Tender Tingly Darker More ‘sticky Out’ Nipples
Your nipples may also change significantly during the early weeks of pregnancy. “Your nipples may begin to ache, tingle or protrude more than usual,” says midwife Ellie. “The areoles the dark circle around your nipple may also become even darker and larger.”
Tender nipples were the first sign for Tamarabell on our forum. “I started to get a feeling I was pregnant about 1.5 weeks before I was due on, so pretty early,” she says. “I had really tender nipples and sort of butterflies in my tummy for a few days. My test came up positive the week before I was due. The doctor didnt believe it and made me do another one. I just sort of knew that something was different!”
“Who’d have thought we’d ever get excited about sore/dark nipples!” adds lynz_81, who’s been pregnant before. “Be warned: they will only get bigger and darker now!”
Varicose Veins And Leg Oedema
Varicose veins of the legs are very common in pregnancy due to a combination of factors, including increased volume of circulating blood during pregnancy, and pressure of the pregnant uterus on the larger veins. This increased pressure on the veins can also result in swelling of the legs that can cause pain, feelings of heaviness, cramps and other unusual sensations.
If you have varicose veins, it is recommended that you:
- Wear support stockings.
- Avoid standing for long periods.
- Exercise gently and regularly .
- Lie down to rest with feet elevated, when you can.
- Try massaging your legs.
Bleeding And Swollen Gums
Discomfort
The increase in your volume of circulation and supply of certain hormones might cause tenderness, swelling and bleeding of your gums.
Recommendations
- Take proper care of your teeth and gums. Brush and floss regularly.
- Get a dental checkup early in your pregnancy to make sure your teeth and mouth are healthy. See your dentist if you have a problem.
Recommended Reading: What Can Cause Really Bad Lower Back Pain
Frequency And When It Presents
Research shows that around 50% of people who are pregnant will experience low back pain during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. Low back pain during pregnancy can be mild or associated with specific activities. For some people, it can be chronicthat is, pain is persistent and lasts more than three months.
One-third of pregnant people will suffer from severe low back pain that reduces their quality of life, while 10% report that low back pain affects their daily routine and ability to work. For most people, low back pain starts between the fifth and seventh months of pregnancy, but for some, low back pain may occur earlier.
When Is Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy Serious
If your back pain lasts more than two weeks, it’s time to contact your healthcare provider. Call your provider immediately if:
- Your back pain is severe, gets progressively worse, or is caused by trauma.
- Your back pain is accompanied by a fever, vaginal bleeding, or a burning sensation when you pee.
- You’ve lost feeling in one or both legs, or you suddenly feel uncoordinated or weak.
- You have suddenly worsened lower back pain in the late second or early third trimester. This can be a sign of preterm labor, especially if you didn’t have intense back pain previously.
- You have pain in your lower back or in your side just under your ribs, on one or both sides. This can be a sign of a kidney infection, especially if you have a fever, nausea, or blood in your urine.
Lower back pain is just one of pregnancy’s possible discomforts. Read our article on 7 common pregnancy aches and pains to find out what the others are.
Learn more:
BabyCenter’s editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you’re seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.
You May Like: What Is Better For Back Pain Aleve Or Ibuprofen
Difference Between Implantation Cramps And Menstrual Cramps
Implantation cramps are not the same as menstrual cramps. Implantation cramping happens in small spasms, and at times, it is paired with light blood spots. But this bleeding is a far cry from the usual menstrual bleeding. When a woman has implantation cramps, the bleeding along with it is not intense, and the spots are brown and pinkish in colour. Menstrual cramps, on the other hand, are experienced during a period, which occurs usually once in 28 days or so. Menstrual bleeding may intensify over time and the blood will be a vivid shade of red.
What Happens To Your Back During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, changes to your hormones cause the ligaments in your body to relax and stretch to prepare you for labour.
This can put a strain on the joints of your lower back and pelvis, which can cause backache. The weight of your growing baby also puts extra strain on the arch in your lower back.
Read Also: How To Relieve Upper Back Pain
Which Lifestyle Factors Contribute To Lower Back Pain
There are three major lifestyle factors that may affect your chances of developing lower back pain:
- Multiple studies have established a link between smoking and lower back pain. Smoking raises inflammation inside the body and hinders the body from healing itself.
- Obesity is also associated with several types of chronic pain, including lower back pain. In people with high body mass index , the stress on the spine increases, contributing to even more wear and tear.
- Your level of physical activity can also play a role in your lower back health. While a sedentary lifestyle could increase your risk of developing lower back pain, so can excessive or strenuous physical activity. Check with your doctor if you are unsure about your ideal level of physical activity.
Tummy Twinges Pulling And Pinching
These are some of the terms our mums use in our forum when describing the sometimes curious feelings many of us have in our stomachs in early pregnancy.
