Round Ligament Pain

Round Ligament Pain

Short, sharp pain in the lower abdominal region is quite common in pregnancy. Here is some advice on how to handle round ligament strain.

Mrs X was 30 weeks pregnant when she felt this sharp stabbing pain down the lowerpart of her tummy, “I doubled over and thought my appendix had burst.
The pain subsided, but I called my doctor anyway, as I was very alarmed. He assured me that it was very common in pregnancy. If I move too fast or make an awkward movement the pain comes back and it sometimes extends into my groin.

I could be reaching out to grasp something or just lying on my bed. It makes me tensed up an hold my breath. Sometimes the pain is excruciating. Sometimes it’s on both sides but very often it’s on the right.”

Take a deep breath

You’ve probably never even heard of such a thing as “round ligament” until now. They are found on either side of your uterus and support the uterus in the abdominal cavity. These short, round, strong ligaments stretch to accommodate the growing uterus. But the stretching makes them sensitive and irritated an a sudden awkward movement may cause them to go into spasm or cramp up, which is what causes the pain.
Pregnancy hormones makes all the ligaments in the body more supple and elastic, and it’s the stretching effect on the round ligaments that causes most of the pain and discomfort. You will probably feel this pain in subsequent pregnancies as well. Round ligament strain is most likely to occur in mid pregnancy and could continue until well in to the third trimester.

What to do:

• Avoid sudden jerking movement, taking care especially when twisting from the
  waist.
• When you get out of bed in the morning, be sure to move slowly and to turn
  your hips and shoulders at the same time as you roll from your side.
• When the pain strikes, turn or lean towards the pain and take a deep breath. This will release the spasm and relieve the pain. Do not hold your breath.