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Cramping in Early Stages of Pregnancy
Written by Barbara Lurie   
The thought of having a baby and then seeing him/her growing up, nurturing and incorporating the right morals and attitudes, is an exciting but an extremely demanding phase that continues for a lifetime. The first step of this journey starts when a woman gets pregnant. However exciting it may seem, but pregnancy is a period when a woman experiences many physical changes happening inside her body. Right from the time when she conceives, the early pregnancy symptoms start showing. Some of the changes and discomforts that a woman undergoes are extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea/vomiting or morning sickness as it is called, headaches, frequent urination, indigestion and abdominal pain or cramping.

Abdominal pain in early stages of pregnancy , also known as sporadic abdominal discomfort, is just one of the signs that the uterus is preparing itself to carry the fetus over the next nine months. Thus, early pregnancy cramps are not to be worried about, but if the problem exists for a long time or if the pain gets unbearable, then consulting a doctor is highly advised. Although these cramps are normal and are felt by almost all women during the early stages of pregnancy, but excessive pain may mean some problematic conditions, like ectopic pregnancy .

In the first two weeks after conception, when the fertilized egg takes a form of ball of cells and gets implanted on the walls of the uterus, sometimes the implantation of the egg takes place outside the uterine cavity, usually in the fallopian tube itself, which can cause severe cramping in the early stages of pregnancy. The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are cramps, tender lower abdomen, brown spotting or bleeding, shoulder pain, dizziness and nausea or vomiting.

Abdominal cramps can also be the result of one of the following reasons:

  • Since some hormonal changes occur in the early stage of pregnancy, the digestive system gets slowed down, which can result in cramping due to bloating and gastric problem.
  • The increased pressure from the uterus on the abdomen can also result in abdominal cramps during early stages of pregnancy.
  • Constipation is one of the early signs of pregnancy, which is caused due to the increased pressure the uterus puts on the intestine and thus results into cramping.
  • Indigestion or heartburn, caused due to the gastroesophaegal reflux disorders (GERD) make the acids from the stomach flow up in the body, which causes nausea or vomiting and is also one of the reasons for abdominal cramps.
  • Cramping in the early stages of pregnancy is one of the common symptoms and thus is not to be worried about much. In order to make the body strong and ready to carry the growing fetus, one can follow some easy precautions, like:
  • Do not take any pain relieving medicines, as they can prove extremely dangerous for the growing fetus.
  • A healthy diet including lots of cereals and fiber can help improve the digestive system, which gets slowed down due to the hormonal changes in the early stage of pregnancy.
  • Abstaining from sexual intercourse is one of the options, which can bring some relief from abdominal cramps. Though physical intimacy doesn't harms the baby or the mother, but the cramping and spotting can cause serious psychological tensions for the mother.
  • To prevent cramping and back pain in pregnancy, the women should take adequate rest and should also indulge in some light exercises, so as to prepare the body for the proceeding changes in the body.

Usually the early pregnancy tiredness and fatigue disappear within three months of the pregnancy. The second trimester, i.e fourth to sixth month is a stable period in which the body gets adjusted to the gradual changes happening in and outside the body. The last trimester is one stage when some women complain of the pain that they faced during the early stages of pregnancy. Throughout the nine months, a woman undergoes many physical as well as psychological changes, mostly due to the changing hormone levels. Cramping may appear again in the last trimester of the pregnancy.

The cramps that a women feels is during the implantation stage, which is thus called implantation cramping, whereas the cramping felt during the second and third trimester is called round ligament pain, which is caused because the muscles of the uterus grow and expand in order to support the weight of the uterus and the baby as it grows. Cramping, is thus one of the normal things to occur during pregnancy, but if the pain gets unbearable, a doctor should be consulted. Pregnancy may sound as a tough and demanding phase, but at the same time it is an exciting phase where a woman can feel life curling inside her body.
 
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