Pelvic pain during pregnancy is a common side effect of adjusting to physical changes in the abdomen and pelvis and Braxton Hicks contractions. However, because it can be a sign of an ovarian cyst, infection, or early labor, you should always notify your healthcare provider.
Pelvic pain affects 41% to 78% of pregnant women. Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, the suspected causes of pelvic pain can vary.
1. Diastasis Recti
You may notice a bulge in the middle of your abdomen during pregnancy. This is because during pregnancy, the two sides of your rectus abdominus—the muscles that run from the top to the bottom of your abdomen—can stretch apart and separate, resulting in diastasis recti (DR).
Weakness can result from abdominal muscle separation. You may need help lifting heavy objects. DR is common in the late second and third trimesters, and it can last after pregnancy.
2. Braxton Hicks Contractions
Braxton Hicks contractions are also known as false labor pains because they feel like real contractions but do not indicate that you are in labor.
Braxton Hicks contractions can happen as early as six weeks of pregnancy, but you won't feel them. You may begin to experience false labor pains in your second or third trimester, which can be frightening if your due date is still several weeks away.
Braxton Hicks contractions are common and are thought to prepare your body for actual labor. Instead, what you're feeling is your uterine muscle fibers tightening and relaxing.
3. Vaginal Infection
Vaginal infections can occur during pregnancy because changing hormones, particularly rising estrogen, disrupt your vagina's normal acid balance. Yeast and bacterial vaginosis are two types of vaginal infections that are common during pregnancy.
Vaginal infections can cause itching, burning, redness, swelling, and pain around the vulva, which is located just outside your vagina. Pain can occur during sex or while urinating. You may notice spotting and changes in your discharge, such as an abnormal color, odor, or amount.
4. Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian cysts are small fluid-filled sacs that can form on or inside your ovaries. Two small oval-shaped ovaries are normally found in the lower abdomen. Every month, one of them will lay an egg. The ovaries are responsible for the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are involved in pregnancy.
Ovarian cysts can appear at any time and go unnoticed most of the time. A cyst during the first trimester of pregnancy usually does not cause any symptoms. They usually go away on their own after a while.
5. Round Ligament Pain
Pain in the round ligaments is common during pregnancy. The round ligaments resemble ropes or cords and connect your uterus to your groin. These ligaments support your uterus and may become painful during the second trimester as they soften and stretch to accommodate your growing belly.
6. Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) Pain
SIJ pain is a type of low back pain that can radiate down your legs. The bones that make up your pelvic girdle are located at the base of your spine, around your pelvis. The pelvic girdle is supported by the two sacroiliac joints, which are located at the back of your body.
Weight gain during pregnancy can put a strain on your pelvic girdle bones and joints. In addition, your joints may begin to bear the load unevenly, putting additional strain and friction on your SIJ. SIJ pain usually begins in the late second or third trimester.
7. Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)
SPD is also known as pelvic girdle pain because, like SIJ pain, it affects the pelvis—in this case, the front of the pelvis.
SPD causes are the same as SIJ—relaxin and weight gain, which cause uneven pressure and friction on the bones and joints of the pelvic girdle.
SPD pain is characterized by shooting pain in the front of the pelvis that may spread to the lower abdomen, back, groin, perineum, and thighs. You may hear or feel clicking, grinding, or snapping sounds.
Diagnosis
A variety of factors can cause pelvic pain during pregnancy, so your healthcare provider will need to examine you carefully to determine what is causing it. In addition, your practitioner may inquire about your activities and habits, such as whether you've used drugs or been in an accident.
Inform your healthcare provider of any symptoms you are experiencing, even if they are embarrassing or appear to be unrelated to the pain. If possible, try to keep a record of your symptoms, such as when they began and how long you've had them.
Your vagina and cervix may be examined by your healthcare provider. A pelvic examination is most likely. You may be subjected to blood tests and a pelvic ultrasound.