Therapy /What helps?
Most causes of abdominal pain do not require any form of therapy. Especially contractions at the beginning of a pregnancy are not well treatable, as this is an adaptation of the body to the new circumstances. Premature contractions, on the other hand, must be taken very seriously and may have to be treated in hospital.
In most cases, the affected mothers have to keep a strict bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy and are treated with contraceptive drugs. If the cervix has opened too early, it can be closed again by means of a so-called cerclage on an experimental basis to prevent an ascending infection of the child and an early birth. Relaxation measures such as a warm bath or a hot water bottle often help with harmless abdominal pain as part of the body’s adjustment processes.
In most cases, a resting period already helps to relax the strained muscles and ligaments. Pre-abortion pains can also be alleviated by relaxation measures and calm, deep breaths. If it is only the pre-birth exercise contractions, they should stop of their own accord even after not too long.
In the case of an ectopic pregnancy that causes severe symptoms, surgical removal of the egg from the fallopian tube must be carried out. This is usually done by means of minimally invasive laparoscopy. If the patient’s symptoms improve increasingly beforehand, an attempt can be made to wait for the further course of the pregnancy.
In general, however, surgical removal of the fallopian tubes is also performed here. Alternatively, the body can try to reject the foetus by administering medication, so that surgical removal is no longer necessary. In the case of an inflammation of the fallopian tubes, an attempt is usually made to reduce the symptoms with anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers.
In addition, the patient should be kept on bed rest. The treatment of an ovarian cyst can be carried out either by ultrasound in a wait-and-see manner or by surgical removal (depending on the size). However, if the cyst is already causing symptoms, surgical removal should be considered as soon as possible.
If the pain is the cause of an abortion, the uterus must in many cases be removed in order to avoid complications for a further pregnancy. If cystitis is present, it can often be treated with a lot of fluid at the beginning. In advanced stages of the inflammation, antibiotics may need to be used to treat the inflammation.
Macrolides, cephalosporins or penicillins are used for this purpose. These have no effect on the unborn child and therefore do not pose any danger or risk. If an appendicitis is the cause of the pain, it must always be operated on as soon as possible to prevent the appendix from rupturing. In experienced hands, the operation does not pose any danger to the pregnancy. Even an ectopic pregnancy must be surgically treated as soon as possible to avoid life-threatening complications.
