Pain in the legs and back occurs in more than half of pregnant women; you should always pay attention to this and inform your doctor in time.
The causes of painful sensations are different: some speak of relative ill-being and may well go away from taking medications, the right combination of diet and rest, while others are the result of significant disorders. Is it possible to completely get rid of pain?
Pain and aches in the legs during pregnancy sometimes occur literally from the first days, continuing until childbirth. In the early stages, the legs hurt due to hormonal changes in the body: preparations are underway for gestation and childbirth. After conception, a woman’s body begins to produce large amounts of the female sex hormone progesterone.
Under the influence of progesterone, the following changes occur:
Increased swelling, weight gain, combined with weakening of the muscular-ligamentous apparatus during pregnancy leads to increased load on the spine, bones and joints of the legs, which is the main cause of discomfort in the limbs, pain in the groin, and back. The intensity of pain in both legs (right and left) is approximately the same. Many women ask why their muscles hurt so much? The answer is obvious - due to increased load.
In addition, in early pregnancy, aches, heaviness and pain occur due to venous insufficiency (varicose veins). Progesterone enhances blood clotting abilities.
This is a physiological reaction in preparation for childbirth, during which heavy blood loss is possible. An increase in the level of progesterone in the blood in pregnant women contributes to increased formation of blood clots in small veins. Therefore, during pregnancy, some women develop branches of blue veins on their legs, and their calves begin to ache. These symptoms are especially pronounced during sleep.
If pregnant women have a hereditary predisposition to varicose veins, the symptoms become obvious during pregnancy. One of the symptoms of varicose veins is cramps, with the leg hurting most often in the calf area on one side.
Another feature of progesterone is its ability to cause depression. Many women develop low moods early on, which makes them even more sensitive to discomfort and pain.
Depression is a medically recognized sign of pregnancy; it goes away by the second trimester (the body adapts to the increased amount of progesterone). After this, the woman’s mood and general condition improves, she literally blossoms.
In the later stages (especially after 37 weeks), the legs begin to hurt for the following reasons:
All these processes can be enhanced by iron deficiency anemia. With this disease, the amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells, a substance that contains iron and delivers oxygen to tissues, sharply decreases.
Why does anemia often develop during pregnancy? The answer is simple: iron is used to build fetal tissue. Why do painful symptoms appear with anemia? Oxygen starvation of tissues leads to metabolic disorders and increased protein destruction: muscles, ligaments of the arms and legs become even weaker.
Pain in the limbs can intensify due to exacerbation of diseases that a woman had before conception: osteochondrosis, osteoarthritis, varicose veins, flat feet, etc. On
At the 38th week of pregnancy, the stomach drops, the fetus begins to put more pressure on the lower abdomen, squeezing nerves, blood vessels, and loading the lower back. Symptoms are especially pronounced at 39 weeks, when the body of most women is preparing for childbirth.
In the first weeks after conception, pain in the limbs is associated with tissue swelling. What to do, how to relieve discomfort? If symptoms are severe, swelling must be eliminated. This can be done through proper nutrition.
Regardless of the cause of painful symptoms, symptoms can be reduced by properly distributing the load.
To do this, you need to properly combine rest with physical activity, observing the following rules:
In the later stages, the legs hurt due to increased stress on the joints and stagnation of blood in the veins. To reduce painful manifestations, you need to follow the same rules as in the first weeks.
Important: any medications can only be taken as prescribed by a doctor!
Comment from a specialist in this video:
In folk medicine there are many remedies for this. Taking folk remedies must be agreed with your doctor!
Here are some effective folk remedies:
Important: hot foot baths are strictly contraindicated during pregnancy, especially in the last weeks; moreover, with varicose veins, they can provoke the development of cramps;
Pain in the limbs can intensify during gestosis - toxicosis, fraught with serious complications. The disease is accompanied by edema, increased blood pressure, and damage to the kidneys and brain. In the early stages of gestosis, swelling and intoxication cause severe pain in the legs.
You should immediately consult a doctor if the pain is combined with:
Pain in the thigh during pregnancy can also sharply intensify with symphysitis - inflammation of the symphysis pubis, which develops when it is excessively (over 0.5 cm) stretched. Symphysitis is dangerous due to rupture of the symphysis pubis at 37–39 weeks.
You should consult a doctor if the following symptoms appear:
When planning a pregnancy, a woman must undergo a full examination, identify and treat all existing diseases, and replenish the deficiency of essential minerals and vitamins.
