The question of why the lower abdomen hurts worries many women. The reason for such sensations can be various factors. As a rule, discomfort is associated with the pathologies of any organs. About diseases that provoke an unpleasant feeling in the lower abdomen, is described in the article.
Possible explanations
Most women experience discomfort associated with critical days at least once a month. But far from always menstruation and maturation of the reproductive cell causes a similar phenomenon. To the question of why the lower abdomen hurts, you can give an accurate answer only after medical examinations.
As the causes of unpleasant sensations in the abdominal cavity, experts call the pathology of the internal genital organs, infections, disorders of the digestive tract, disorders of the urinary system. When making a diagnosis, it is necessary to take into account not only the results of laboratory tests and examinations, but also factors such as the nature of discomfort, its localization, and other signs of malaise. You can get rid of an unpleasant phenomenon only if the reason for which it occurs is known. A girl who is faced with a problem of this kind should not be left without attention.
Concomitant symptoms
Speaking about why the lower abdomen hurts in women, it should be noted that sensations of this kind are often associated with other signs of malaise. For example, severe discomfort sometimes appears against the background of blood secreted from the genital tract. Such symptoms indicate the presence of inflammatory processes in the organs of the reproductive system. A feeling of pulling pain, which is observed against the background of fever and sweating, is a possible sign of infection. Often, these pathologies are associated with the occurrence of unusual discharge. For example, bloody clots, yellowish mucus, or pus appear. In such a situation, only a specialist can correctly explain why the lower abdomen hurts.
Different types of discomfort
Unpleasant sensations in the abdominal cavity are divided into several types. Pain may fall into one of the following categories:
- Sharp and cutting.
- Occurring from time to time.
- Present constantly.
- Blunt pain.
- Sensation of pulsation in the lower abdomen.
These characteristics help to understand what causes the appearance of discomfort in a particular patient. For example, a feeling of dull pain is often explained by the inflammatory process in the internal reproductive organs. A feeling of pain, which intensifies when urine is separated, may indicate cystitis or acute kidney disease. Sometimes pronounced unpleasant sensations are associated with a malfunction in the stomach and intestines. In such situations, nausea, vomiting is observed. Intense discomfort in the abdominal region, from the bottom right, arising from time to time, indicates the pathology of the appendix.
Gynecological causes
Often, the explanation of why lower abdomen hurts in women lies in diseases of the internal organs of the reproductive system. If discomfort is not associated with natural phenomena (pregnancy or critical days), it can be associated with the presence of the following ailments:
- The inflammatory process in the internal cavity of the uterus or in the gonads. If the pathology affects the ovary, pain is felt in the lower abdomen on the right or left. In case of infection in the endometrium, discomfort is felt in the middle.
- Inflammation of the fallopian tubes. In the chronic course of the disease, the pain is constant. An unpleasant feeling in the abdominal cavity has a pulling character.
- The growth of the inner layer of the uterus is accompanied by discomfort before the critical days.
- Benign neoplasms of the reproductive system.
- Genital cysts are a common explanation of why lower abdomen hurts during menstruation.
- Inflammation in the bladder.
- Tubal pregnancy. This condition requires surgical intervention. The ailment is accompanied by bouts of discomfort in the lower abdominal cavity and blood secretion. In the event of a pipe rupture, the pain is sharp.
- Violations related to critical days. This phenomenon is characterized by pronounced symptoms. It is often an explanation of why, during menstruation, the lower abdomen hurts. A woman in this case suffers from dizziness, fatigue, nausea. The ability to work decreases, the emotional state becomes depressed.
Discomfort during the period of bearing a baby
One possible explanation for why the lower abdomen hurts is pregnancy. The process of attaching a fetal egg to the uterine wall in some representatives of the fair sex is accompanied by unpleasant sensations. There are two types of discomfort during bearing a child:
- Physiological (associated with natural changes that occur in the body of the future mother).
- Pathological. It appears due to illness.
