Spins the abdomen during pregnancy: causes and treatment methods

The feeling of discomfort in the abdomen is an unpleasant but natural phenomenon that accompanies the expectant mother all the time the child is bearing. During pregnancy, the stomach twists, crushes, pulling, cutting pains may appear. If pain rhythms are short-term, as a rule, even experienced specialists advise women not to worry and not pay attention to this manifestation.

Heaviness in the stomach during pregnancy is not dangerous. But if the pain is sharp, sharp, and continues to intensify, then this symptom should not be ignored. It is necessary to seek help from specialists as soon as possible. Perhaps the life of both the mother and the child is in danger.

In the article, we will understand in detail why the stomach twists during pregnancy. Consider whether it is dangerous in the early and late stages, what are the causes of this phenomenon, how it manifests itself, how it can be eliminated.

Causes of the phenomenon

Why does the stomach twist during pregnancy? The following main reasons are highlighted:

1. The failure of the digestive system, caused by compression of the digestive tract, the restructuring of the woman's body. This can lead to gas during pregnancy, colic, bloating.
2. Diarrhea, food poisoning, intestinal infection (for example, intestinal flu).
3. Features of the location of the fetus. In some cases, he strongly compresses the internal organs of the mother. Such exposure can lead to unpleasant symptoms.

Why do pregnant women have gastrointestinal problems?

Many expectant mothers note that often during pregnancy twists the stomach, as with diarrhea. Let's see why this is happening.

During pregnancy, a woman's body produces progesterone in increased amounts. Its role is the softening of the muscles of the uterus for its painless enlargement. The muscles of the stomach relax with it. From the production of the same hormone.

Having lost the usual flexibility, the stomach, intestinal tract can no longer cope, as before, with the usual load. Food is not excreted in its entirety, causing the intestines to fill with gases. The consequence of this is flatulence, colic, bloating and so on.

If the stomach twists during pregnancy, this is one of the consequences of increased progesterone production.

Early dates

If the problem is observed in the early stages, then, as a rule, its main cause is pregnancy itself. The body passes through a whole medium of changes - modification of the shape of the uterus, rearrangement of the hormonal background, displacement of organs in the abdominal cavity. In early pregnancy, bloating is a natural, albeit not particularly pleasant, phenomenon.

Diarrhea, various manifestations of an imbalance of the intestinal tract in the first weeks - manifestations that do not pose a danger to either the baby or the mother herself. This is the expected reaction of the body.

If bloating during pregnancy in the early stages is accompanied by mild pain, then it is enough to take a horizontal position. Unpleasant sensations will pass within a few minutes.

If the abdominal pain is severe, intense, acute, and even more so accompanied by abundant vaginal discharge, you should immediately inform your doctor. This may indicate an ectopic pregnancy or the possibility of a miscarriage. The timely provision of medical care will help preserve the life and health of the mother and child.

Experts advise pregnant women in the early stages to learn, first of all, to listen to their body, to determine the nature, intensity of pain, their dependence on some conditions, actions.

Danger in the early stages

Severe abdominal pain in the first weeks of pregnancy may indicate the risk of spontaneous abortion. It occurs in several stages, each of which is accompanied by pains of a certain nature:

• At the first stage, severe heaviness in the lower abdomen is noted. Pain can pass to the sacral region.
• If spontaneous abortion has already begun, bloody discharge from the vagina is added to the pain syndrome. Unpleasant sensations become uninterrupted and intense.
• If at the same time the stomach hurts and pulls the lower back, then the pregnant woman should contact the doctors as soon as possible.

It is important to pay attention to one more factor. If before pregnancy a woman complained of painful menstruation, then during her she can feel severe pain in the lower abdomen. And they will not indicate a pathological development of the fetus. But it is important to monitor their frequency and intensity. If the pain is sharp, sharp, does not stop within half an hour, it turns into a cramping, the only solution is to seek qualified medical help.

Late dates

We figured out why the stomach twists during pregnancy in the early stages. As for the last trimester, this unpleasant symptom may recur. But his reason will be different.

The point is the intensive growth of the fetus, a rapid increase in its mass, a change in the position of the child inside the womb. In the second, third trimester, the uterus of a woman, the baby increases every day. This tendency leads to compression, propping up the organs of the abdominal cavity of the mother.