Physical training of the body, engaging in feasible sports, proper nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle are of great importance. Getting a good night's sleep is especially important when carrying a child. It is imperative to get rid of bad habits - drinking alcohol and smoking - both of which contribute to stable spasm of blood vessels, deterioration of tissue nutrition and metabolic disorders, which cannot but affect the condition of the musculoskeletal system.
Immediately after conception you need to:
Painful sensations in the limbs are common, but in most cases harmless. They can be eliminated or reduced to a minimum with proper nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and following all the recommendations of the antenatal clinic doctor.
It is very important for a woman to be attentive to her health, because the health of the baby depends on it. If any new unknown symptoms appear, it is better to consult a doctor immediately. After the end of pregnancy, all unpleasant sensations go away on their own.
If the ovaries hurt during early pregnancy, then, as a rule, there is no reason to worry. Usually the discomfort is bothersome for harmless reasons. However, this symptom should not be ignored. It's better to tell your gynecologist about it.
In the first weeks of pregnancy, pain in the appendages of a physiological nature is observed. They are not dangerous and occur for the following reasons:
Discomfort in the ovaries in the first weeks of pregnancy also occurs for pathological reasons, which will be discussed below.
Cutting, stabbing and other sharp pains in the appendage area are a consequence of ectopic fertilization. If the left ovary hurts during pregnancy, this may indicate the localization of the fertilized egg. If the embryo is abnormally localized, other symptoms occur (for example, full-blown bleeding). This clinical picture is caused by the attachment of the embryo to another organ. Intense fetal growth leads to tube rupture and bleeding. By identifying the pathology in the early stages, serious harm to the patient’s health can often be avoided.
This pathology causes pain in the lower abdomen or lower back. It occurs in women of reproductive age. Inflammation is acute or chronic. The latter form occurs with periods of remissions and exacerbations, which often occur in the early stages of pregnancy. During the gestational period, the use of most antibiotics is impossible, therefore, to prevent the disease, you need to undergo regular examinations by a gynecologist.
The inflammatory process can be triggered by hypothermia, as well as protozoa, fungi, viruses, etc. Sexual transmission of the pathogen is possible. The symptoms of the pathology are similar to the clinical picture of other diseases, so if in the early stages the appendages twitch, it is best to consult a doctor, especially since a chronic process that existed previously may worsen against the background of decreased immunity.
If all possible pathologies are excluded, and the pain in the appendage does not go away, then perhaps it is of a psychogenic nature. This means that the unpleasant symptom arose against the background of depression, hysteria, and hypochondriacal neurosis. Due to hormonal changes, pregnant women are susceptible to these diseases.
Ultrasound image. Simultaneous presence of a cyst, fertilized egg and embryo. Click to enlarge
Pain in the abdomen in the first weeks of pregnancy is observed due to inflammation of the genitourinary tract. At the discretion of the doctor, treatment is carried out on an outpatient or inpatient basis.
Pain in the right or left ovary during early pregnancy may be due to the following reasons:
In the first week of pregnancy, as at any stage, an epididymal cyst often provokes intense and prolonged pain. However, this occurs only when the tumor reaches a large size. Sharp pain may be caused by rupture of the cyst and entry of its contents into the peritoneum. In this case, the following symptoms are observed: fever, vomiting, nausea and other symptoms.
If the pedicle of the cyst is torsed at the beginning of pregnancy, severe pain and other dangerous symptoms occur. This condition, as well as rupture of the formation, requires urgent medical care for the patient, since the consequences can be life-threatening.
Only a gynecologist can find the cause of pain. You shouldn’t leave things to chance if your right ovary is straining in the early stages of pregnancy (or your left one).
To determine the nature of the symptom, you need to go through:
You should immediately consult a doctor if:
If the discomfort is caused by harmless reasons, then you can use methods to relieve pain:
During gestation, walks in the fresh air, reasonable physical activity and the use of vitamins are useful. If suspicious symptoms appear, it is recommended to see a gynecologist.
In the early stages it is very difficult to detect pregnancy. Only a small percentage of women in the first weeks after fertilization feel the characteristic signs of pregnancy - changes in the mammary glands, sensitivity to odors, and others. Therefore, when the ovaries hurt during early pregnancy, you can miss important signals from the body, attributing them to premenstrual syndrome.
The main cause of pain in the female reproductive glands is considered to be an inflammatory process that is localized in the pelvic area. Since when pregnancy occurs, the uterus and appendages rise, changing its natural position, pain occurs in other organs, which not all women think about. Pain is typical for:
Kidney diseases are manifested by stretching in the lumbar and lower abdomen. As a preventive measure, it is necessary to undergo regular examinations. Knowing why pain in the pelvic organs occurs, you can calmly treat it and seek medical help in a timely manner.