Unpleasant sensations due to the restructuring of the reproductive organs
The time of bearing a child is accompanied by a change in the content of certain substances in the body of the expectant mother. The concentration of hormones increases, as a result of which the vessels located in the internal cavity of the uterus and genital glands increase in size. This process is one of the reasons why the lower abdomen hurts during pregnancy. Discomfort is characterized by a sense of pulsation, which disappears by itself and does not pose a threat to the health of the mother and child.
Also, during the period of gestation, the uterus grows intensively. This phenomenon leads to stretching of its ligaments. There is a pulling sensation in the abdominal cavity. Discomfort can become stronger after physical exertion. Late women often ask why the lower abdomen hurts during pregnancy. The feeling of pressure in the abdominal cavity is often explained by the divergence of the pubic joint. This pain is usually not intense, goes away on its own.
During fetal movements, discomfort is pronounced if the child is placed with his feet down. A woman feels pain, sudden urge to separate urine.
Contractions occurring for periods of 30 weeks or more are associated with the fact that the uterus begins to prepare for delivery. This is accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the abdominal cavity, which disappear at rest. All the phenomena described in this section do not pose a threat to the mother and fetus.
Pathological conditions
Why does lower abdomen hurt in women? The causes of discomfort during the period of gestation are often rooted in pathologies of the reproductive system or impaired functioning of other organs. If the expectant mother experiences discomfort in the abdominal cavity, this may mean:
- The development of tubal pregnancy. This pathology is life threatening and requires urgent surgical intervention.
- Spontaneous abortion.
- Premature discharge of the placenta.
- Inflammation of the appendix. This disease also poses a threat to the life and health of the patient. It is treated with surgery.
- Intoxication with spoiled foods.
- Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Pathology of the urinary system.
Tubal pregnancy
This disease is very dangerous. It is difficult to detect in the early stages of gestation. Indeed, at this time, a girl who develops a disorder does not experience malaise. But for periods of 6 weeks or more, women with this disease turn to the doctor with a question about why the lower abdomen and lower back hurt.
A complication of the pathology can be damage to the fallopian tube, the release of blood into the abdominal cavity. This consequence can lead to death. The condition is characterized by the appearance of pain in the lower abdomen. A woman feels weak. Bloody vaginal discharge possible. If the tube is completely broken, the discomfort becomes pronounced, the patient turns pale, she has dizziness, fainting. With such a diagnosis, an urgent surgical intervention is performed.
Inflammation of the appendix
Why does the lower abdomen hurt? The causes in women often lie in the processes that occur in the digestive system. In many cases, discomfort appears due to appendicitis. The disease is often found in expectant mothers. The fact is that the uterus, increasing in size, exerts pressure on the intestine and interferes with its normal activity.
The cause of inflammation of the appendix can be a fungus or other harmful microorganisms. Patients with this pathology complain of bouts of discomfort in the abdomen, which are becoming more intense. There is nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, high fever. Inflammation of the appendix can lead to dangerous consequences. Therefore, a person with this disease is undergoing urgent surgery.
Discomfort during intimate contact
Sometimes the fairer sex notice an unpleasant sensation during sexual intercourse. Why does lower abdomen hurt after sex?
This phenomenon can be explained by the following reasons:
- Bloating. The causes of the symptom are irregular breathing and certain positions during intercourse. If a woman is very worried, she should take medications to prevent flatulence, such as Espumisan.
- Cysts in the gonads. This is another reason why the lower abdomen hurts after sex.
- Infectious process in the reproductive organs.
- The proliferation of tissues of the internal cavity of the uterus.
- Violation of the kidneys, bladder.
- Tumors can also be an explanation of why the lower abdomen hurts during intimate contact.
What to do if there is discomfort?
In case of a symptom, you should contact a medical institution. Refusal of examination in such a situation is undesirable. Only a specialist can correctly explain why women’s lower abdomen hurts. Pathology in a particular patient can be determined only after the procedures. These include the following:
- Laboratory studies of biomaterial.
- Assessment of the state of abdominal organs using ultrasound.
- A smear from the cervix, vagina.
After these procedures, you can explain why at times the lower abdomen hurts, and choose a therapy.
Timely treatment will help get rid of the symptom and avoid the consequences of pathology.