Central abdominal pain

Another cause of abdominal cramps can be ulcers in the stomach and small intestine, so-called ulcers. This is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Patients also report an improvement in post-meal discomfort with duodenal ulcers. A reflux from the stomach into the esophagus, commonly known as heartburn, can also cause symptoms that feel like abdominal cramps. The reason for the reflux of gastric acid is often excessive production or insufficient function of the sphincter muscle that seals the stomach to the esophagus.

Abdominal cramps left

In rare cases, a splenic infarction and rupture of the spleen can also be the cause of abdominal cramps. These are mainly located on the left side, where the spleen is located in the upper abdomen. Many people have bulges of the intestinal wall in the colon, so-called diverticula.

If these diverticula become inflamed, it is called diverticulitis. This can cause cramps in the lower abdomen. In many cases these occur in the so-called S-intestine (sigmoid colon) on the left side.

In addition, symptoms such as fever, nausea and vomiting may occur. Also concerning the large intestine, a tumour, i.e. a colon carcinoma, can be responsible for abdominal cramps. Depending on the location of the tumour, pain can be spread over the whole abdomen. Bloody stools, excessive night sweats and unintentional weight loss are often side effects of colon cancer.

Upper abdomen

Sometimes the pain is not necessarily perceived at the place where the organ actually lies, but as so-called projection pain in other parts of the body. An example of this is the atypical heart attack, which in women can lead to cramps in the upper abdomen. In addition, a whole range of accompanying symptoms often occur.

An inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) leads to belt-shaped cramps in the upper abdomen, which can extend into the back. Such inflammation can be caused by various triggers. Frequently, biliary tract diseases or excessive alcohol consumption are the underlying causes. Due to numerous side effects, quick and thorough treatment is necessary.

Period

In the case of women, other specific causes may be involved. Many women have abdominal pain at the beginning of their period. This is often caused by contractions of the uterus as part of the rejection of the mucous membrane.

Another cause of cramps, also called spasms, can be inflammation of the fallopian tubes, ovaries and surrounding tissue (pelvic inflammatory disease). This occurs particularly in younger women and can be caused by various germs. One complication is infertility.

During pregnancy abdominal cramps can also occur repeatedly. As long as these occur without further symptoms, they are usually harmless and completely normal. The ligaments, veins and organs are stretched unnaturally during pregnancy, which is noticeable as abdominal cramps.

At the beginning, these are most likely to be caused by the fertilised egg settling in the uterus. Later in the pregnancy, the abdominal cramps are a consequence of the uterus having to stretch a lot as the baby gets bigger and bigger. In addition, the hormone balance is completely changed during pregnancy, which leads to constipation in many women and can then also cause abdominal cramps.

Although they are very unpleasant for those affected, fortunately they are usually harmless. However, if the pain gets worse or other symptoms such as fever, chills, bleeding, abdominal pain or nausea are added, a doctor should be consulted. Abdominal cramps during pregnancy can also have causes that have nothing to do with pregnancy, so if you are unsure and the symptoms do not improve, you should also consult a doctor. A life-threatening situation, on the other hand, is extrauterine pregnancy, which means that the child grows up outside the uterus.