In particular, with constant pressure on the gall bladder, this organ is not able to fully produce bile (it is needed for quick utilization of food). Because it functions half-heartedly, stagnation of food intake in the digestive tract is observed. It begins to ferment, in such an environment intestinal bacteria multiply rapidly. Their activities lead to the development of colic and flatulence. After all, this condition resembles poisoning of the body.

If you often feel sick, twist your stomach during pregnancy, experts advise the expectant mother to reconsider her diet. In particular, remove food that causes gas formation. Go for protein foods. Do not forget to use as much liquid as possible - unsweetened tea, decoctions of berries, herbs. This will help alleviate the condition if the stomach twists during pregnancy in the second trimester.

But this is not all the reasons. If the stomach twists during pregnancy in the later stages (starting from the 36th week), then this can be due to both false and real contractions.

To make sure the nature of the symptom, the expectant mother needs to postpone all things, lie down to rest. A woman observes the strength of these painful sensations, determines their intensity.

If these are “training” contractions, then the symptom will completely subside in 15-20 minutes. If the time has come for real fights, then such pain in time will only begin to gain momentum.

Drawing pains

In addition to the feeling that the stomach is twisting, a pregnant woman often experiences pulling pains in this area. Not strong, but causing discomfort. Are they dangerous for the life and health of mother and baby?

Such pains are the result of a natural process - stretching the uterus as the child grows and develops. It is possible to reduce such unpleasant sensations on your own, just lie on your side (preferably on the left), relax and lie down a little in this position. An unpleasant sensation will pass by itself.

In addition, pulling pains may be accompanied by pink, creamy discharge, usually in the very early stages of pregnancy. Already on the 5-7th day of ovulation. This symptom should not be scared either. It only confirms the onset of pregnancy. The pain here goes away on its own after 3-4 hours.

In pregnant women at a later date, drawing pains may also periodically appear. This happens around the 20th week of gestation. Such pains are inherently “training” contractions. They have nothing to do with real fights. This is part of the body's preparatory process for childbirth.

During such false contractions, the uterus “learns” to contract for proper functioning already during childbirth. Here, drawing pains are felt by a pregnant woman for 30-40 minutes. Then they leave by themselves. They weaken, but do not increase, which distinguishes them from real fights. To ease her condition, a woman just needs to sit down or lie down.

Cutting pain

But the abdominal pain of a similar nature should alert the expectant mother. This is an occasion for urgent medical attention! As a rule, cutting, sharp, severe pains indicate that the condition of the pregnant woman is not normal.

There are various reasons for it, including the threat of miscarriage, detachment of the placenta. Therefore, it is very dangerous to delay with such a symptom with going to a medical institution.

In addition, cutting pains in the abdomen may indicate an exacerbation of any chronic diseases of the expectant mother. Often they accompany a jump in blood pressure. Signs of this kind can also be observed with severe toxicosis.

You should not diagnose yourself in this condition. Only a doctor can determine what is wrong with the body of a pregnant woman that can help her.

Causes of gas formation

A pregnant woman needs to know from which products heats, so as not to consume them or minimize their use:

1. Foods high in starch. This is white bread, buns, corn, potatoes, legumes, rice, pasta.
2. Cellulose. Yes, in small quantities, it has a beneficial effect on the digestive tract. But the use of fiber-rich foods in large quantities causes increased gas formation. These are raw berries, fruits and vegetables.
3. Dairy products. With individual lactose intolerance, kefir, milk, sour cream, fermented baked milk also cause flatulence. This unpleasant effect is enhanced by the combination of dairy products with cereals - baking, cereals.
4. Carbonated drinks, kvass. Moreover, abuse of such products can lead to more serious bowel problems.
5. Protein food. Flatulence causes the use of large quantities of fatty meat and fatty fish, saturated broths.

What products are puffed from? Flatulence is also caused by a combination of dishes harmless for the intestine separately:

1. Dairy, sour-milk drinks and products, if you ate them in the bite with other foods.
2. Eating fresh fruits, berries, vegetables immediately after eating.
3. The combination of legumes with other dishes.

