Pain in the breastbone during pregnancy

Mostly harmless are sternum pains during pregnancy. The main cause is tension due to increasing body weight, possibly with water retention. To be on the safe side, however, a full-body examination should be carried out in any case with pregnant women who report sternum pain, so that important and life-threatening diseases are not overlooked.

Especially pregnant women can also suffer from a newly occurring high blood pressure, which can also lead to headaches as well as pain in and behind the sternum. For this reason, a blood pressure measurement should be taken. Due to the growing child, there are also other pressure conditions in the abdomen and on abdominal organs.

There may also be pressure on the stomach. This can cause stomach acid to rise, which then becomes symptomatic in the form of heartburn. Chronic heartburn can also lead to inflammation of the esophagus, which can cause the same symptoms.

Therapeutically, depending on the cause of the symptoms, pregnant women can be advised to relax the muscles in the chest and, in the case of heartburn, to eat smaller meals more often during the day. In case of doubt, an ultrasound examination should not be avoided. Writing an ECG should also be done for safety reasons. In most cases, however, these safety measures do not lead to pathological findings. These topics may also be of interest to you:

Physiotherapy during pregnancy
Pelvic Floor Gymnastics

Sternum pain with shortness of breath

If breathing difficulties occur in addition to the sternum pain, extreme caution is required. Here it can concern an illness of the heart as cause. First of all a heart attack must be excluded absolutely.

With the help of an ECG and a corresponding rapid determination of troponin in the blood, the diagnosis can be confirmed quickly. It is also important to find out whether sternal pain and shortness of breath occur simultaneously, whether at rest or under stress, whether heartburn exists and whether the symptoms can be triggered by pressure. This combination of symptoms can also occur in extreme cases of heartburn.

In the case of a combination of sternal pain and shortness of breath, however, it is essential that a medical examination is carried out promptly, as the symptoms may be a medical emergency if they are acute. If the ECG and blood test are unremarkable, a decision on further measures can be made in peace. In the other case, hospitalization must take place.

If the heart is not to blame for the symptoms, an attempt can be made to take a proton pump inhibitor, a drug that blocks stomach acid. As a further diagnostic tool, a gastroscopy can be performed during which the oesophagus is also examined. For more information read the articles:

BWS Syndrome – shortness of breath/respiratory problems
Pain when breathing in – Physiotherapy