Many women only learn more about round ligaments when they suffer from round ligament pain during pregnancy.
They are among the most common pregnancy complaints .
What are uterine ligaments, where are they located and why do they hurt during pregnancy?
How can you tell if it’s your ligaments if you feel stretching pain?
What does this pain feel like and where can it occur?
Here you will find answers to these and other questions.
Round ligament pain – what does it feel like?
Some women compare sore ligaments to menstrual pain .
In fact, cramping, dull, or stabbing pain often occurs .
The unpleasant feeling may also remind you of a sore or strained muscle .
You will especially feel the discomfort when you exert yourself, get up from a chair or bed, carry something, or even stand and walk.
Later, your baby’s movements also lead to stretching pain.
What are ligaments?
The round and strong ligaments stabilize your body, hold the uterus upright and pull along the sides of your uterus to the pubic bone.
The uterus is located in the pelvis and is surrounded by the ovaries, vagina, bladder and rectum.
Thus, there is a lot of connective tissue and ligaments in a woman’s pelvis that hold everything together.
The uterine ligaments are an important part of this network and run along both sides of the pelvic wall.
They consist of the round ligament (ligamentum teres uteri) and the broad ligament (ligamentum latum uteri).
The round one pulls the uterus forward to the labia majora, while the wide one attaches it to the pelvic rim.
The uterus actually floats almost in a floating position in the pelvis. The ligaments hold the uterus in position while allowing it to remain flexible.
This allows more space for the bladder and bowel when they are full, allowing the baby to grow naturally.
Why does round ligament pain occur?
During pregnancy, your uterus grows and so do the uterine ligaments that extend into your abdominal cavity.
The round ligaments grow up to four times larger during pregnancy and become about as thick as a pencil.
The uterine ligaments also become increasingly steeper in the pelvis and change the direction in which they run.
The further the pregnancy progresses, the larger and heavier the uterus becomes.
Shortly before birth, the uterus weighs between 1 kg and 1.5 kg. For comparison, the uterus initially weighs just 70 grams.
It increases in volume by about a hundredfold until birth.
Now you can better imagine how much stretch the ligaments experience over time and what extraordinary weight they have to bear!
And that can also be uncomfortable and lead to pain.
But don’t worry – as your body recovers, your ligaments will also recover.
However, it may take several months for them to return to their original position.
Round ligament pain – Where do you feel the stretching pain?
You can feel the stretching of the uterine ligaments in your lower abdomen, sides, groin and hips .
But the pubic area can also be affected by stretching pain. So don’t be surprised if you experience stabbing pain in your labia .
The pain may also radiate into the sacrum . Sometimes you may only feel a one-sided pulling sensation in the groin area .
When do the ligaments start to pull?
Although many pregnant women complain of stretching pain, especially in the second trimester , it can occur as early as early pregnancy .
Then they are also one of the first signs of pregnancy.
Most often, pain in the ligaments is to be expected between the 15th week of pregnancy (SSW) and the 25th week of pregnancy, when the baby bump also experiences a significant growth spurt.
However, they can occur as early as the 8th week of pregnancy.
How long do ligaments hurt?
Many women report that the pain subsides from the end of the second trimester, i.e. from the 28th week of pregnancy.
By the way, ligament pain usually doesn’t last for long periods of time, but only for a few minutes . However, it can occur several times throughout the day.
Painful ligaments – What can you do to relieve painful ligaments?
The unpleasant stretching pain usually goes away on its own, but can be quite annoying.
It’s understandable that the expectant mother is looking for countermeasures. Here are some first aid tips.
Fast relief from acute round ligament pain
• Put your feet up and rest. This will relieve pressure on your ligaments after sitting for long periods.
• Treat painful areas with a hot water bottle .
• Treat yourself to a massage with massage oil or oil compress or use wraps made from lavender, rosewood or chamomile.
• A warm bath can also help. But please only use lukewarm water!
• Try pregnancy yoga : The cat-cow exercise in particular is good for the ligaments.
What round ligament pain wants to communicate
If you feel stretching pain in your ligaments after physical exertion, it is no coincidence: your body is trying to tell you to give yourself more rest.
Proper posture is also important. It’s no wonder that pain is especially noticeable after prolonged sitting.
When standing and walking, do not arch your back, but tilt your pelvis slightly forward.
Please make sure that you not only lift your legs regularly, but also get enough exercise.
This is at least as important during pregnancy as a healthy diet . Regular walks and light exercise are definitely beneficial.
Finally, it’s best to wear flat shoes during pregnancy . A support belt might also help. Ask your midwife how to use it correctly.
When to see a doctor?
If you experience severe pain, you should definitely call your midwife and see your gynaecologist.
These could be uterine contractions and premature labor. Dizziness, painful urination, diarrhea, and vomiting also require investigation.
Serious complications such as kidney stones or appendicitis must be ruled out.
It’s good to know what contractions feel like early on . But medical advice is better to determine for sure that it’s just sore ligaments.
Final thoughts
Round ligament pain is one of the typical pregnancy complaints that troubles expectant mothers.
Stretching of the uterine ligaments is to be expected, especially in the second trimester, but also in early pregnancy from about the 8th week of pregnancy.
This is also the time when the uterus and baby bump are growing, so sore ligaments are not uncommon.
A hot water bottle and raising the legs can help relieve pain in the lower abdomen, back, pubic area and groin.
In this article, you learned what ligaments actually are, what the pain feels like, where it occurs, and what can relieve it.
If you experience severe pain or other abnormalities such as fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, you should definitely have your gynecologist examine you.
However, the pain is usually mild and goes away quickly on its own. For most pregnant women, the pain is over by the third trimester.
Give yourself enough rest and exercise and pamper yourself, because your baby will be here soon!
