Pain in Ear Cartilage During Pregnancy

I had a bizarre rushing sound in my right ear while I was pregnant, and a pounding all the time that was so distracting I nearly couldn't hear. I got no answers whatsoever, but imagined that the increased blood volume caused some kind of vascular issue.

When I get a sore ear like yours, I just joke that I slept on it wrong. Perhaps it's also related to the vastly increased blood volume. You could try one of those contoured neck pillows, I have one and haven't had nearly the sore ears I used to get when I bunched a pillow up around my head. (if acid reflux is bad and you can't sleep flat, try propping the mattress up, but still use a contoured memory foam neck pillow.)

It sounds like some kind of a circulation problem.

I've gotten this several times when not pregnant. I've never tried to figure out what it was haha I usually wake up just barely and realize it's hurting, but too tired to really do anything but roll over!

But I agree with the circulation problem. I think we must be laying in just the right way to press against the right spots to block circulation.

I never had pain, but I did have a numb spot each time I was pregnant. It was annoying, but that was it.

You might be sleeping differently since you are pregnant......sometimes, I lay wrong, and my ear hurts really bad.....and even gets sore.........maybe since you are pregnant, you are laying on your ear strangely and it's causing it to hurt.........do you have a pillow to put between your knees when you sleep? That might help.......then maybe you won't move around as much....

Good Luck and take care.

I am totally having this exact thing. I know this post is old, but I found it by googling this problem. I have always slept on my side and since being pregnant, I wake up with this horrible throbbing ear pain in the cartilage like I am squishing my own ear when I sleep or something. When I roll over it happens again on the other side. It's like a vicious cycle through the night. Did anyone find out what was causing this exactly?

I had night time ear aches while pregnant too. I don't know if it was exactly outer, but had the throbbing. With me too, when I turned over it'd subside, only to happen on the other side! But I don't have it when I'm not pregnant. Never asked about it though as it always went away...