Abdominal pain in early pregnancy

Even though pregnancy is the most exciting experience in the life of almost every woman, it brings many problems that an expectant mother has to cope with. The pregnancy discomforts like morning sickness, nausea or mood swings are not something that bothers every pregnant woman, but they are quite common troubles that occur due to the fluctuations in the hormonal levels. However, when an expectant mother experiences pain in the abdomen, it is something that concerns her, especially if she is pregnant for the first time. Almost every pregnant woman fears of miscarriage when she feels cramps in her abdomen. Abdominal pain in the early pregnancy, which refers to the first three months of pregnancy, may be caused by several other reasons apart from miscarriage.

Causes of abdominal pain in early pregnancy

In the majority of cases, abdominal pain in the first three months is not a serious condition since it occurs due to the preparation of the body for the growing baby. On the other side, if the pain appears in the lower abdomen and is followed by many other symptoms like fever or chills, it may be serious and the woman should seek a medical attention. When the pain in abdomen is induced because of miscarriage, it is accompanied by vaginal spotting and bleeding, and it happens in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. This condition requires immediate medical help. Abdominal pain in pregnancy may be an indicator of the ectopic pregnancy when the fertilized egg ingrows outside of the uterus, in the fallopian tube, for example, when it is often called tubal pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a life threatening condition since the fetus may rupture the structure where it has implanted itself when it starts to grow, thus causing excessive bleeding. When a pregnant woman feels the severe pain on either right or left side of the lower stomach, it may be the sign of the ruptured ovarian cyst. The symptoms that accompany severe pain are vomiting, nausea, and excessive sweating. The abdominal pain on the right side followed by the loss of appetite, as well as by nausea and vomiting, usually indicates the inflammation of the appendix. Urinary tract infection usually occurs in the later phase of pregnancy and, beside the pain, frequent urination and painful urination are some of the symptoms that are most common for this condition. Many pregnant women are frequently constipated and therefore, the abdominal pain in the early pregnancy may just indicate this condition.