Pregnancy Info HOME

I am now six months pregnant and have been in gradually increasing pain in my back and ribs for the last month. It used to just hurt in the evenings or when I'd been sitting down for a long time. Now I awake in pain. It's been a discouraging month, to say the least. I've searched the web and have had numerous appointments with doctors regarding the pain. The doctors were concerned about kidney stones so I was sent for a renal ultrasound, but the results were inconclusive. This past Friday, I finally received a reasonable answer from my doctor who is also head of the ob-gyn department! The condition is called costochondritis and is often found during pregnancy due to the expansion of the rib cage. "Costochondritis is an inflammation of the connective tissue between the breastbone and the ribs. It causes pain in the chest that can be reproduced by pressing on the affected area between the ribs. This pain can be quite exquisite, especially after rigorous exercise. While it can be extremely painful, it is considered to be a benign condition that generally resolves in 6-8 weeks (unless you're pregnant, of course!). Treatment options are quite limited and usually only involve rest and pain relievers but in a very small number of cases cortisone injections and even surgery are sometimes necessary." Now, the problem for us pregnant women is that we cannot take anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin or Advil because they will affect the formation of the baby's lungs. What this means is that we're pretty much screwed. In some cases, the pain may resolve itself. I'd love to hear from other women who've had the pain abate before the birth of their child. So far, what I've heard hasn't been too positive. I've been using a heating pad, which I've found to be helpful. During the day when I can't be tied to a cord, I've used the Thermacare heat wraps in the XL size so that they can wrap around one side of the ribs. Both of these methods of pain relief were okayed by my ob-gyn. I've taken Tylenol to help with the pain and tried to move around instead of sitting down. Also, rubbing below the spot seems to help for the moment. The pain usually returns as soon as I stop. I was concerned about applying heat to an inflammation. Another doctor suggested I should alternate cold with heat. I hope this helps any other women who are experiencing the same kind of discomfort. Know that it has a name and that you're not alone. Good luck!

reply