Appendicitis in pregnancy – What to do?

Caution is advised in the event of abdominal pain during pregnancy. The tricky thing about appendicitis during pregnancy is that the symptoms can easily be confused with pregnancy complaints. In case of abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea and fever during pregnancy, a doctor should be consulted in any case.

Symptoms such as loss of appetite, paleness or sweating may also occur. In most cases, pressure sensitivity, which is a clear sign of appendicitis in other people, is not present in pregnant women. The location of the appendix can also change during pregnancy, especially at the end of the pregnancy.

Accordingly, the pain is no longer located in the right lower abdomen, but rather in the right upper abdomen. As with most appendicitis, surgical removal of the appendix is the therapy of choice. If the surgical treatment is delayed too long, there is a risk of rupture and inflammation of the entire abdominal cavity, which can be life-threatening.

There are two surgical methods, either minimally invasive by means of three small skin incisions or open surgery. Nowadays, most operations are minimally invasive. There is always a basic risk of complications, but the risk of appendectomy is low for mother and child.

Duration of appendicitis

The duration of appendicitis can vary from person to person. For some people, appendicitis begins with slight pain in the upper abdomen, while for others, the strongest pain sets in at the beginning. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, a visit to a doctor may be postponed at the beginning.

In this case, the duration depends on how quickly the affected person visits a doctor, who, after clarifying the cause, takes the next steps. An inflamed appendix should be removed surgically. The operation takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on whether it is open or minimally invasive.

If no operation is performed, appendicitis can take 48 hours from the onset of symptoms until the appendix tissue has ruptured or died. However, this duration also varies from person to person. The length of time the disease lasts depends on the time of diagnosis.

If the symptoms of appendicitis are present, a doctor should always be consulted. The longer the visit to the doctor is delayed, the more unpleasant the symptoms become and the higher the risk of life-threatening peritonitis. In most cases, surgical removal of the appendix is recommended.

After the operation, the affected person often recovers quickly. From the second day after the operation, it is usually possible to eat a light diet again. The length of stay in hospital is normally three to five days. Depending on the surgical method, two to six weeks of rest are important.