Pregnancy; Symptoms and discomforts

The symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy are those presentations and conditions that result from pregnancy but do not significantly interfere with activities of daily living or pose any significant threat to the health of the mother or baby, in contrast to pregnancy complications. Still, there is often no clear separation between symptoms versus discomforts versus complications, and in some cases the same basic feature can manifest as either a discomfort or a complication depending on the severity. For example, mild nausea may merely be a discomfort (morning sickness), but if severe and with vomiting causing water-electrolyte imbalance it can be classified as a pregnancy complication (hyper emesis gravid arum).

Common symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy include:

Tiredness

Constipation

Pelvic girdle pain

Back pain

Braxton Hicks contractions. Occasional, irregular, and often painless contractions that occur several times per day.

Edema (swelling). Common complaint in advancing pregnancy. Caused by compression of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and pelvic veins by the uterus leads to increased hydrostatic pressure in lower extremities.

Increased urinary frequency. A common complaint referred by the gravida, caused by increased intravascular volume, elevated GFR (glomerular filtration rate) and compression of the bladder by the expanding uterus.

Urinary tract infection

Varicose veins. Common complaint caused by relaxation of the venous smooth muscle and increased intravascular pressure.

Hemorrhoids (piles) are swollen veins at or inside the anal area, resulting from impaired venous return, straining associated with constipation, or increased intra-abdominal pressure in later pregnancy.

Pregnancy-related stretch marks