Abdominal pain after eating during pregnancy
Abdominal pain during pregnancy, which occurs immediately after eating, is not uncommon. Almost every woman suffers from this problem at least once during pregnancy. Affected women should keep in mind that pregnancy and the growing up of the child are a burden for the organism.
While the child increases in size in the womb and the uterus expands for this reason, there is less room for the other abdominal organs. The stomach in particular is subjected to enormous pressure as the child grows up. The larger the unborn child becomes during pregnancy, the further the stomach is shifted towards the ribcage.
If abdominal pain after eating occurs during pregnancy, this phenomenon is in most cases due to excessive filling of the stomach. Since the stomach cannot expand properly during an advanced pregnancy, eating too much can lead to abdominal pain after eating. In addition, during pregnancy there may be a hormone-induced increase in acid secretion within the stomach. This is another reason why stomach pain can occur after eating.
Nocturnal abdominal pain during pregnancy
In the early stages of pregnancy, the body adjusts itself. Muscles and ligaments are stretched and new vessels are formed. Since the body is at rest at night and other functions of the body are only carried out in a subdued manner, the body often has more time at night to devote to these restructuring processes.
As a result, some pregnant women are more often plagued by pulling pain at night. With increasing pregnancy, i.e. in the course of the third trimester of pregnancy, a vena cava syndrome can occur. The vena cava leads the blood from the body back to the heart.
At the end of pregnancy, the uterus is so large that it can compress the vein. This can manifest itself in a hardened and slightly painful abdomen during the night. In addition, pregnant women often feel a slight dizziness, nausea and an increased heart rate.
Why does the vena cava syndrome typically occur at night? The vena cava syndrome occurs when pregnant women lie in a supine position for a long period of time. Therefore, a sleeping position in a lateral position is recommended. By changing the lying position from the supine to the lateral position, the symptoms usually subside again.
Diagnostics for abdominal pain during pregnancy
Especially if pregnancy is suspected due to the first signs of absence of menstruation, morning sickness or general indisposition, a gynaecologist should be consulted to confirm the diagnosis and the correct position of the embryo. This involves a pregnancy test, such as Clearblue®, by determining the pregnancy hormone ß-HCG and an ultrasound examination of the abdomen. The ultrasound examination is also used for other symptoms, such as abdominal pain and nausea, bleeding, increasing pain and vomiting.
This can confirm an intact pregnancy and exclude other causes such as appendicitis. By determining inflammatory parameters in the blood, an inflammatory cause for the pain can be identified. In addition, a blood test is usually carried out to detect signs of inflammation and to see whether the pregnancy hormone is still being produced sufficiently. A strong reduction of the pregnancy hormone indicates that the pregnancy has been terminated unconsciously (abortion). In addition to the ultrasound and blood tests, an extensive gynaecological examination is usually carried out, during which the cervix is inspected and depicted and corresponding abnormalities can be seen.