Raising the uterus and ovaries promotes stretching and tension of the supporting ligaments and abdominal muscles, which also causes discomfort and nagging pain in the pelvic area and sacrum.
In rare cases, the only reason why a pregnant woman feels unwell is her psychological attitude. You should not attach unjustifiably great importance to this period; it is better to calmly bear and give birth to a healthy baby than to engage in self-hypnosis and think about how to get rid of imaginary pain.
Inflammation in the ovaries is considered a common gynecological disease. During pregnancy, all diseases, especially in chronic form, become aggravated and make themselves felt. Carrying out treatment while carrying a baby is quite difficult, since the use of antibacterial agents negatively affects the development of the fetus.
That is why it is necessary, even during pregnancy planning, to undergo a full examination and eliminate all infections and diseases. The inflammatory process in the uterine appendages develops against the background of a common cold or sexually transmitted infections.
Pathological pain localized in the area of the uterine appendages indicates an exacerbation of inflammatory and chronic diseases. Against the background of decreased immunity, a pregnant woman is susceptible to any viruses and infections.
The right and left ovary and lumbar region may hurt due to inflammation of the bladder. After diagnosing such a pathology, a pregnant woman must be constantly under the supervision of doctors.
Implantation of an egg into the wall of the uterus is often accompanied by nagging pain in the lower abdomen. The next wave of discomfort in the ovarian area occurs during the rise and growth of the uterus, as a result of which the skin, muscles and ligaments are stretched.
When lying on your side, pain is felt in one of the ovaries. For example, lying on the right side, the left ovary will hurt, but not the ovary itself, but the ligament that supports it, since it will greatly stretch and strain, holding the uterus and appendages in the required position. The pain is typical for sudden movements and turning, and is very rare at rest.
IVF requires stimulation of the ovaries, which results in pain and discomfort. If a woman is diagnosed with polycystic disease before pregnancy, the symptom is more likely to appear.
If the pain is constant and very disturbing, this may indicate a threat of miscarriage, fading pregnancy, or exacerbation of chronic gynecological diseases. If suspicious signs appear, it is recommended to consult your doctor.
Severe discomfort in the lower abdomen along with pathological discharge is characteristic of an ectopic pregnancy. When the fertilized egg attaches to the fallopian tube or cervix, the pregnancy cannot develop normally.
As the embryo grows, it ruptures the fallopian tube, causing severe pain and bleeding. If in the first days after the implantation of the fertilized egg the stomach feels tight and spotting is present, then already at 3-4 weeks acute pain appears in the area of the appendages, which occurs when the fallopian tube is stretched or ruptured.
If an ectopic pregnancy occurs, it must be terminated at the earliest possible stage. This will prevent serious consequences and complications, such as infertility, inflammation, and gynecological diseases.
Unpleasant sensations in the ovarian area that appear in the third trimester are not dangerous for a woman. Most likely, they indicate the body’s preparation for labor and the movement of the child through the birth canal.
In recent weeks, the hormone relaxin is produced - it helps to relax cartilage tissue and ligaments, facilitating the separation of the pelvic bones. These processes cause pain in the lower abdomen, which feels similar to pain in the ovaries.
In the later stages, it is better to treat nagging pain with caution. In rare cases, it indicates the onset of premature birth or placental abruption. But these pathologies are accompanied by additional symptoms, in particular bleeding.
Only a specialist can determine the cause of discomfort in the lower abdomen. The following symptoms require urgent medical consultation:
If, after examination, no pathologies were identified in the pregnant woman, you can cope with the pain syndrome in the following ways:
To avoid pain in the pelvic area, you should avoid foods that increase gas formation in the intestines. A pregnant woman needs to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits and avoid junk food.
For physical activity, it is optimal to choose swimming and yoga for pregnant women. Sport improves body tone, thanks to this, ligaments and muscles are strengthened, and the body can more easily tolerate the rapid growth of the embryo and uterus.
The reason for unreasonable panic in pregnant women is the lack of knowledge why pain in the appendages may appear in the early stages. But even after understanding the possible causes, you should not self-medicate. Only a doctor who has the necessary examination results can make a correct diagnosis.
Pregnancy is a joyful and solemn event in the life of every woman. Therefore, throughout its entire length, the expectant mother must monitor her condition and well-being. A woman’s body is designed in such a way that it can send signals associated with fetal pathologies in advance. You need to understand such signals and take timely measures to eliminate them.
