✓ Belly pain in pregnancy: all cases

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Belly pain in pregnancy

What we commonly call stomach ache, when it refers to the period of pregnancy it is immediately associated with some risk related to the health of the child. Before getting scared it is good to remember that the causes, and therefore, the explanations and solutions, can be different. We talk about it with Gianalfredo Franzoni, gynecologist at the Humanitas San Pio X hospital.

Belly pain in early pregnancy

Il first quarter it is the period to pay more attention to: the expectations in this period are many because mothers know that the first 12 weeks are the most delicate. "Defining the symptoms is important - Franzoni said -: the patient must be listened to without ever trivializing. The first factor to be excluded is whether it is pain related to the uterus and the obstetric history is helpful. gestation are attributable to the activity of the uterus, we must prevent their accentuation and we have hormonal drugs available such as the administration of progesterone vaginally or by mouth which may be helpful in avoiding what may be a threat of miscarriage. Associate the magnesiummoreover, it is always useful for decreasing uterine contractility. These measures are to be considered valid only if the possibility of colic, intestinal problems or inflammation of the urinary tract has already been excluded, problems that can coexist in the first trimester of pregnancy. Then, you can generally be more relaxed: with the diagnostic execution of the twelfth week the pregnancy begins to fly ".

Also Read: Pregnancy: 7 Normal First Trimester Symptoms

Belly pain in pregnancy: seventh and eighth month

"We must take into account that with the 32nd week we are approaching the period in which the child matures the respiratory system and the risks of premature birth begin to be less - explains the gynecologist -. The pains, in this phase, must be faced in a different way. The contractile activity there may be, the child is heavier, has more energy and with his more determined movements "keeps his mother company". The important thing is to confirm this moving of the fetus and hardening of the uterus are not accompanied by changes in the cervix that can make us fear a preterm pregnancy. Seeing the pregnant woman is helpful, as is asking the patient if she has regular bowel activity, if she has air in her stomach and if she is discharging correctly. These simple questions allow for effective evaluation. Even through the monthly urinalysis it is possible to understand if the urine contains dangerous germs ".

Also Read: Braxton Hicks Contractions: What They Are

Belly pain in pregnancy: ninth month

"At the 36th week, the mother was already informed during the preparatory course that some preparatory contractile activity can occur. contractions of Braxton Hicks, which occur in the last gestational period, should not scare because in a few weeks something will change - explains Gianalfredo Franzoni -. With prodromes we refer to a contractile activity closer to childbirth, between the 39th and 40th week; abdominal pain can be characterized by presence of irregular contractions which begin to modify the cervix. This situation may be the one that precedes the real onset of labor by 24-48 hours. In this phase, the mother can also be sent home and then return to the hospital only when the contractions are regular with intervals of about 5 minutes ".

Belly pain in pregnancy: risk factors

"The more fit the mother is, the more she is in tune with her body - adds the doctor -:

if you managed to gain 9-11kg throughout your pregnancy,
if she managed to do physical activity and to have the muscles of the spine that allow the body not to have pain in the back and abdomen,
if the child's growth is regular, then the troublesome sensations of stomach ache are greatly reduced.

Abdominal colic, bloating and constipation can be resolved with simpler drugs and even nutrition can play in favor when it is balanced, composed of simple foods and low in sugars, favoring foods that do not increase intestinal fermentation. In these cases, contact laxatives should be avoided and syrups with plant components that help function are preferred. Otherwise, however, when there is diarrhea and therefore an alteration of the intestinal flora, i lactic fermentsi are recommended ".

When the upper belly hurts

"We distinguish: in first quarter, a pain related to the upper part of the belly - Franzoni specifies - is not of obstetric relevance as the bottom of the uterus reaches just above the pubis: all pains related to the stomach or the rib arch, or the liver or the gallbladder exclude.

Going forward with the course of pregnancy, however, this stomach ache in the upper part can be connected to the uterine situation.

Particularly in the third trimester, the pain at the level of the sternum, "bar", can also be connected to a high pressure of the mother or to the occurrence of a gesturesi and must be properly monitored ".

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