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During the period of bearing a baby, almost every expectant mother from time to time experiences certain pains that occur in a variety of organs. Such pains do not appear just like that, they do not arise on their own – they occur due to some specific reasons.
Pain on the right side during pregnancy is one of the most common. A large number of future mothers face it, and they all experience the same feelings at this moment – fear, excitement, fear of the unknown and the possibility of harming the child.
Pain in the right side is a sign of many diseases. The fact is that the stomach is not an independent organ, but a collection of various tissues and organs located in it, each of which can be subject to disease. That is why it is difficult to determine the exact cause of pain.
What should be done first of all in the event of a pain syndrome? Its nature should be determined: it is a sharp pain or with a gradually increasing pace, pulling or stabbing, etc. As a rule, an instantaneous pain syndrome that does not stop for several minutes is a sign of a very serious pathology. The future mother needs to urgently resort to the help of a doctor.
There are a lot of reasons responsible for the appearance of pain in the right side during pregnancy, here are the main ones:
1. Ectopic pregnancy
This is one of the most common causes of pain. When a fertilized egg, which has not descended into the uterus, but stuck in the right fallopian tube, begins to fully develop, the tube quickly increases in size. Since the fallopian tube is not intended for the development of a fetus in it and is not capable of reaching large sizes, it breaks during the growth of the embryo. However, before the pipe bursts, the woman experiences sharp pains on the right side of her abdomen.
The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are similar to those experienced with appendicitis. However, during a tubal pregnancy, a woman may begin bleeding along with pain. Emergency hospitalization required.
2. Appendicitis
Appendicitis also quite often makes itself felt during pregnancy. The malaise is accompanied by fever, chills, nausea, sometimes vomiting and acute pain attacks that last for a long time. Moreover, initially the pain syndrome appears in the epigastric region, and then it passes into the inguinal-iliac region.
The expectant mother needs to urgently call an ambulance – otherwise, serious health complications are possible due to the inflamed appendix. The appendix is only removed surgically.
3. Stretching of the uterus
Developing and gaining weight, the fetus begins to put pressure on the uterine ligaments on the right (or left) and muscles, causing pain. The pain occurs in the lower right abdomen and is constant, aching in nature. When the baby moves, the pain may increase. Doctors in such a situation recommend more rest, not engaging in hard physical labor, taking warm baths.
4. Pinched ureter
The child grows inside the abdomen, and the uterus, accordingly, increases in size and gradually begins to put pressure on all the organs that surround it. One of them is the right ureter, which responds to the pressure of the uterus with unpleasant pain.
5. Ovarian cyst
An ovarian cyst can accompany a woman at the stage of pregnancy planning, without making itself felt, and then suddenly appear during the period of bearing a baby in the form of aching, dull pain. During pregnancy, the ovaries increase in size, resulting in irritation of nerve receptors and, as a fact, the occurrence of pain. If a woman has a rupture of a cyst of the right ovary or a torsion of her leg occurs, then the pain will be acute, paroxysmal in nature.
When you press on the stomach, the pain intensifies, the stomach itself is tense. The pain can radiate (that is, give) to the anus, which is why the woman feels a false desire to go to the toilet for defecation.
In this case, the expectant mother should urgently seek medical help. The doctor will prescribe either painkillers and antispasmodics, or surgery to remove the ruptured cyst – it all depends on the specific situation.
6. Diseases of the liver, kidneys, gallbladder and pancreas
Liver. The occurrence of pain in the right side can be triggered by viral hepatitis A, B or C – a common liver disease. There is also toxic hepatitis, which manifests itself due to the intake of drugs and other chemicals. In addition, the liver can respond with painful sensations with frequent use of alcohol, heart failure, preeclampsia.
Kidney. Renal colic on the right side most often occurs as a result of finding stones located at the mouth of the ureter, or inflammation, abscesses. Sharp pain is very similar to the pain of appendicitis, however, with renal colic, it can radiate to the lower back, groin and back. If the kidney stone came out of the ureter and got stuck in its mouth, then the woman may experience excruciating pain, rolling in periods.
Gallbladder. The pain syndrome that appears in the gallbladder can respond in the right side of the expectant mother. The body needs bile to digest food. After eating fatty foods, more bile is required than usual, so the gallbladder fills the intestines with a huge amount of it. If there is a stone in the gallbladder, then the supply of bile to the intestines will be difficult and will manifest itself in pain.
Pancreas. Diseases of the pancreas tend to cause pain in a pregnant woman of a different nature. One such disease is pancreatitis, an inflammation of the gland. The malaise is manifested by severe pain, vomiting, nausea, intense sweating. The pain radiates directly to the back, intensifying when lying down and weakening its effect when bending forward in a sitting position.
7. Apoplexy (rupture) of the ovary, etc.
When an ovary ruptures, called an apoplexy, a pregnant woman bleeds heavily, making her more likely to lose consciousness. The pain experienced by the expectant mother is similar to the pain of an ectopic pregnancy. The woman needs urgent medical attention.
Depending on the abundance of blood loss, the doctor may prescribe conservative (for small blood loss) or surgical (for large blood loss) treatment.
A pregnant woman should carefully monitor her health and, at the slightest ailment, seek advice or help from a doctor, because now she is responsible not only for her life, but also for the life of her child.