Particular attention should be paid to the initial trimester of pregnancy. It lasts for the first 12 weeks . There is no woman who could boast that throughout her pregnancy she did not experience unpleasant and uncomfortable sensations.
During the growth of the fetus, significant changes occur in a woman’s body and pain in the back and lower back is the first sign of this. Displacement of the pelvic organs and stretching of muscle ligaments cause nagging pain in the lower back.
Here you will find the answer to the question: Why does the lower back pull?
Pain in the back and lower back is common. This is due to the fact that during the period of fetal development, the weight of the expectant mother increases and the main load falls entirely on the back muscles. Only in isolated cases, back pain can indicate a threat of miscarriage or childbirth ahead of schedule. If your back hurts, which doctor should you go to? — read the answer to the question here.
There are many reasons for the discomfort:
In addition to the first and familiar signs of pregnancy, such as nausea or increased appetite, drowsiness, pain in the lumbar region is added to them.
It is expressed in aching and pulling sensations that arise from the fact that a woman’s uterus quickly stretches and increases in size so that the developing fetus is comfortable and cozy. In this regard, stretching and changes in the uterine ligaments are observed, which cause various pains, covering not only the lumbar region, but also the abdomen.
Lumbar pain in the early stages of pregnancy will be observed throughout the entire first trimester, causing the expectant mother additional discomfort.
There are many causes of back and lower back pain:
In addition to the above reasons, the following are also observed:
In order for back pain to make itself felt as little as possible, it is necessary to eliminate provoking factors that cause discomfort:
If, despite all the measures taken, the pain continues, then you should visit a gynecologist and undergo the necessary examination and tests. The causes of pain can be various diseases and it is advisable to identify them at the very beginning of pregnancy.
You can do simple physical exercises that strengthen your back muscles, but only when there is no pain. It is very useful to do swimming or aerobics.
In order for your pregnancy to proceed as calmly as possible, you need to carefully monitor your health and try to exclude some points:
The first trimester is considered the most critical period of pregnancy. It is distinguished by the transience of changes in events associated with the development of the fetus. At the same time, you need to know that physiological processes in the body can cause nagging and aching pain in the lower back and abdomen.
According to statistics, more than half of pregnant women suffer from constant pain in the lumbar region.
If preventive methods do not bring the desired result, it is necessary to proceed with direct treatment. It must occur under the mandatory supervision of the attending physician.
The use of medications for any purpose can cause irreparable damage to the health of not only the mother, but also the unborn baby.
To reduce pain, you can start some exercises, it’s better to start with minimal loads:
As for taking medications, they should be taken under the strict supervision of a doctor, especially if it is associated with kidney disease.
To relieve pain in the lumbar region, it is recommended to use compresses that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects:
Strengthening the muscles of the spine during pregnancy is facilitated, first of all, by frequent walking . This tones the muscles of the legs, buttocks and back, eliminates the manifestation of varicose veins and the development of hemorrhoids.
If pain occurs predominantly on one side, then this may indicate kidney disease . Swelling and pain occur during urination. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor, because this threatens kidney failure.
There are times when pain indicates signs of a threatened miscarriage. In this case, you need to be very careful: if your stomach hurts a lot and even slight bleeding occurs, you need to urgently visit a doctor or call emergency doctors for hospitalization.
Basically, pain in the back and spine is considered normal during pregnancy . In any case, when a woman becomes pregnant, she needs to visit a gynecologist and register with him as early as possible.
Observation by a specialist and following all his recommendations will help you avoid many problems that may arise while you are expecting a child.
During pregnancy, a woman may experience a number of new sensations. Such sensations are not always pleasant. Very often, a pregnant woman experiences pain in different parts of the body. One of the possible reactions is when the ovaries hurt during pregnancy. In general, this is a fairly common phenomenon. Typically, this condition does not pose any potential danger to the expectant mother. Although, in some cases, it may indicate inflammation of the ovaries. Then you will need immediate help from your doctor.
First you need to understand the physiology of the body. Most often, the ovaries hurt during early pregnancy. The fact is that after your baby is conceived, the ovaries move upward. This is due to the fact that while the child is pregnant, they stop performing their usual functions. More precisely, they do not function at all in the same way. Having changed their original location, the ovaries cannot hurt in the same place. Most likely, these symptoms are caused by other reasons.
