Look around you and you will generally notice that pregnant women generally seem to have one hand on the belly and the other seems to be holding the waist. This is due to pregnant back pain. Back pain and pregnancy seem to go together. In fact, reports reveal that a minimum of 50% women will complain of back pain during pregnancy.

One cause of pregnant back pain is the change in posture that is a natural outcome of pregnancy. Pregnant women adjust their posture to accommodate and balance the extra weight of the pregnancy. This change in posture puts a strain on the back, as does the extra weight, resulting in low back pain.

During pregnancy, the body releases increasing amounts of the hormone Relaxin. The hormone is essential to accommodate the pregnancy and to ease delivery. Relaxin causes the ligaments of the uterus to relax and distribute the weight of the pregnancy to the spine and back too in order to maintain balance to the body and ease the burden from the abdomen. When the spine shares the weight of the pregnancy, it causes low back pain.

The weight of the growing fetus increases as pregnancy progresses. Bearing the increasing weight puts a burden on the abdominal muscles. The pregnant woman will adjust her gait to a waddle that makes it easier to bear this burden. The change in gait will result in a natural redistribution of burden so that some of the burden is borne by the spine and its muscles and ligaments. This then causes a dull ache in the lower back and in the lower abdominal area.

During pregnancy the mother-to –be experiences stressful periods that are to be expected. The stressful periods related to pregnancy have to do with bodily changes and feelings of tiredness, fatigue and also due to difficulty in sleeping. Aside from the natural stress of pregnancy, there may be stress related to daily living conditions. In either case, stress manifests itself as low back pain. Gentle soothing back rubs may alleviate the stress related lower back pain.

In order to minimize the discomfort of pregnant back pain, your doctor may advise exercises like pelvic tilts. Doing the exercises will strengthen the back and prepare you for an easier delivery. It is also advisable to bend at the knee and use your leg and thigh muscles when lifting objects. Bending at the waist imposes additional stress on the back and the resulting pregnant back pain can be quite distressing.

Avoid wearing high heels during pregnancy as high heels will misalign the spinal muscles causing unnecessary back pain. Sleeping on your side will also be easier for you, and will ease the burden on the lower back. Most important, get adequate rest and take the time to sit down and elevate the legs to ease the stress on the lower back. Remember, pregnant back pain is the norm, but a few precautions will ease lower back pain.

One of the discomforts associated with pregnancy is occasional pains in the abdomen, the back and even in the legs. Though most pain during pregnancy is expected, some pains should not be ignored and medical attention must be sought at the earliest.

Abdominal pain during pregnancy is quite natural and is generally harmless. However, if the pain is persistent, does not subside after a short rest and is accompanied by other symptoms, you must contact your doctor immediately. These symptoms include spotting, vaginal discharge or bleeding, fevers, and vomiting.

Ectopic pregnancy causes severe abdominal pain. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg lodges itself in the wrong place. In other words, instead of the uterus, the egg implants itself in the fallopian tubes. Within a few weeks after fertilization, sometimes even before the woman knows she is pregnant, the patient will begin to experience distressing symptoms. Abdominal pain will probably be the first symptom and it will continue to get worse especially with movement, and also with coughing. The woman will also experience spotting or bleeding, and the color may vary from the regular blood red to a brownish tinge. Bleeding may be continuous or intermittent but the cramps, fever, chills. Nausea and vomiting along with the pain will definitely be alarming. The patient may even lapse into shock. This is nature’s signal that all is not right. In fact it is a medical emergency and if not attended to can cause the fallopian tube to rupture causing infertility. Cases of ruptured fallopian tubes have also resulted in fatality.

Spotting or bleeding during pregnancy is also a common problem and doctors usually recommend that the patient rests until the condition passes. However, if the pregnant woman begins to experience abdominal pain along with the spotting or bleeding, it is a matter of grave concern, especially if it happens in the second trimester or within twenty weeks of the pregnancy. It generally signals that there is danger of miscarriage.

