During the second trimester, you should pay attention to differences between normal pregnancy problems and medical concerns. Stay alert, don’t hesitate to call your doctor, seek emergency care immediately if you notice anything abnormal.
Medical symptoms during the second trimester
🤰Abdominal pain
Abdominal pain😣 can signal preterm labor or ectopic pregnancy. When you feel pain in your abdomen, it’s usually a symptom of ligament and muscles in the pelvis stretching to accommodate the growth of the uterus.👶
Sometimes, abdominal pain is related to past surgeries.💉 If you’ve had any abdominal surgery, you may experience pain due to the expanse of remnants of surgical scars. Infections can also occur but they are harder to diagnose because the exact locations of infections may have been shifted while the uterus is growing.🙂
🤰Back pain
Back pain is very common during pregnancy. As your uterus is growing, your center of gravity also changes. The way you walk🚶 or sit🪑 also alters to endure the added weight.
However, if you’re experiencing lower back pain with painful urination🚽, you may have a bladder or kidney infection. Low, dull and consistent back pain may signal preterm labor and other serious problems so you have to call doctors immediately.👩⚕️
🤰Headaches
Headaches🤕 during pregnancy are normally caused by hormonal changes, tension, fatigue, hunger and stress and last for a short period of time if you stay well rested. However, if the headache is particularly severe or lasts for a few more hours, you also notice a fever, swelling in the face and hands✋, you have to call doctors immediately because these may be signs of preeclampsia or other complications.👩⚕️
🤰Leg cramps
Leg cramps🦵 are unknowingly common in the second trimester. You may lack calcium or have too much phosphorus in your diet, or are tired.😫 However, if the cramps elongate for hours, cause swelling and excruciating pain, change the skin color of your leg, you may have thrombosis🩸 in a leg vein that requires immediate treatment.👩⚕️
Other medical symptoms during the second trimester
🤰Bleeding
As your blood volume increases🩸, pregnancy hormones cause blood vessels to dilate and expand. However, bleeding is a scary symptom that indicates serious problems during pregnancy. Especially vaginal bleeding with lots of clots of blood may signal miscarriage.😟
Rectal bleeding which is usually a sign of either hemorrhoids or anal fissure can also be related to ectopic pregnancy or other problems. Seek medical care immediately if you’re bleeding heavily.👩⚕️
🤰Vaginal Discharge
As pregnancy progresses, slightly odourous and silky white vaginal discharge is common. However, any thick, cheese-like discharge associated with painful urination, irritation may signal yeast infection.🦠 A rush of watery discharge may be a sign of premature labor or a tear in the amniotic sac that requires treatment immediately.👩⚕️
🤰Rectal discharge
Rectal discharge is often caused by STIs, physical wounds in the rectum or bowel and gastrointestinal problems. STIs can be detected by foul-smelling, green or yellow, and thick discharge.💧
Bowel problems are usually identified by mucus and watery discharge from the anus. If you notice any strange discharge, you have to report to your doctors immediately for further checkups.👩⚕️
🤰Nipple discharge
When you prepare for breastfeeding🤱, your nipple may release colostrum which is a precursor to breast milk. If you notice any sign of nipples becoming inverted, dry, cracked, nipples having rash, bumps and strange smells, you need to visit doctors to discuss your symptoms.👩⚕️