Round ligament pain?

[Savasanna]

Can anyone tell me their experiences with round ligament pain? I've been experiencing this constant, achy discomfort/pain (pulling/stretching.. like the early stages of a cramp, kind of) that stretches across the entire lower side of my bump. It started last night, was not as noticeable this morning, but has picked up again all afternoon. The intensity of the ache ranges from just uncomfortable (as if the weight of the belly is just causing discomfort) to strong enough that I need to close my eyes and breath through it. Moving from a sitting to standing position is difficult, and after I empty my bladder I can't even sit up straight. Oh, and the pain is running down my legs as well.

I thought maybe it was Braxton Hicks, but what I'm experiencing doesn't seem to match what I've heard BH feels like. Could this be round ligament pain?

I'm not doubled over or anything, so I don't think it's necessary to phone my doctor.. but I'm also starting to worry as it's been going on a few hours that this has been happening.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[Savasanna]

(in case anyone searches this thread at a later date, I'm 25 weeks at the time of writing this. Also - my baby just started kicking up a storm last night, so maybe she's going through a bit of a growth spurt?? )

 

[SarahA]

Mine is very painful this time. I didn't have much discomfort at all during my first pregnancy, so I was startled this time when I could barely walk or stand up straight because my abs hurt so bad. So far, the worst was 14-18 weeks. It's eased up, but I still get quite a bit of pain at 21 weeks, and I expect I will for the rest of the pregnancy. It's worse after I exercise, but other things aggravate it, too.

I spoke to my doc about it, and she said that any pain higher than a 7-8 out of 10 is worth getting checked out at the hospital, just to be safe. So if you're in a lot of pain, and/or it's persistent, get it checked out. Better to know that nothing's wrong than to miss something you could have caught.

Anyway, I know what you're going through.

 

[oliv]

Hi, I had this on DS, I actually thought I was losing him the pain was so bad so I went to the maternity hospital and they gave me a scan and everything was perfect. They gave me medication and put me on bed rest for a week and I didn't have any problems with it after that

 

[Savasanna]

Yea - I definitely wouldn't classify the pain as a 7, but it's startling how much it hurts at times. I ended up taking the day off from work today and will check in with my doc when they open. Thanks for your replies!

 

[Chickensoup85]

Hello, have you been checked for a uti recently? I ask because I had one that went undiagnosed for a long time because I didn't have any obvious symptoms; however, once it cleared up I realise that pain you describe after emptying your bladder was due to the uti, not just a pregnancy thing like I had assumed. I hope it gets better for you soon!

 

[lilmisscaviar]

Mine has been worse with each pregnancy and is exactly the way you described: a shooting, sharp pain that stops me in my tracks and makes me unable to move. There isn't much you can do about it, unfortunately, except to try to slow down and take it easier. No sudden movements or activities that causes your belly to move around a lot.

 

[vaniilla]

Another with pain like you describe, it's horrendous at times and makes it very hard to stand up/straighten up! you'd think it would decrease with each pregnancy as everything should be stretched already but nope!

 

[xdxxtx]

Sounds like a growth spurt to me! Yes, round ligament pains feel like a horrible pulling pain anywhere in the "exaggerated" bikini line area - sides of vulva up the sides of your bump and underneath across the top of the pelvic line - and I just wanna hunch over and hold myself and cry if it happens because I've stood up too quickly. But when my baby is going through a growth spurt, the stretching pain is so much more frequent, even constant for a day or two. Drink more water, get some rest. This is not one of the most fun parts of pregnancy. Ha!

 

[Mrs.H2016]

Sounds like Sciatic pain your are taking about if it goes down your leg. I have both. The round ligament pain is on the side of your belly not actually over your uterus and at times you will get a sharp stabbing pain in the groin area. Mine was so bad I went to emergency.
I would go see your doctor to figure out which you ladies have. Both are treatable. Sciatic pain Will usually last until you give birth and ligament pain usually last a few days to a week and then goes away.

 

[Savasanna]

Thank you all for your replies! For anyone who is following up at a later time it was round ligament. My doctor said that although RL pain often presents as a sharp, shooting pain that comes and goes, it can also present as a chronic achy/stretchiness. They did check me for a UTI because of the pain while emptying the bladder, however I didn't have one. That was also attributed to the RL pain because the uterus drops when the bladder empties.

Anyway, it was super uncomfortable and was constant from Wednesday - Friday. It started getting better on Saturday (as in, I was able to comfortably walk around) and has been mostly fine since. However, they said I can expect it to come and go in a similar fashion from around now to 32 weeks. Woohoo!

As an added bonus, turns out I have a yeast infection. Oh the joys of pregnancy.

 

[Chickensoup85]

Glad to hear it's all just normal pregnancy pain!

Thanks for updating; I've had some similar over the last week and was starting to worry because everything I'd read about RL said it was a sharp shooting pain but mine, like yours, was more constant and achy.

 

[MoldyVoldy]

Yep to what your dr said! I didn't get the achy crampy feeling with my son until about 20 weeks, but this time it's here at 14. Way to say hello to the second trimester. lol. I do still get the sharp, sudden pains as well if I move too quickly (like rolling over in the middle of the night).