It might feel like your muscles are being stretched or even pinched from inside, and can seem to be on either side, as forum mum Louis2 who is 5 weeks pregnant, describes. “For the past few days,” she says, “I have been having a few lower abdominal twinges, often on one side, but occasionally on the other.”
“I had abdominal twinges at approx 5 weeks and panicked,” adds xxmrsjohnstonexx. But the doctor said it was just everything stretching and changing and not to worry.
Recommended Reading: How Many Aleve Can You Take For Back Pain
Lower Back Pain In Pregnancy
Mechanical instability in the lumbar spine and pelvis commonly results in lower back pain in pregnant women.
- The lumbar spine undergoes compensatory lordosisan increase in the reverse C-shaped curvaturewhich causes excess strain on the lumbar joints, muscles, ligaments, and discs.
- The psoas muscle in the hip, which stabilizes the spine and helps in hip and leg movements, is shortened due to the compensatory lordosis, exacerbating the lower back pain symptoms.2
Lower back pain symptoms may start at any time during pregnancy. These symptoms may feel like:
- A dull ache or sharp, burning pain in the lower back area
- One-sided pain in the right or left area of the lower and/or mid-back
- Pain that radiates into the back of the thigh and leg, and sometimes into the foot
- Foot drop, a condition characterized by the inability to lift the front part of the foot while walking
Sciatica symptoms typically occur if a lower lumbar and/or upper sacral nerve root is impinged in the lower spine due to a lumbar herniated disc, spondylolisthesis, facet joint disorder, or muscle sprain and spasm.
Women with a history of back pain, pre-existing lower back disorders, multiple pregnancies, and/or those who are in the younger or older age-groups may be at a higher risk of developing lower back pain in pregnancy.2
Avoiding And Easing Back Pain In Pregnancy
Try these tips:
- bend your knees and keep your back straight when you lift or pick something up from the floor
- avoid lifting heavy objects
- move your feet when you turn to avoid twisting your spine
- wear flat shoes to evenly distribute your weight
- try to balance the weight between 2 bags when carrying shopping
- keep your back straight and well supported when sitting look for maternity support pillows
- get enough rest, particularly later in pregnancy
- have a massage or a warm bath
- use a mattress that supports you properly you can put a piece of hardboard under a soft mattress to make it firmer, if necessary
- go to a group or individual back care class
You can take paracetamol to ease back pain while you are pregnant, unless your GP or midwife says not to. Always follow the instructions on the packet.
Recommended Reading: Can Obesity Cause Back Pain
Where Do You Feel Implantation Cramps
Not everyone feels cramping during implantation. However, for those who do, they’re usually felt in the same location as menstrual cramps. Many people detect implantation cramping in their lower abdomen or lower back. Sometimes, implantation cramps only manifest on one side of the body.
Could Lower Back Pain Be Kidney Pain
It absolutely can. Kidneys are located on the back side of your body and kidney pain can sometimes feel like back pain. The only true way to tell the difference is to visit a doctor who can conduct a thorough examination.
Back Pain Causes and Treatments Webinar | Stephanie Van, M.D.
Chronic back pain is a persistent source of discomfort for many adults. In this webinar, our expert Stephanie Van, M.D., discusses common causes of back pain along with strategies for relief.
Also Check: How To Get Rid Of Lower Back Pain Instantly
What Is Lumbar Back Pain During Pregnancy
Lumbar pain occurs in the area of the lumbar vertebrae in your lower back, higher on your body than posterior pelvic pain. It probably feels similar to the lower back pain you may have experienced before you were pregnant. You feel it over and around your spine approximately at waist level.
You also might have pain that radiates to your legs. Sitting or standing for long periods of time and lifting usually make it worse, and it tends to be more intense at the end of the day.
Sour Or Metallic Taste
Forum mum sealeyB says she had a “really metallic taste” in her mouth very soon after ovulation and “it didn’t go for 2 weeks”. And she’s definitely not alone in experiencing this early pregnancy symptom.
“Experiencing strange tastes, known as dysgeusia, is one of the lesser-known but actually quite common early pregnancy signs,” says Dr. Amin Gorgy. And, once again, pregnancy hormones are the culprit.
The metallic taste symptom can vary in its intensity but it’s definitely sour. “Its as if I have sucked 2p pieces!” says forum mum-to-be Deli3.
Don’t Miss: What Does Back Pain Mean
Why You Can Suffer From Lower Back Pain When Youre Only A Few Weeks Pregnant:
When youre not pregnant, and in the first trimester or so of pregnancy, the uterus is contained within the bones of the pelvis.
Many women arent exactly sure what this means, so weve included a photo of the bony pelvis for you to get an idea. Can you see the hollow area in the middle of the ring of the pelvic bones? This is where your uterus normally resides when you are not pregnant, or in the first three months or so of pregnancy.
From the moment of implantation, your uterus will begin to expand in size, ever so slightly each day. Because everything sits quite snugly in this bony ring, this growth will cause displacement of the structures that surround the uterus, meaning that they can in turn start to put pressure on other local structures.
The two structures that are closest to the uterus are your bowel and your bladder. Pressure on these is the reason behind all of those extra trips to the toilet that you probably werent expecting yet, and is also the reason why some women experience lower back pain from such an early stage in their pregnancy.
Types Of Back Pain In Pregnancy
Pregnant women may experience back pain that is localized to the lower back area or radiates into the buttock, thigh, and legs, causing or mimicking sciatica symptoms. The pain may be constant, get worse with activity, interfere with sleep, and/or reduce overall functioning. While the symptoms usually resolve spontaneously after delivery, some conditions may remain as chronic disorders. Women with pre-existing lower back problems are typically at a higher risk of developing pregnancy-related back pain.
During pregnancy, natural anatomic and postural changes cause mechanical challenges to the musculoskeletal system, especially in the lower body. Back pain and pelvic discomfort commonly start between the fifth and seventh month of being pregnant. A small percentage of women may experience pain as early as 4 to 16 weeks.1
Read Also: How To Loosen Your Lower Back
Bloating Is A Sign Of Pregnancy
Its not uncommon for women who are in their first or second week of pregnancy to feel bloated.
According to doctors from the Mayo Clinic, many pregnant women start feeling bloated before their period. Because of this, the bloating feeling may resemble premenstrual bloating, however, there is no period.9
Food Aversions Or Cravings May Also Be A Symptom Of Implantation
Very early in your pregnancy, you may start to experience food aversions or cravings.
Every pregnancy is different, and some women may find that certain foods they used to love now become stomach-wrenching. Whereas at the same time they develop cravings for foods that they never used to care for.
Dr. Anjali Maimal from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston says that hormonal changes have a role to play in changes in food aversions and cravings. These usually peak in the first trimester, however, with some women, the changes in food preferences may last the term of pregnancy.10
Recommended Reading: How To Stretch Lower Back Pain
How Common Is Lower Back Pain In Pregnancy
Back pain is reported by 50-80% of women during pregnancy .
So as much as you dont want to experience it, the good news for you is that youre not alone and there isnt necessarily anything wrong.
The time of onset of this pain varies, with some women experiencing pain from the very early weeks.
Other Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings changes in your hormonal balance. And that can cause other symptoms that include:
- Frequent urination. For many women, this starts around the sixth or eighth week after conception. Although this could be caused by a urinary tract infection, diabetes, or using diuretics, if you’re pregnant, it’s most likely due to hormonal levels.
- Constipation. During pregnancy, higher levels of the hormone progesterone can make you constipated. Progesterone causes food to pass more slowly through your intestines. To ease the problem, drink plenty of water, exercise, and eat plenty of high-fiber foods.
- Mood swings. These are common, especially during the first trimester. These are also related to changes in hormones.
- Headaches and back pain. Many pregnant women report frequent mild headaches, and others experience back pain.
- Dizziness and fainting. These may be related to dilating blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and lower blood sugar.
A pregnant woman could have all of these symptoms, or maybe have only one or two. If any of these symptoms become bothersome, talk with your doctor about them so you can make a plan to offset them.
Show Sources
Also Check: Does Tylenol Help With Back Pain
When Should I See A Doctor If I Have Lower Back Pain
In many cases lower back pain stops on its own. But if it doesnt, here are some guidelines on when you may want to start seeking professional help:
- If the pain lasts four weeks or longer
- If the pain keeps getting worse as time goes by
- If you are experiencing other symptoms, such as fever, major weight loss or weight gain, loss of function or weakness in extremities, bladder problems, etc.
So I’ve Got Some Of These Symptoms Am I Definitely Pregnant
Frustratingly, as we’ve already explained, many of the signs and symptoms of early pregnancy we’ve details above are the same as, or can be easily confused with, the signs and symptoms of PMS or the signs and symptoms that your period’s on its way.
Some of the signs nausea, breast tenderness, mood swings, and a frequent need to wee are, anecdotally, more common signs of pregnancy than others. But you could be pregnant without experiencing any of them. And you may not be pregnant even if you experience them all.
“We will all experience the first signs of pregnancy in completely different ways,” says Dr Amin Gorgy. There is no specific way that you should feel. We are all individuals.”
As wise forum mum gazsgirl says, “Everyone is different and most symptoms are so like period ones, its always hard to know until you see the line.”
Time to take a test if you havent already…
Recommended Reading: How To Relieve Lower Back Pain While Lying Down