Gas control

We continue to analyze the causes and treatment of increased gas formation in women. To fix the problem yourself, you can refer to the following measures:

1. Eat only in a relaxed atmosphere, chew food thoroughly.
2. Refuse food that causes bloating.
3. Eat often, but in small portions.
4. Cook food for a couple, bake in the oven, cook.
5. Reduce the use of salt and spices.
6. Try not to talk over food, because this leads to swallowing of air.
7. Refuse the use of drinks containing all kinds of acids: coffee, fruit juices, tea, alcohol.
8. Discard chewing gum.
9. Turn to morning exercises, walks in the fresh air.
10. Drink decoctions of chamomile, mint, valerian.
11. Rid yourself of various stress factors.

Before applying the following methods, a pregnant woman must definitely get advice from her doctor:

1. Reception of adsorbents: from activated carbon to enterosgel.
2. Take a warm bath.
3. Make a massage of the abdomen (circular movements clockwise).
4. Do the exercise "bike."

Constipation

Constipation is common in early pregnancy. What to do to expectant mother?

Constipation is a violation of the functions of the intestinal tract, manifested by an increase in the intervals between acts of defecation (compared with the individual norm for a specific person), difficulty in the act of bowel movement, periodic sensations of insufficient release of the intestinal system from feces.

In early pregnancy, constipation may be caused by the following:

1. Violation of the diet.
2. Change in hormonal levels.
3. Taking medications containing iron and calcium.

The causes of constipation in late pregnancy are already different:

1. Reducing the physical activity of women.
2. A change in the position of the fetus in the womb.
3. Change of emotional background.

Constipation is not a nuisance that should be ignored. With systematic delays in bowel movements, food accumulates in the rectum. She wanders, decays. And such an environment is the most suitable for enhanced reproduction of bacteria.

The consequences of frequent, periodic constipation may be as follows:

1. Violation of the microflora of the intestinal tract.
2. The occurrence of hemorrhoids.
3. The development of inflammatory diseases of the female reproductive system.
4. Putrefactive processes in the intestine, accompanied by the production of toxins, which negatively affect the well-being of mother and fetus.
5. Premature onset of labor due to severe straining.
6. Increased risk of miscarriage - the crowded colon begins to put pressure on the uterus.

If constipation in early pregnancy, what to do? Experts advise the following:

1. Include as many fiber foods as possible in your diet. In particular, raw (or steamed) vegetables and fruits, as well as dried fruits - prunes and dried apricots.
2. Refuse from (or minimize) coffee, black tea, cocoa, blueberries, semolina, chocolate, and flour products.
3. Drink more fluids - at least 1.5 liters per day.
4. Do not forget about physical activity - walks in the fresh air, yoga, gymnastics for pregnant women.

As for drugs, they can only be taken with a doctor’s prescription. Well-known medications that help with constipation may contain components that are harmful to the fetus.

What to do with diarrhea?

When the stomach twists during pregnancy, what to do? First of all, you need to determine the cause of the symptom. In some cases, it is caused not by pregnancy, not by changes in the body against its background, but by a disease. Most often, they have diarrhea.

The difficulty here is that in many expectant mothers, loose stools during pregnancy become familiar. Therefore, they take this as the norm, without distinguishing that this is a manifestation of diarrhea. The disease can be "calculated" by the following additional warning symptoms:

1. Rapid defecation - up to 4-5 times a day.
2. Vomiting
3. High body temperature.

When observing such symptoms, you should contact your treating gynecologist, therapist, infectious disease specialist. After all, these are symptoms not only of diarrhea, but also of more serious diseases, infections, poisoning, intoxication of the body. Perhaps the condition of the woman will require her urgent hospitalization. Unpleasant sensations in the stomach can also indicate infection with intestinal flu.

During such diseases, a pregnant woman, first of all, needs to adjust her diet. First of all, refuse fried, spicy, salty foods, dairy. Expectant mother needs to pay attention to diet food:

1. Steamed meat.
2. Fruit baked in the oven.
3. Boiled vegetables.

Poisoning is fraught with dehydration, which is especially alarming for a woman carrying a child. Therefore, with intestinal infections, she must take care of the timely replenishment of the water balance.

Of course, in such cases, independent therapy is not only not desirable, but also dangerous. Be sure to consult a doctor!

During pregnancy, women have many problems with the gastrointestinal tract: twisting the abdomen, increased gas, pulling pains in this area, bloating. As a rule, their cause is pregnancy itself - hormonal changes in the body, fetal development. But such harmless manifestations should be distinguished from truly disturbing factors that signal that the life and health of a mother and her baby are in danger.