Stomach cramps during pregnancy are common during pregnancy. This complaint can be caused by various things and can be resolved in an easy way. Even so, pregnant women should not take stomach cramps for granted, because they can be a sign of complications in pregnancy.
Various changes will be experienced by every pregnant woman with increasing gestational age. Various complaints also often appear, such as easily tired, difficulty sleeping, to a decrease in sex drive.
Well, one of the common complaints during pregnancy is stomach cramps. This complaint will usually be more common in the last trimester of pregnancy.
Causes of Stomach Cramps During Pregnancy
There are several causes of abdominal cramps during pregnancy that every pregnant woman needs to know. Following are the causes:
1. Changes in the size of the uterus
With increasing gestational age, the size of the uterus will adjust to the development of the growing fetus.
To support the development of the uterus, the connective tissue or ligaments that connect the pelvic bones and uterus will stretch, so that the uterus feels tight and triggers abdominal cramps.
2. Pressure on muscles, joints, and blood vessels
The condition of the stomach that is getting bigger will put more pressure on the muscles, joints, and blood vessels. This condition will make pregnant women easily tired and experience excessive pain in the stomach when sitting or standing for too long.
3. Changes in the position of the uterus
As the fetus grows, the uterus tends to tilt to the right or to the left. This condition can make the ligaments that support the sides of the uterus tighten or contract, allowing pregnant women to feel cramps in the abdomen more often.
4. Excess gas
The increase in the hormone progesterone causes the muscles of the digestive tract to relax and slow down when digesting food. The longer food is in the large intestine, the more gas is produced.
Sometimes, the gas not only causes discomfort in the stomach, but can also radiate to the back and chest.
5. After sex
Having sex and having an orgasm can cause stomach cramps during pregnancy, which is often followed by mild back pain. This occurs because the vagina and uterus experience a throbbing sensation during orgasm and leave a feeling of abdominal cramping afterward.
In addition to some of the causes above, abdominal cramps during pregnancy can also be caused by other health problems, such as kidney stones, ovarian cysts, appendicitis, or urinary tract infections.
How to Overcome Stomach Cramps During Pregnancy
Although classified as normal, abdominal cramps during pregnancy can cause discomfort. To overcome this, there are several ways that pregnant women can do, namely:
- Sit or lie down when stomach cramps occur and avoid making sudden movements.
- Consume enough water, because stomach cramps can be a sign that pregnant women are dehydrated.
- Move your body or do light exercise if stomach cramps during pregnancy occur due to excess gas in the digestive tract. Also avoid consuming foods and drinks that produce excess gas, such as beans, cabbage, and soft drinks.
- Try a warm bath if you have stomach cramps during pregnancy after sex.
- Use a pregnancy belt to support the stomach to prevent pear cramps. But make sure you don't use it too tightly.
Stomach cramps during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy, can be caused by false contractions. If this happens, lie down to relieve the pain. If the pain is felt on the left side, lie down to the right or vice versa.
Complaints of Stomach Cramps That Need to be Watched
Although usually not a sign of a dangerous condition, it does not mean that stomach cramps during pregnancy can be taken lightly.
There are several symptoms that accompany abdominal cramps and pregnant women should be aware of, such as pain when urinating, abdominal cramps that feel very heavy and do not go away, discharge or blood from the vagina, vomiting, fever, and chills.
Abdominal cramps accompanied by these signs are an emergency and need to be examined and treated by a doctor as soon as possible. Therefore, although stomach cramps during pregnancy are common, don't take this complaint lightly.