Symptoms: cutting pains in the lower abdomen, accompanied by dark-colored blood discharge.
Depending on where the fertilized egg was implanted – in the right or left fallopian tube, in the ovary, liver, etc., – pain can occur in different parts of the abdomen. This condition is always a threat to the life of the mother due to the inevitable hemorrhage into the abdominal cavity.
The doctors’ actions: to establish pregnancy and determine the location of the ovum will allow an ultrasound of the uterus and a blood test for the presence of chorionic gonadotropin – a pregnancy hormone. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the only way out is to remove the ovum by laparoscopy.
Symptoms: periodic weak pulling pains in the lower abdomen, which do not cause severe discomfort and do not interfere with daily activities. Usually they are localized in the pubic area, but the lower back can also be sipped.
As the uterus gradually grows in size, the ligaments, with the help of which it is attached to the abdominal cavity, stretch, causing unpleasant sensations. The same thing happens with the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall, pelvic floor and perineum.
Actions of doctors: such sensations are more than natural and do not require treatment. So that the pain receded faster, you can lie down and get some rest, and so that you visit less often – choose comfortable postures and do gymnastics for the prevention of “stagnation” in muscles. However, under the same mask, sometimes hides the increased tone of the uterus, and he already threatens to terminate the pregnancy.
To rule out a serious risk, at the first symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor, and in the future – be regularly monitored by your obstetrician-gynecologist. Ultrasound examination of the uterus, vaginal examination and palpation of the abdomen help to reveal the increased tone of the uterus.
Symptoms: pain in the stomach, which can manifest itself in different ways: sometimes “pulls under the spoon”, sometimes there is a feeling of bloating or a feeling of overcrowding, sometimes the pain is cutting.
Most often, epigastric pain (epigastrium is an area of the abdominal cavity) occurs over long periods, after the 36th week. The most harmless reason is the pressure of the growing uterus on the stomach.
In this case, discomfort occurs when overeating and in the supine position. However, epigastric pain may indicate an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, gastric ulcer, biliary dyskinesia, etc.), and if it is accompanied by high blood pressure and edema, such a serious complication of pregnancy as gestosis is accompanied.
The doctors’ actions: in order to establish the exact cause of the ailment, consultation of the therapist, abdominal ultrasound, gastroscopy and other additional research may be required. Treatment will be assigned according to the results. With normal overeating, the doctor may recommend a diet and drugs that improve digestion.
If you have gestosis, you will need urgent hospitalization and special treatment.
Symptoms: cutting pains in the lower abdomen, bloody vaginal discharge, dizziness, bouts of sudden weakness.
This terrible complication of pregnancy can provoke injury, a fall, an excessive physical exertion, although it can also develop in a perfectly healthy woman. The risk increases with hypertension and preeclampsia.
Placental abruption is accompanied by rupture of the vessels that connect the placenta and the uterus, which leads to bleeding that represents a threat to the life of the mother and baby.
The doctors’ actions: the expectant mother will need urgent hospitalization. Treatment will depend on the area of the lesion and the strength of the bleeding.
With partial detachment, doctors usually prescribe a strict bed rest, haemostatic drugs and antispasmodics. In more severe situations, an emergency caesarean section may be required.
Symptoms: nagging pains of varying intensity, more often in the central part of the abdomen, although the entire abdomen and sometimes the back can hurt. Unpleasant sensations, as a rule, arise against the background of blood discharge from the vagina.
Actions of doctors: Ultrasonography of a uterus and vaginal research will help to put an exact diagnosis. If it is necessary to relieve pain, the doctors will use antispasmodics, stop the bleeding with hemostatic preparations, and relax the muscles of the uterus with a solution of magnesium sulfate.
In some cases, hormone therapy may be required. Usually, the expectant mother passes the first stage of treatment in the hospital, where the necessary medications are injected intravenously with a drip, and the second – at home, when she takes the same medicines in the form of tablets.
To guarantee a happy outcome is impossible, but doctors will do everything possible to save the pregnancy.
Symptoms: abdominal pain, bloating, increased gas formation, constipation.
Colitis (inflammation of the large intestine) bothers many expectant mothers. Under the influence of pregnancy hormones, the intestinal muscles relax, the movement of digested food to the exit slows down, which causes constipation, flatulence and pain.
The doctors’ actions: constipation should be treated, as they pose a serious threat. If the expectant mother will actively push, the tone of the uterus can increase, and then there will be a risk of miscarriage. Sparing laxatives (including textbook prunes), a diet (avoiding spicy, fried, fatty and including vegetables and fruits – foods rich in fiber) and probiotics will help solve the problem.
Symptoms: mild abdominal pain (often in the side) or groin area.
This disease affects women who underwent any abdominal surgery before pregnancy. After the operation, as a result of healing processes on the peritoneum (a thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and envelops the organs in it), new areas can form – adhesions that connect different organs of the abdominal cavity.
Thus, the uterus may be “welded” to the intestine, ovary, walls of the abdominal cavity, etc. As the uterus grows in size, these adhesions stretch, which causes unpleasant sensations.
The doctors’ actions: a case history helps to suspect the presence of adhesions, where all operations performed by the future mother are noted, and an ultrasound scan of the abdominal cavity. Sometimes to solve a problem (for example, if adhesive intestinal obstruction develops), the help of a surgeon is required, but in most cases one has to accept these symptoms.
Symptoms: abdominal pain, frequent urination, pain during urination, back pain.
Such problems may indicate urolithiasis and pyelonephritis, but the most common cause is exacerbation of chronic cystitis. Under the influence of hormones in pregnant women often change the acidity (pH level) in the vagina, because of which its microflora is disturbed. Harmful bacteria in such an environment begin to multiply actively.
Since anatomically the vagina and the urethra are close to each other, inflammation of the bladder begins, i.e., cystitis. In addition, the load on the kidneys increases during pregnancy, so they are also hit.
Doctors’ actions: analysis of urine, ultrasound of the bladder and kidneys will help dispel doubts. Treat acute urinary tract infections with antibiotics. It is impossible to refuse them, otherwise the kidneys can fail.
However, at first, the expectant mother will be offered more benign methods: diuretic teas, herbal medicines, and abundant drinking.
