How does it feel?
The pain you experience during pregnancy is caused by the stretching of the maternal ligaments. This stretching pain is experienced by women as pulling to stabbing, sometimes even cramping. Some women report a feeling of sore muscles or pulled muscles. Individually, the quality and intensity of the pain can vary.
Localization of pain
The round maternal ligament pulls sideways of the uterus through the inguinal canal into the front labia. When this ligament is stretched, pain is felt on both sides in the groin or lower abdomen. The broad uterine ligament connects the uterus with the lateral wall of the pelvis. Due to the many connections to other ligaments in the pelvis, the stretching pain is passed on and can also be felt in the groin or in the sacrum.
Associated symptoms
The typical symptoms are pain in the lower abdominal area on the right or left, which can radiate into the groin, and pain in the sacrum. Normally, other accompanying symptoms are not directly associated with the stretching of the maternal ligaments, but rather with the pregnancy itself. Thus, at the beginning of the pregnancy, increased fatigue, discomfort and listlessness can occur simultaneously. A little later, around the seventh week of pregnancy, an increased urge to urinate may also occur. Other possible accompanying symptoms are nausea or headaches.
How long does the pain last?
Pain in the maternal ligaments can be felt during the first two thirds of pregnancy. In the last third of pregnancy, the influence of hormones causes the ligaments to loosen for the forthcoming birth. The pain may decrease within this period.
The first pulling of the mother’s ligaments can be felt approximately from the 5th week of pregnancy. It can therefore be a first sign of pregnancy, but can also be easily confused with menstrual pain. Later, between the 17th and 24th week of pregnancy, the pain increases due to the growth of the uterus. All in all, the pain on the maternal ligaments can persist for a longer period of time. However, this varies greatly from one individual to another.
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