Pregnancy can be physically uncomfortable. From early nausea to later back pain, many women are mildly uncomfortable throughout their nine months of pregnancy. Some forms of discomfort, however, are a little more worrisome to women because they're easy to interpret as possible signs that something's wrong with the baby. Abdominal pain, in particular, is frightening to many expectant mothers. But while unilateral abdominal pain can be a sign that something's wrong, it can also be completely normal.
Types
Abdominal pain during pregnancy has several possible causes. For women experiencing pain that's localized to the left side of the abdomen, whether the pain is mild or severe, achy or stabbing will help provide information about the cause of the discomfort. In general, intermittent pain is not as worrisome as constant pain, and mild pain is not as likely to indicate a problem as severe pain, says doctors Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book, "You: Having A Baby." The doctors suggest monitoring pain and consulting with an obstetrician if the pain is frequent or severe.
Time Frame
The common reasons for left side abdominal pain in early pregnancy differ somewhat from the reasons for pain later on. Early unilateral pain is typically related to an ovary or fallopian tube, while later pain is often uterine because the ovaries are less involved in pregnancy after the fourth month. In their book, "What To Expect When You're Expecting," Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel explain that early in pregnancy, a woman's body is adjusting to many physical changes. This can lead to a certain amount of discomfort, and makes left-sided abdominal pain more common in early pregnancy.
Early Pain
Early in pregnancy, it's not unusual for a cyst to form on one of the ovaries. If the left ovary ovulated, producing the egg that was fertilized and resulted in pregnancy, that ovary forms a small clump of hormone-secreting cells called the corpus luteum, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book, "Human Physiology." If a cyst forms on the corpus luteum, the ovary with the cyst can be quite tender, and cause pain on bending or standing. Luteal cysts are normal, and typically disappear by the fourth month of gestation.
Later Pain
Later in pregnancy, as the uterus stretches to accommodate the growing baby, one of the most common causes of unilateral pain is ligament stretching, explains Murkoff and Mazel. The uterus is suspended by several ligaments that attach it to the surrounding tissues and abdominal wall. Depending upon how the baby is lying in the uterus, the organ might stretch asymmetrically, leading to more pressure on the left side than the right. This can cause a sharp, sudden pain in the lower left abdomen, particularly when a pregnant mother stands up, sneezes, or moves quickly. Ligament stretching is normal and does not indicate that anything is wrong.
Warning
One potential source of left side abdominal pain is quite serious, and requires immediate medical attention. While fertilized eggs are supposed to implant in the uterus, a small number of them implant in the fallopian tube. That is called an ectopic pregnancy. If ovulation occurred from the left ovary and the fertilized egg implants in the left fallopian tube, a woman will begin feeling left-side abdominal pain around her sixth week of gestation. The pain, according to Roizen and Oz, tends to grow more severe and become increasingly localized with time. Ectopic pregnancies are not viable, and left untreated, they can harm or kill the mother.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
