Lower Abdominal Pain In Pregnancy
Although there will be some abdominal cramps during pregnancy, if you notice any unusual or severe abdominal pain, do not take it for granted. Abdominal pain may indicate many probabilities. Hence, it is important that you note the symptoms and inform your doctor to avoid problems or complications.
Occasional abdominal pain can be caused due to the stretching of the ligaments, but if you find vaginal discharge, spotting, bleeding, fever, or chills, then make sure you inform the doctor immediately.
Lower right abdominal pain is generally caused when there is an ectopic pregnancy. The pain may also be experienced towards your back. In an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg implants itself somewhere outside the womb, like the fallopian tubes, thereby causing a sharp and severe abdominal pain. This type of pregnancy is also known as tubal pregnancy.
When you suffer from an ectopic pregnancy, a laparoscopy may be done in order to remove the pregnancy and then the fallopian tubes are repaired. If this type of pregnancy is detected in the early stages, then medication can help in curing it. However, if it is too late then laparoscopy is the only way. Read about upper abdominal pain during pregnancy
Your doctor will first ask you to undergo several blood tests to determine the levels of the hormone hcg. You may then be required to get an ultrasound done in order to confirm the ectopic pregnancy. Once that is done, you may be required to get timely blood tests done in order to check the hcg levels. In case the hcg levels keep dropping, then the medication will continue till the blood test report shows that the hcg level is completely down, as this indicates that the pregnancy has been terminated.
You may be required to undergo a laparoscopy if the hcg levels do not drop as the ectopic pregnancy can lead to tube rupture. Post surgery, your hcg levels may be monitored once again to make sure that the pregnancy is totally removed.
However, if the embryo is too large it needs to be removed through open surgery. This is called a laparotomy. In this type of surgery, the abdomen is cut open in order to remove the embryo. It is as good as undergoing a cesarean section.
If you have undergone an ectopic pregnancy before, then make sure that you inform your doctor when you conceive the next time so that precautions can be taken and it can be ensured that this complication does not happen again.
Submitted by N on June 26, 2010 at 06:51