Enlarging uterus

Your intestines are the first organs to shift due to your enlarging uterus. As your uterus expands and your weight increases, you might experience a change in your center of gravity. Try these tips for managing the shift.

During pregnancy, there is increased water retention due to hormones, the weight of the enlarging uterus including amniotic fluid, placenta and the growing fetus.

At the same time that your lung capacity decreases due to the physical constraint of an enlarging uterus, the respiratory center in the brain is stimulated by progesterone to get you to take deeper breaths.

You may need to urinate more often as your enlarging uterus presses on your bladder. The same pressure may cause you to leak urine when sneezing, coughing or laughing. To help prevent urinary tract infections, urinate whenever you feel the urge.

Back pain is thought to be due to multiple factors, which include shifting of the center of gravity caused by the enlarging uterus, increased joint laxity due to an increase in relaxin, ...

The enlarging uterus puts pressure on the major veins of the pelvis slowing the blood flow through them and causing back pressure on the other veins such as those of the leg. This is also the reason that hemorrhoids sometimes occur during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the enlarging uterus puts pressure on a woman's bladder, causing frequent urination (usually only small amounts of urine).

As progesterone softens ligaments and relaxes muscles in the body, it may cause the round ligaments, which suspend the enlarging uterus, to stretch and cause pain.

Sciatica Pain in the lower back, buttocks and legs, often caused by pressure of the enlarging uterus on the sciatic nerve. See Sciatic Nerve. More about Sciatica: Expert Q&A: Why am I experiencing numbness and pain in my hip and upper leg area?

You may need to urinate more often as your enlarging uterus presses on your bladder during the first few months of pregnancy. The same pressure may cause you to leak urine when sneezing, coughing or laughing.

In later pregnancy, or with a transvaginal approach, (the probe is introduced into the vagina), a full bladder is not necessary. The enlarging uterus is quite nicely positioned above the pubic bone and the fluid within the sac provides the medium for ...

Later on, breathing may feel more difficult as your enlarging uterus takes up more space, resulting in pressure against your diaphragm (the muscle just below your lungs).

Sciatica: A painful condition characterized by pain in lower back, buttocks, and leg. In pregnant women, it is often caused by pressure of the enlarging uterus on the sciatic nerve. Rest, CAM, or a heating pad may ease the pain.

Heartburn, indigestion and the need to urinate frequently are more likely as the enlarging uterus presses on other organs. Back pain is common because of the extra load combined with the ligament-relaxing effects of pregnancy hormones.

It is very common to experience hemorrhoids or worsening of hemorrhoids during pregnancy due to increased blood flow to the uterus and slowed venous drainage from the pelvic region due to the enlarging uterus.

See also: Pregnancy, Uterus, Pregnant, Trimester, Vagina