Is It Normal To Have Intermittent Abdominal Pain While Trying To Conceive?

Posted on Wed, 8 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 8 Jan 2014 Answered on

Tue, 28 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, This is regarding pregnancy. My wife was supposed to get her periods on 1 st of XXXXXXX 2014. So we are assuming she is pregnant. She will take a pregnancy self check in a week. Problem is, She is having a very little pain on both sides of the abdomen. Pain is not consistant. It comes at random times. This pain will not last longer. It bothers her couple of times. I heard from others that the pain could be because of excessive heat. She also complains about legs pain. By the way, She is a software engineer. Are these symptoms common in pregnant ladies? Should we consult a doctor ASAP or can we wait for one more week till she takes a self test for pregnancy? Please suggest

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Pregnancy cannot yet be assumed sir Detailed Answer: Hello sir and welcome. Thank you for writing to us. I respect and admire the concern you have for your wife. I would like to start by saying that pregnancy is not the only cause for a delayed period in a woman who otherwise has a regular menstrual cycle. There are many other causes like infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, stress, etc; that can all cause a delay in periods as well as present with pain around the lower abdomen which can radiate to the legs as well. Do please ask your wife if she has any of the following symptoms and write back to me sir: -Burning sensation while urinating -Frequent urination -Increased urge to urinate, but less amount of urine passed -Chills -Fever -Lower abdominal and/or flank region pain -Itching around the genitals -Blood in urine or immediately after (not always seen) I would suggest you take the home pregnancy test now, but only using an early morning urine sample and write back to me. We will have to confirm or rule out pregnancy first, and then decide our next move. For now, I do not think there is an emergency to report to a doctor immediately. We can wait, but during this wait we will have to paint a more clear picture on the possible diagnosis. Looking forward to your response sir. Please feel free to write to me about any other clarifications as well, I would be more than happy to help you. Best wishes.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar