Experiencing Pelvic Pain In Pregnancy? Here's How To Help It

One thing we love about working at Baby2Body is hearing from women (like you!) in this community. We love to know how the app is making a difference in your lives and learn how we can better support you at this time. Recently, we've received a lot of questions on pelvic pain in pregnancy: why it happens, should you be worried about it, how to relieve it, how it might impact your movements, and what exercises are best avoided.

If you've thought about any of these things yourself, you're not alone. Up to 1 in 5 women during pregnancy and at least 1 in 10 women postpartum experience some form of pelvic pain.

Why does pelvic pain happen during pregnancy?

As you progress through pregnancy your body undergoes significant changes in order to create a safe home for your baby and prepare for labor, and one of the common side effects is uncomfortable pain localized in your low back, hips, and pubic area. This pelvic pain is referred to as pelvic girdle pain (PGP) or Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). Frustratingly, this generalized pelvic pain can vary in terms of severity and symptoms experienced, which can make it hard to pin down the cause and best way to treat it.

As your baby grows, they'll place increasing pressure on your uterus, bladder, hips, and pelvic area, so discomfort down there is expected and some degree of pelvic pain is often attributed to that natural pressure. But there are other structural changes at work that can contribute to increased pain.

According to the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a growing uterus shifts your center of gravity by the second and third trimesters, weakening and stretching the abdominal muscles that typically help support the pelvis. This reduced support to your hips places added pressure on them as they support the weight of your growing baby, often resulting in pain.

Your hormones are also at play. Relaxin, which we discuss a lot in the app, is a critical pregnancy hormone that gives baby room to grow by increasing the flexibility of muscle tissue and ligaments. This loosening of those supportive connective tissues destabilizes your hip joints, making them more susceptible to pain.

Communicating with your doctor about pelvic pain during pregnancy

Pain during pregnancy always raises some flags for concern, and it's critical to maintain open communication with your doctor regarding any unexpected pain so they can be involved early on and get you the support you need. We recommend keeping a log of any pain or symptoms you experience so you're prepared at appointment time. Remember, you know your body best, and if something doesn't feel right, be sure to express that and advocate for yourself where possible.

All that said, your body is busy growing a baby so things are moving and shifting and expanding and some degree of pain is expected. We know (from experience) that pelvic pain can be quite startling at first, and frustrating if your doctor or midwife is having difficulty pinpointing the exact cause when you're anxious to feel relief.

One thing that can help is to learn the difference between pelvic pain vs pelvic pressure. They can feel similar but indicate different things going on, and if you learn what to look out for you'll better be able to recognize what you're experiencing, and learn how to best address it or communicate it to your healthcare professional.

Pelvic pain vs. pelvic pressure during pregnancy

Pelvic pain is characterized by a sharp pull on your pelvic muscles that is irritated by certain movements such as coughing, bending over, or some sex positions. You can feel this pain in your pubic bone, lower back, thighs, and round ligament (a ligament that goes from the uterus to the groin and stretches as pregnancy progresses). We recommend this resource to help you better understand round ligament pain.

Pelvic pressure often feels more like a menstrual cramp and is generally localized in the groin, sometimes with pain radiating around to the back. This is more common in the later stages of pregnancy and can be associated with Braxton Hicks contractions, but may also be a sign of cervical effacement and the beginning stages of labor, so it is something to pay attention to.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to "normal" pelvic pain in pregnancy is that you should be able to walk through the pain. If the pain is so bad that you have difficulty walking or moving regularly, you'll want to contact your doctor right away so they can support you with the best route of treatment or determine what else could be going on. Pregnancy is no walk in the park, but you shouldn't have to suffer -- remember that!

What can help ease pelvic pain or prevent it during pregnancy?

If you're experiencing pelvic pain you should discuss it with your medical professional as the causes and intensity can vary. Depending on your situation, your doctor might recommend certain pain relievers, but your best at-home remedies will consist of heating pads and warm baths or even pelvic support belts. Warm compresses can help ease the sharpness of the pain if you notice certain positions or times of day make it worse. But many women find that pelvic support girdles help with day-to-day movement, especially in the later stages of pregnancy.

Exercise can also help! You knew we were going to say that, right?

Routines that strengthen your pelvic floor and support core muscles (back stabilizers, glutes, obliques, and gentle abdominal moves) are often recommended to help treat pelvic pain in a safe and natural way. It might sound counterintuitive if you've found that movement and exercise exacerbate your pain, but this isn't about pushing through the pain. We'll say that again: you should not exercise to push through the pain. If certain motions make pelvic pain worse, do your best to avoid them. But strengthening key muscles around your pelvis can go a long way in reducing pain overall.

Our top exercises to reduce or prevent pelvic pain during pregnancy

We've designed your Baby2Body app experience to address the things we know expecting mamas deal with most often, and that includes managing pelvic pain. We've pulled out some of the moves recommended most by our prenatal fitness experts for managing pelvic pain from the start of your pregnancy. All of these exercises are featured on the Baby2Body app, so we recommend downloading and getting started today if you haven't already.

1. Daily Pelvic Floor Exercises

We include guided pelvic floor exercises in your Daily Bites because you really should be doing them every day (if not 2 or 3 times a day!). Your pelvic floor is the basket of muscles that supports your bladder, your uterus, and all of those lower abdominal organs. It forms the foundation of your core and is critical in helping reduce low back pain, hip pain, and even incontinence during and after pregnancy. Challenge yourself and see if you can do 5 minutes of pelvic floor exercises every day for a week -- and if that seems too easy, make it 2 weeks!

2. The Bird Dog

This is one of our favorite moves because it's safe for all stages of pregnancy and it targets so many supporting core muscles at the same time. You’ll gently work your abdominals, as well as stabilizing muscles in your back, hips, and glutes with this full-body low-impact move. Working to build muscle tone in these areas prior to pregnancy, and then maintaining that muscle tone during pregnancy, will help take pressure off of your pelvis.

3. Pelvic Tilts

These are great if you feel like tight back muscles could be contributing to your pain. Pelvic tilts help loosen up low back muscles and hips through an easy, gentle stretch. During pregnancy your pelvis tilts forward the more baby grows, so helping counteract that with gentle tilts can provide relief. You can do pelvic tilts kneeling on all fours or standing with your back against a wall.

A few final things to look out for

As we've said, pelvic pain is common during pregnancy and usually one of those annoying but unharmful side effects. But, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a sign of something more serious and it's always important to listen to your body when something doesn't feel right. As mentioned above, you should consult your doctor immediately about any significant pain you experience during or after pregnancy. Here are some red flags of pelvic pain to watch out for that could point to a more serious condition:

• Consistent pain that interferes with daily activities and doesn’t go away with sleep

• Severe pain or burning when peeing

• Vaginal bleeding

• Purulent (pus-like) vaginal discharge

• Fever or chills

• Pain not responding to over-the-counter pain medications 

The last thing we want to address is how long pelvic pain lasts. So many women ask this and we wish we had a clear cut answer, but like so much of motherhood, it's unique to every woman. The majority of women find complete relief from pelvic pain within the first 6 months after birth as relaxin levels decrease over this period of time.

If you did not experience pelvic pain during pregnancy but have since giving birth, it's important to discuss that with your doctor or midwife (if you haven't already) as that pain could be a result of your labor and delivery process that may need more targeted treatment and recovery.

Want to know more? Check out this post on 9 tips from a Pregnancy and Postpartum Physiotherapist on managing pelvic pain or leave your questions in the comments below.

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