Pain during pregnancy

During pregnancy, pain may occur in different parts of the body.

In some cases, they are similar to menstrual pain during the normal cycle:

• headache,
• abdominal cramps,
• Abdominal pain, etc.

Headache in pregnancy

Headaches often occur during pregnancy.
Before taking a drug against it, the doctor must be asked whether it is sure that the child will not be harmed.

Instead of the drug, sedative techniques can help.
Headache may be a sign of preeclampsia or gestosis (high blood pressure during pregnancy).
If the pain worsens and does not pass after taking paracetamol, especially towards the end of pregnancy, the doctor must be informed about this.

Numbness and tingling during pregnancy

As the uterus grows, it can press on nerves in the legs.
This can lead to numbness and tingling in legs and feet.
This is normal and passes after delivery (it may take another two weeks or a few months).
You may also feel numbness and tingling in your fingers.
The tingling sensation in the hands can also be a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome induced by pregnancy.
Often you can feel it:

• at night
• upon awakening.

If the woman has complaints, she can put on a bandage during the night.

Back pain during pregnancy

Low back pain is quite common in pregnancy. Some women do not manage to get out of bed during the last few months.
Lower back pain can occur between the fifth and sixth months and last for weeks and months.
Low back pain can be mild or very severe, even if it is muscular.
The possible pain zone is:

• in the center of the back,
• on the right,
• on the left.

To avoid or reduce lumbar and sacrum pain, one should:

• adopt a correct posture against back pain;
• do not wear shoes that are too flat or too high;
• sleep on your side and put a pillow between your legs;
• Sit on a chair with good support.
• Do not stand too long.
• bend your knees when picking up objects.
• Do not lift heavy objects.
• Treat the painful areas of the back hot.
• massage the painful areas of the back.
• Perform exercises recommended by the doctor.

Pain in the legs during pregnancy

The increase in body weight during pregnancy can cause muscle pain in the legs, especially with upcoming twin births.
The body produces hormones (progesterone and relaxin) that loosen the ligaments in the body and prepare them for childbirth. The loosened ligaments can easily injure yourself, most commonly on the back. That is why it is important to be careful when lifting heavy objects and performing exercises.
Cramps on the legs are common in the last months of pregnancy and are mainly caused by:

• slowed blood circulation,
• poor nutrition.

It is important not to stretch muscles during the cramps, because this could lead to sudden knee-jerk exacerbation of the contracture.
It is recommended:

• positioning of the leg in the opposite direction of strain,
• Massage of the muscle.

Pay attention if pain and swelling affect only one leg and not the other.
This may be a sign of a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis).

Pain of the rotundum ligament during pregnancy

Sometimes the stomach hurts. Is this normal?
Yes. Abdominal pain is normal because the abdomen dilates as the uterus stretches.

Hormones alter the muscles and ligaments (connective tissue) that support the uterus to make them softer and smoother.
This causes pain at the level of the abdomen, which is called maternal ligament pain.

Presumably, one feels a pain when:

• you get out of bed or get up from a chair,
• one coughs,
• goes to the toilet.

The pain is also felt when the child’s head moves in the last months of pregnancy.
It is believed that the pain is more common in subsequent pregnancies because the pelvic floor muscles have lost tone and suffer more from the pressure of the uterus.

Dysfunction of the pelvic symphysis

With dysfunction of the pelvic symphysis (or pubalgia in pregnancy), pain manifests itself in the pelvic and groin. The pain may be concentrated in the gluteal muscles or pull down along the leg. That is why it is often confused with sciatica pain.
The pelvic symphysis is a joint connection located between the abdominal muscles and the genital organs.
The dysfunction of the pelvic symphysis becomes worse in:

• Go
• Stairs
• Change of sleeping position.

It can also cause discomfort in the evening and at night, but that depends on the activities of the previous day.
This pain is more common from the sixth month and towards the end of pregnancy than in the first months.
The pain can vary from mild to severe, the patient may need help getting up.

Causes of pelvic symphysis dysfunction
Various factors can lead to dysfunction of the pelvic symphysis.

• The pelvic joints are stabilized by ligaments and move only slightly.
  During pregnancy, however, ligaments become more flexible and stretch more easily. Thus, the joints move more.
  The result is instability of the pelvis.
• In addition, postural changes caused by the expansion of the abdomen can lead to increased mobility of the joints against each other.

This is an additional burden on the joints.
The consequences are:

• inflammation of the joints,
• Complaints
• Ache.

What can be done?

• A pregnancy bandage may be recommended, which often provides immediate relief from the symptoms.
• One can ask the physiotherapist to show the best ways to practice everyday activities to avoid pain, for example, how to get out of bed.

Recommended exercises include:

• to strengthen the abdominal muscles,
• the exercises according to Kegel,
• prenatal water aerobics.

