A bloated or tender abdomen

Are you newly pregnant, and have you noticed that your abdomen is slightly bloated or tender? Some women find themselves wondering if it is possible that they are already "showing" that early on in pregnancy. The truth is that a bloated abdomen is in no way caused by the size of your baby, but mostly by hormonal changes in your body. Abdominal tenderness and cramping are common because your uterus, a large and strong muscle, is going through a lot of changes. These sensations can be compared to muscle tenderness after you have just started a new work-out regime; your uterus is getting used to being active, where it was previously sedentary.

If you have just found out that you are pregnant, and yet you are already thinking about buying maternity clothes, you are not alone. Almost all women will notice some abdominal bloating during their first trimester. Along with morning sickness, changes in your breasts, and fatigue, a bloated abdomen is one of the most frequent pregnancy signs after a missed period and a positive pregnancy test.

What caused bloating during early pregnancy? Progesterone is a hormone that is essential to pregnancy. It is responsible for many of the feelings you will have during the first trimester of your pregnancy, and a bloated abdomen is one of them. Believe it or not, the bloating itself is more likely to be situated inside your bowels and your stomach than your uterus. Progesterone relaxes muscle tissue throughout your body, and along with bloating, excessive wind or (to put it in plain English) farting is also common in the early stages of pregnancy. To get relief from bloating, try drinking plenty of fluids like water or herbal teas. Avoiding highly processed foods and eating healthy but small meals can also help. If you are looking for other symptoms of early pregnancy, you might like to look at our full list of pregnancy signs.