Most often, pain, reminiscent of nagging pain in the ovaries, is localized simultaneously on both sides of the abdomen, namely in the ligaments that hold the uterus. As your pregnancy progresses, the uterus grows in size and tension occurs in the ligaments. This is what leads to unpleasant pain. The nature of this pain resembles pain like during menstruation. Don't worry, this is a temporary phenomenon and is absolutely not dangerous.
Often, pregnant women may simply confuse pain in the ovaries with pain associated with other causes. So, pain in this particular area can be caused by disruption of other organs, and occurs with constipation, urinary tract diseases, malfunction of the gallbladder, or inflammation of the appendix.
But sometimes it happens that it is the ovaries, or one of them, that can really hurt. The reason for this may be inflammatory processes that arose even before conception. Such inflammation can be located either in the ovaries themselves or in their appendages. The situation is dangerous due to complications in the form of premature birth and miscarriage. This means that it requires immediate assistance from a specialist. Therefore, if you notice problems with your ovaries even before pregnancy, it is better to undergo treatment before conception. Drug therapy for ovarian diseases during pregnancy can harm the fetus.
An even more unfavorable situation is when a cyst has formed on the ovaries. It may become twisted and undesirable consequences may occur. Although in itself, the cyst does not pose a threat.
Be sure to seek help from a doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Sometimes, pain in the ovarian area can be psychological in nature. Try to objectively assess what is happening, pull yourself together. After all, most likely, new sensations for you, albeit painful ones, are associated precisely with the onset of pregnancy. If you are an emotionally unstable and suspicious person, you can instill in yourself various kinds of ailments that do not have a physiological basis. Therefore, it is very important not to panic once again and remain calm and optimistic.
If the ovary is pulled during early pregnancy, this may be closely related to the process of fertilization of the egg, when during the implantation period the stage of attachment of the egg to the uterus passes. The next period of possible pain occurs a little later, when stretching occurs in the ligaments, skin and muscles due to the rapidly increasing size of the uterus and raising it upward. Most often, such pain catches you during body movements. Namely, when lifting, bending, and various kinds of turns of the body. Although unpleasant sensations can be provoked at rest. And also, when lying on either side for a long time, pain may occur due to the descent of the uterus and simultaneous tension of the ligaments.
A fairly common situation is when women complain of a sore ovary after IVF. This reaction does not go beyond the normal range and is standard during ovarian stimulation. Pain after IVF is more likely to occur if a woman has polycystic ovaries. To ensure your safety, you and your baby should describe the nature of the pain and its intensity to your doctor.
Pain in the ovary may be accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms. One of the reasons for such ailments may be the attachment of the fertilized egg in a place not intended for this. In other words, this is called an ectopic pregnancy. It is known that such a pregnancy cannot end in the birth of a child, so it is worth interrupting it as soon as possible. The sooner this is done, the better, because with timely resolution there will be fewer unpleasant consequences and a more likely optimistic forecast for the future.
If you have an ectopic pregnancy, you can confirm the diagnosis only with an ultrasound. If pain in the ovary is accompanied by other symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, seek help immediately.
As a rule, pain in the ovarian area bothers the expectant mother in the first or second trimester. If you experience this kind of pain in the third trimester, it is most likely a false alarm. Because there is very little chance that these symptoms are associated with any abnormalities. Pain in the third trimester of pregnancy is associated with the activity of the hormone relaxin. A woman’s body is preparing for the upcoming birth and the passage of the child through the birth canal. The activity of this hormone softens the mother's tissues, as a result of which the bones in the pelvic area diverge. It is with these processes that pain in the ovary can be confused.
Try changing the position of your body. Get more rest and relaxation. Pain in the lower abdomen can occur periodically, either on the right or on the left. Take a deep breath, then hold your breath for a moment and exhale. The pain can also be caused by a bandage. Please consult with the doctor under whose supervision you are concerned about this. He will give a definitive answer to the question of whether the bandage affects the pain you experience.
Remember that intense pain in the ovary, sharp and strong in nature, should not be ignored. In this case, you are advised to consult a gynecologist or therapist. Only a specialist can determine the true nature of your pain and take appropriate measures.
If the relevant diseases are confirmed, special therapy will be prescribed. But it is more likely that everything will be limited to correction of diet and lifestyle. This is complete rest, emotional peace of the expectant mother and other prevention.
If you experience pain in the ovaries, there is no need to self-medicate. After all, in doing so, you can unintentionally harm your health and the condition of your child. The causes of this symptom may vary. Go to the doctor, find out why your ovaries hurt during pregnancy, and get professional advice.