Lower Back Pain/abdominal Cramping on One Side at 5 Weeks...

Updated on July 21, 2010
J.S. asks from Saint Louis, MO
8 answers

Hi mamas!

I am about 5 weeks pregnant with baby #2. Yesterday I started experiences some very, very dull lower back pain and it shot through to my lower left pelvic area. It was not painful, just mildly uncomfortable. Of course since that was a symptom I did not experience with my son I freaked out and called my doctor's office. They're bringing me in for blood work today. The nurse said that very rarely pain on one side of your abdomen could mean ectopic pregnancy. The pain is in no way severe though and I haven't had it much since then. I actually haven't felt it at all since I had a bowel movement (sorry for the TMI!). My question is, could pain on one side of my abdomen be a result of constipation or gas or should I actually be concerned? Sorry to bother you with such a silly question. I am sure I'm being extra paranoid. I forgot how much you worry when you're pregnant! Thanks mamas!

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

That could very well be the culprit but I would head to the dr to be on the safe side. Good Luck and congrats.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Absolutely follow-up with the doctor.

At 9 weeks, with my second child's pregnancy, I had excrutiating pain that required 2 trips to the ER in a week. Ultrasounds didn't show anything, but the suspected diagnosis was Kidney Stones. The radiologist would not perform the contrast tests at 13 weeks despite both the Urologist and OB OK'ing the procedure.

It was on my left lower flank. Right side pain can also be appendix related, but it's usually quite severe and accompanied by fever.

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T.C.

answers from Chicago on

Since you're going to the dr. anyway, ask for an ultrasound. I had mild cramping early on w/ my 1st. The dr. wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure it wasn't ectopic. It wasn't & all was well. Get an ultrasound done just to be sure & ease your mind. It could very well be nothing. Congrats!

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A.B.

answers from St. Louis on

If it's an ectopic, it can cause your tube to rupture and cause infertility later (not to mention put your health seriously at risk.) All it takes to rule it out is an ultrasound to see where the sac is. I definitely don't think you are overreacting or overly paranoid. This is something you should have checked out just to be on the safe side.

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T.H.

answers from Chicago on

If they're bringing you in to investigate, it sounds like you'll be in good hands and trying to guess what it is (because it's just guesswork) won't help at all. Every pregnancy is different.
Good luck.

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T.M.

answers from Kansas City on

We've had some experience with constipation in our house lately. My 5 yo granddaughter came to spend the night, she kept saying her leg hurt especially if she had been sitting a while. The next morning she said she couldn't get up. We took her to the ER and when they X-rayed her for a hip problem they saw that she was extremely constipated, after an enema she was fine. She had normal BM's up to that time and the doctor said sometimes it happens that way.
My advice is for you to increase your fiber intake drink lots of water and fruit juices and definitely follow up with your doctor if the pain comes back. I've had 3 kids and each pregnancy was different, the baby could have just been laying differently in a way that put pressure on something. As long as you've let the doctor know and you don't have any more pain, I'd guess it was constipation or just plain gas!

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J.B.

answers from St. Louis on

I had some similar pain in my first trimester with #3. It was very painful and discomforting. It started in my abdomen and within time went to my chest and arms. The pain lasted a couple of days. My doctor ran some tests and nothing came up. Eventually I took some gas x medicine and it done the trick.

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K.N.

answers from Kansas City on

Congratulations on your pregnancy! With my pregnancy, I had a lot of cramping and a little spotting, so my ob had me come in for blood work to confirm that my hcg levels were high enough to see something on an ultrasound. When they were, we did an ultrasound to confirm that the baby was right where she should be rather than in one of the fallopian tubes. My cramping was never extremely intense, but it was enough that I was worried about it. Fortunately, for me, it was a normal sign of pregnancy.

Hopefully, you'll get the same news! I'm sure that your little one is just digging down deep in there to find a good spot to grow! Good luck!

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