavy objects over your head;

Swimming can help reduce stress on the sciatic nerve.

lumbago

In the third trimester, as the uterus grows larger, the mother's center of gravity gradually moves forward. To keep the center of gravity balanced while standing or walking, the mother must tilt her shoulders and head back to form a kind of peculiar to pregnant women. Push your chest out. This posture easily causes excessive lordosis of the lumbar spine, which can cause spinal pain. This kind of low back pain is a normal physiological phenomenon, there is no danger, as long as you pay proper attention to rest and avoid standing or walking for a long time. However, there is a kind of low back pain that must be taken seriously. It is mainly manifested as pain in the lower right abdomen and radiation to the right thigh. This is actually a pregnancy complication called "ovarian vein syndrome". Once this complication occurs, you should go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.

Contractions in labor

At the time of delivery, the expectant mother's lower abdomen will have a slight pain. At this time, the expectant mother does not need to be nervous and must start preparing for labor. When there is a regular and increasing contraction pain, expectant mothers should go to the hospital for delivery and welcome the baby's safety!