What Is Round Ligament Pain During Pregnancy, and How Do You Deal With It?

Many women discover, as they move into the final stage of their pregnancies, that the aches and pains they have already suffered were not the only surprises their pregnancy had in store for them! Round ligament, pain during pregnancy usually begins later on in your pregnancy, and it can be a constant source of mild to excruciating pain. In this article, we look at what round ligament pain is, what you can do about it, and whether it is a cause for concern.

What Is Round Ligament Pain During Pregnancy?

To understand what round ligament pain during pregnancy is, we first need to understand what round ligaments themselves are. These ligaments are the structure that keeps the uterus suspended in position under normal circumstances. During the later stage of pregnancy, those ligaments soften, due to hormonal changes in the body, and with the added weight of your growing uterus and baby, they can be stretched even further, which is painful.

What Can You Do About Round Ligament Pain During Pregnancy?

Unfortunately for most women, unless you are suffering from an extreme case, associated with endometriosis or another serious condition, most doctors are unwilling to perform corrective surgery for cases of round ligament pain during pregnancy.

Getting plenty of rest, doing a little gentle exercise every day, practicing pregnancy massage techniques (particularly combined with warm or cold compresses), and a mild, pregnancy safe analgesic or pain killer is the only solution for round ligament pain during pregnancy for most women. Some women find that bracing themselves when coughing, sneezing, or otherwise exerting their abdominal muscles also helps.

You will quickly find, if you are suffering from this problem, that strenuous exercise or exertion only makes it worse, so make sure that you take the final months of your pregnancy extra slow if you are suffering from this problem.

Is Round Ligament Pain During Pregnancy Dangerous?

Round ligament pain during pregnancy is painful, uncomfortable, and very unpleasant, and it can make the last few weeks or months of your pregnancy very unpleasant. However, it is not, in itself, a dangerous condition. It will slow you down a little for a while, but it is not dangerous for you or your child.

That having been said, if you are suffering from abdominal or pelvic pain, you should always refer to your doctor, for a concrete diagnosis of RLP. There are many other conditions with similar symptoms, that can be dangerous, and self-diagnosis is almost impossible.

Once you have got a diagnosis from your doctor, and a confirmation that you are, in fact, suffering from RLP, you can start practising pregnancy massage techniques, resting more, and using pregnancy safe painkillers to soothe the pain.

The good news is that in most cases, RLP that is caused by pregnancy will disappear on it's own within a few days or weeks of giving birth, so be patient, and you should be just fine.

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