Pregnant women can even go into preterm labor earlier than 37 weeks into the pregnancy. Abdominal pain, back pain, unusual or tinged vaginal discharge and increase in pressure in the pelvic area are all signs of preterm labor. This condition is also a medical emergency and hospitalization may be required.

Another serious pregnancy complication is if the placenta separates partially or fully from the uterus. This condition will cause abdominal pain as well as low back pain. Contractions and spasms will occur and there will be a general feeling of discomfort.

Preeclampsia results from high blood pressure during pregnancy. Bloating of the body, puffiness around the eyes and abdominal pain are some of the symptoms to watch out for.

Aside from the very serious conditions discussed, other conditions that cause abdominal and back pain such as appendicitis, urinary tract infection, gall bladder stones and kidney stones can occur during pregnancy. The conditions on their own may not be alarming, but when they occur during a pregnancy, the risks to the mother and baby are rather high.

Being pregnant can be very exciting for first time mom-to-be and even for seasoned moms. If you suspect you are pregnant, it might be a good idea to get yourself a home pregnancy test kit and run the test to confirm your assumptions. How do women begin to assume that they are pregnant? The classic signs and symptoms will inform you that you could be pregnant. Some women experience a number of symptoms while others may experience only a couple of symptoms. No problem, either situation is perfectly normal.

Early pregnancy warning signs and symptoms are classic indicators of a possible pregnancy. Ten of the most common signs are:-
•    Missed menstrual period
•    Nausea, especially in the morning
•    Tender breasts
•    Extreme fatigue
•    Frequent urination
•    Headache
•    Heartburn
•    Constipation
•    Spotting
•    Feeling of faintness

As soon as you have confirmed that you are pregnant, make an appointment with your doctor, who will then guide you through a safe, healthy and pleasurable pregnancy. As a pregnant mother you may experience mood swings too. The slightest issue will make you dissolve into tears. Don’t worry, mood swings are part of being pregnant. You must discuss the ‘moody behavior’ with you significant other; this will ensure his support and understanding during the wonderful period that is pregnancy.

The first three months or the first trimester of the pregnancy, is called the early pregnancy stage. During this stage the baby to be begins to take shape. In the first month the organism is about half n inch long and the heart and lungs have begun to develop. In fact the heart has already started beating. During the second month the organism has all the vital organs and weighs about an ounce. This is when the nausea and morning sickness usually starts for the mother-to-be. Probably it is nature’s way of warning you that you need to be careful to nurture the life of the new organism in your womb. It is important to visit your doctor and learn about nurturing the new life form. It is time to take vitamins, calcium and folic acid; and also to start caring about your diet to ensure a healthy baby. You may have food cravings too that need to be satisfied, and the hormonal changes may cause acne break out that can be extremely distressing.

During the third month, you can hear the baby’s heartbeat through a stethoscope. The baby has fingers and toes not also soft nails. By the end of the third month, the baby is about four inches long and weighs about an ounce or a little more. It is important that you don’t put on too much weight during your pregnancy. Too much weight can cause undue back pain and also difficulty in delivery. It is equally important that you eat well and do put on the required amount of weight because the baby needs nourishment and so do you. Good food and adequate rest are the best things you can do for yourself and for your baby while you are pregnant.

Back pain during pregnancy is quite common. It occurs due to the extra weight of the pregnancy, plus the altered posture of being pregnant. However, you should be careful while climbing and descending stairs and lifting objects. Unnecessary strain to the back may result in chronic back pain during the pregnancy making it difficult to sit stand and move around.

You will often see pregnant women holding their back as though in pain. This is due to the fact that pregnancy related back pain is a naturally occurring phenomenon. One cause of back pain during pregnancy is the hormonal changes that occur during this condition. Other expected causes include additional weight of the pregnancy and also the change in posture during pregnancy; both put a strain on the back and cause back pain.

Back pain can occur any time during pregnancy but is more common in the later stages due to the increasing weight of the fetus. Stress related back pain during pregnancy will be experienced during stressful periods related to the pregnancy or if the mother-to-be is distressed due to conditions of daily living.