Preventive measures are:

• refrain from pain-causing activities,
• avoid heavy lifting,
• do not shift the weight to one leg when standing,
• sleep on the left side, with a pillow between your legs,
• keep moving,
• observe sufficient rest periods.

When does pain need to worry in the first trimester?

Usually, in the first months of pregnancy, mild pain does not have to worry about.
As a rule, the following also occur:

• Fullness
• chest pain and swelling,
• mild pain or cramps in the abdomen,
• slight discharge.

These symptoms are physiological and caused by the hormonal change and implantation of the embryo.

However, if other symptoms occur, it may be necessary to consult a doctor.

Those who have a backward tilt of the uterus do not suffer more than other women, because in fact, after the third month of pregnancy, the weight of the child usually causes a forward position of the uterus and thus it returns to its natural position.

If the uterus remains tilted backwards, complications may occur, such as urinary retention

Early spontaneous abortion Unfortunately, early spontaneous abortion
often occurs in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
There are many possible causes of miscarriage:

• In connection with the embryo: the child has not developed correctly.
• In conjunction with the mother, including:
  • Diseases (e.g. diabetes, thyroid disorders, fibromatosis of the uterus)
  • Nicotine addiction
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Exposure to toxic substances (benzene, formaldehyde, etc.)

One notices:

• Cramps
• bleeding,
• Pain in the lower abdomen.

Ectopic pregnancy
An extrauterine pregnancy develops outside the uterus.
Unfortunately, such a pregnancy cannot be carried to term and could put the woman’s life in danger.
This is a serious disorder that requires immediate therapy.
More than one percent of pregnancies in Europe are extrauterine pregnancies.

At the beginning, the following may occur:

• nausea,
• Stomach ache.

Later, the symptoms are similar to those of a miscarriage:

• Painful cramps with numbness, which usually begins on one side and spreads in the abdomen.
• Dark and watery blood.
• Pain as with renal or intestinal colic.

As a rule, this happens between the fourth/fifth and tenth week of pregnancy.

When must abdominal pain worry in the second trimester?

Abdominal pain in the second trimester of pregnancy does not have to worry.

Between the 12th and 24th week of pregnancy, the probability of late spontaneous abortion is low (1%).

You have to keep in mind that a late abortion is much less common than an early abortion.

In case of late abortion, the following occur:

• intense and repeated, contraction-like spasms,
• severe blood loss.

If discharge or vaginal bleeding is observed, the doctor or midwife must be notified.

When to worry about abdominal pain in the third trimester?

From the third trimester, abdominal pain can be the symptom of premature birth.

In case of premature birth:

• pain in the pelvic area or lower abdomen,
• Backache
• regular and increasingly frequent successive abdominal cramps,
• Diarrhoea.

The following may occur:

• amniotic sac rupture,
• regular contraction,
• Uterine opening even without pain.

This can happen at any time between the 24th and 37th week of pregnancy.

Convulsions after the 37th week may indicate that the first stage of childbirth is initiated.
One may also feel continued back pain caused by the increasing pressure on the pelvis.

Therapy and natural remedies for pain during pregnancy

Natural nutrition and diet

During pregnancy, a healthy diet is essential because it can help prevent:

• Complications
• Inflammations
• Overweight
• Hypertension
• Headache

There are two types of natural nutrition that can prevent health problems:

• Vegan diet/raw food – according to this nutritional theory, it is fundamental to eat only foods of plant origin and to avoid transformed, preserved foods and grains.
  Many people think that a vegan diet does not contain protein, but legumes and nuts (walnuts, peanuts, almonds, etc.) are rich in protein.
• Blood type diet, which is similar to the Stone Age diet (Paleo diet), because it allows the consumption of natural and naturally occurring foods. They are foods that man already ate in the Stone Age, until the birth of the food industry.

Exercises
Regular physical activity can shorten labor and speed up postnatal recovery.

Maintaining basic fitness is good, but pregnancy is not the appropriate time to aim for intense exercise or weight loss.

Light exercises compensate for the hormonal changes that weaken the joints.
During pregnancy, the body secretes relaxin, which favors the stretching of the birth canal. But it also causes an overelasticity of all other joints.

Recommended are strengthening exercises that stabilize the joints and prevent muscle strains.
Aerobic exercises help burn fats and limit weight gain to 10-15 kg.

After the first trimester, it is not recommended to strain the abdominal muscles when getting out of bed, especially not in women who have to fear the risk of premature birth.
It is better to lie down on one side before getting up.

Natural remedies to relieve abdominal pain

Sit down and rest
Comfortable relaxation should help.
If the sitting position aggravates the pain, you can try a resting position on your hands and feet (four-legged) or lying on your back.

The movement from sitting to standing should be slow and gentle.
Slow elevation gives the muscles time to adapt to the change of position.

Sometimes a bandage or an elastic abdominal bandage specially designed for pregnancy can help.
A pregnancy bandage carries part of the child’s weight and relieves the abdominal muscles.
Midwife and physiotherapist can give useful advice.

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