HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Contact your midwife, lead maternity carer (LMC) or general practice team immediately or go to the Emergency Department if you have pain and:
Stomach (abdominal) pains or cramps are common in early pregnancy. They are usually not a concern. But they can sometimes be a sign of something more serious that needs to be checked.
If your pain is mild and goes away if you move, rest, do a poo or pass wind, it is usually nothing to worry about.
Common cause of pain include:
Constipation, bloating and wind are more common in pregnancy and can cause stomach pain.
Ligaments are the strong cords of fibrous tissue that hold bones, joints and organs in place. They need to stretch to support your growing pregnancy. This can feel like a sharp cramp on one or both sides of your lower stomach.
An infection in your bladder can cause lower stomach pain. You may also to need to go to the toilet more often and have a burning sensation when passing wee (urine). If you think you have UTI, it is important to get it checked as you will need this treating with antibiotics.
You can get crampy lower stomach pain with a miscarriage.
Other symptoms of a miscarriage are:
Contact your midwife, LMC or general practice team or call Healthline on 0800-611-116 for advice if you have pain and any of these symptoms.
If the fertilised egg does not make it to your womb, it is called an ectopic pregnancy.
As well as stomach pain you may have:
Contact your midwife, LMC or general practice team or call Healthline on 0800-611-116 for advice if you have pain and any of these symptoms.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed November 2024.
See also:
Review key: HIHCP-311277