Though back pain during pregnancy is expected, it needs to be attended to make the pregnancy a more pleasant experience and also to ensure that back pain does not become a chronic post pregnancy health issue.

Low back pain during pregnancy that lasts for several weeks or months may indicate that the pain is likely to continue after the pregnancy is over. In case of post partum low back pain that persists beyond a few weeks, help must be sought to prevent the condition from developing into a chronic ailment.

Women with a preexisting condition of back pain may experience back pain in the lower back starting during early pregnancy stages.

Back pain during pregnancy can be Lumbar or lower back pain. This condition is similar to low back pain in non-pregnant women. It is generally at the waist level in the center of the back. Muscle tenderness along the back is a common co-occurrence of this type of lumbar or lower back pregnancy pain.
More common however, is Posterior pelvic pain during pregnancy. The pain may occur on the right, the left or on both sides simultaneously. Posterior pelvic pregnancy pain is a deep pain felt to the side below the waistline. Posterior pelvic pregnancy pain can be caused by climbing stairs, lifting heavy objects, rolling in bed, lifting, twisting, bending walking or running. Pre-pregnancy level of fitness does not necessarily mean that the pregnant woman will not experience this pain.

Back pain due to labor pain is a common condition. It is much like menstrual cramps that cause a dull pain and cramping in the lower back.

Back pain along with pregnancy symptoms plus other accompanying symptoms may be due to ectopic pregnancy. The symptoms include severe pelvic pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain along with faintness dizziness, severe bleeding, nausea and vomiting. Ectopic pregnancies could be life-threatening and need to be attended to at the earliest. An untreated ectopic pregnancy could result in rupturing the fallopian tubes causing infertility.

Yet another reason for back pain during pregnancy could be due to a miscarriage. However, miscarriages will be accompanied by one or more other symptoms, like heavy bleeding, nausea and vomiting, cramping in the stomach and mild to severe back pain.

When patients with low back pain visit the doctor, they are in usually in great discomfort. The doctor therefore tries to ease the initial discomfort before proceeding further. In most cases the doctor will prescribe oral pain medication, pain relieving applications, and if advisable, rubs and massages, heat or cold pack and other agents to relieve the pain. When the patient is comfortable, the doctor will begin investigation into the cause of the pain, which may require undergoing a number of diagnostic tests including imaging procedures.

Doctors, as a rule, start with less complex medication in an effort to bring relief to the sufferer. Therefore, the first group of pain medication prescribed is the acetaminophen based pain killers. These included generic formulas as well as branded ones such as Tylenol. However, this group of pain killers does ease pain and fever, but is less effective in combating inflammations.

Another group of pain medication is called the NSAIDs or Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Asprin is the best known brand of this category. The drugs have analgesic as well as anti-inflammatory effect. Though they may be more effective in some cases than the acetaminophen group, they are generally less well-tolerated.

Yet another group of medicines used as back pain medicine are the muscle relaxants. Low back pain in cases follows a pain spasm pain cycle. In order to prepare the patient for further therapy it is important that the spams are controlled. Muscle relaxants break the cycle and increase the range of motion allowing the patient to regain mobility after pain relief. Muscle relaxants have a sedative effect and should be monitored. The patients should also be cautioned against driving and using machinery.

Opioids are prescribed as back pain medicine in cases where the patient has not been able to obtain relief from other groups of pain killers. However the stigma associated with them and the degree of monitoring required to achieve balance without dependence places these drugs in ‘last resort’ category.
Corticosteroids have been used as oral therapy over the last couple of decades in the treatment of sciatica and acute low back pain. These drugs are administered in a tapering dose for approximately one week. The pain relief effect is dramatic, but the associated side effects are drastic therefore the drugs are only administered for limited duration to relieve back pain.

Colchicine has been used in acute cases of gout to bring pain relief. It has also been used in resistant disc disorders but its efficacy as a back pain medicine is yet to be determined. Another group of drugs that have been used with some degree of effectiveness in low back pain is the tricyclic anti-depressants. However, the care in administrating and the adverse reactions do not make them the drug category of choice.