Cramping During Pregnancy

In the majority of cases, cramping during pregnancy should not be a cause for concern. After all, your womb is stretching as your baby grows, and carrying a baby inside you is bound to put pressure on your muscles and ligaments.

So if you are experiencing some cramping, try not to worry, this is completely normal.

In some cases, however, cramps can indicate a problem if you are experiencing certain other symptoms at the same time. Lets have a quick look at what these other symptoms are and what they could indicate.

1. Cramps along with bleeding from the vagina and pain in your tummy – this could indicate the start of a miscarriage in early pregnancy. Usually this occurs because the foetus wasn’t developing properly. If you are experiencing this you should call your doctor and try to rest with your feet up. If the bleeding is heavy you should go to A&E.

2. Cramps along with bad pains that start one side of your tummy and spread across and a sore lower abdomen – this could indicate an ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilized egg is implanted outside of your womb, usually in the fallopian tube. If you are experiencing this you should call your doctor immediately.

3. Cramps along with heavy bleeding from the vagina – if this occurs between weeks 12 and 20 it could indicate a late miscarriage, usually because of the placenta not working properly. If you are experiencing this call your doctor immediately and go to A&E.

4. Cramps along with waters breaking, pressure in the lower abdomen, low back ache, contractions – this could indicate premature labour between weeks 20 and 36. Call your doctor immediately and go to a hospital, where they will try to stop the labour.

If you are experiencing what you think is the usual cramping during pregnancy; moderate aches and pains in your abdomen area not accompanied by the symptoms mentioned above, try resting with your feet up or taking a warm bath. Usually the symptoms will ease off after you’ve rested for a while.

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