The first signs of pregnancy: reliable and not so... How to eliminate bloating in women? It feels like my uterus is inflated

The uterus is the main reproductive organ of a woman, where the growth and development of the fetus occurs. In its structure, there is a larger part - the body, and a smaller part - the neck. The uterine wall consists of 3 layers:

• endometrium – inner mucous membrane;
• myometrium – middle muscle layer;
• perimeter - serous membrane.

The shape, condition and size of the uterus are assessed during a gynecological examination. If deviations from the normal boundaries, then an ultrasound examination is performed, which makes accurate measurements and identifies the presence of pathologies.

Normally nulliparous woman approximate dimensions are:

• length – 4.5 cm;
• width – 4.6 cm;
• anterior-posterior size– 3.4 cm.

For a woman who has given birth, these values ​​may be 0.5-1 cm greater.

The parameters are purely individual, depend on the woman’s constitution, her physique, the presence of pregnancies, and can change with age and during the menstrual cycle.

But if the size of the uterus significantly exceeds the normalized limits, it is worth thinking about the reasons for this phenomenon, because this may be a symptom of a serious illness.

Symptoms accompanying uterine enlargement

Most often, changes in the size of the uterus are asymptomatic, or the signs that appear are attributed to other reasons, so the woman is not even aware of its enlargement. This can only be revealed during a medical examination or ultrasound examination, which is why it is important to visit a gynecologist regularly.

Some symptoms accompanying an enlarged uterus are similar to signs of pregnancy in the first weeks, so if you have such suspicions, you need to take a pregnancy test and if the result is negative, you should consult a doctor to find out the cause of this condition.

You also need to know how else an enlarged uterus can manifest itself, and if you notice these symptoms, you should definitely visit a gynecologist:

With careful attention to the state of her health, a woman can always catch the changes that are occurring and promptly seek help. medical care in order to understand why this is happening.

Main reasons

The causes of uterine enlargement can be either natural and harmless, or dangerous and pathological. Let's take a closer look.

Natural reasons:

1. Menstruation.
2. Menopause.

During pregnancy, the uterus changes and enlarges in accordance with the growth and development of the fetus; this process begins at approximately 5-6 weeks of pregnancy.

The increase occurs as a result of the formation of new muscle fibers, their lengthening and thickening. After the baby is born, the uterus returns to its previous state in about 6-8 weeks.

If uterine enlargement is observed before 5 weeks, the cause may be multiple pregnancy, early ovulation, incorrect calculation of the gestational age, or the development of pathology, so mandatory medical supervision is required.

During the menstrual cycle, the uterus changes in size under the influence of hormones, the main of which is progesterone. Before the onset of menstruation, the body of the uterus enlarges, and the cervix softens and opens slightly. After menstruation, the organ shrinks and closes.

With age, women reproductive organs change in size in big side, and enlargement of the uterus before menopause is also considered normal.

In postmenopause, size norms are approximately as follows:

• length – 8cm;
• width – 5 cm;
• anterior-posterior size – 3.2 cm.

If the uterus is enlarged, there is no menstruation, and the pregnancy test is negative, then the reasons may be pathological, the main ones being:

1. Myoma.
2. Oncology.
3. Endometriosis.
4. Cervical hypertrophy.

One of the most common causes of unnatural changes in the size of the uterus. Is benign tumor, arising during spontaneous active division of cells of the muscle layer.

The size of the uterus with fibroids is usually described in weeks. This means that the enlargement of the organ due to fibroids is compared with its corresponding size, characteristic of a certain week of pregnancy.

In case of timely detection of fibroids, it is enough to eliminate it hormone therapy. If the disease is advanced, surgical intervention will be required.

Oncology is the most dangerous possible reasons. A malignant tumor usually forms in the mucous membrane and is more common in women who have entered menopause. Also at risk are obese women, which means they should carefully monitor the condition of their reproductive system.

Endometriosis is a fairly common disease in which abnormal growth of endometrial cells occurs beyond this layer, resulting in an increase in the size of the uterus. Moreover, the anterior-posterior size mainly increases and therefore it acquires a spherical shape.

Diffuse endometriosis is distinguished separately, in which endometrial cells penetrate into the tissue of the uterus, capturing it evenly, i.e. There is no specific focus of organ damage, which complicates the treatment of this disease.

Endometriosis often has no symptoms, especially in initial stages, but it disrupts the periodicity menstrual cycles. Therefore, if, when menstruation is delayed, the pregnancy test turns out to be negative, you should not postpone your visit to the gynecologist. After all, if the disease is not diagnosed on time, it can lead to infertility.

With cervical hypertrophy, only an enlargement of the cervix is ​​characteristic, due to the thickening of its walls. Most often, it can appear as a result of some kind of inflammatory process in the cervical canal.

Therefore, the main thing in treatment is to eliminate the causes of inflammation using antibiotic therapy.

As can be seen from the description of the main reasons for the increase in the size of the uterus, the main thing is to detect the problem in time or make sure that it does not exist. When diagnosis is made in a timely manner, it is much easier to cope with the disease and avoid unpleasant consequences.

Dear Alexander!

Often, at an appointment with a gynecologist, women hear the question: “Are you pregnant?” The thing is that the bimanual method of examination on a gynecological chair gives only an approximate idea of ​​the condition of the internal genital organs in comparison, for example, with ultrasound diagnostics. Judging by the timing you describe, your girlfriend should be getting her period soon. If this is so, then a slight increase in the uterus in this phase of the cycle is natural.

Uterus before menstruation

Before menstruation, the uterus always increases slightly in size, as well as during early stages pregnancy, so even the most experienced gynecologist can find it difficult to determine the cause of organ swelling. Another thing is the presence of sizes or shapes that are uncharacteristic for this period. For example, with fibroids, the uterus may have a distorted shape. An enlarged uterus and the presence of lumps may also be associated with adenomyosis.

In any case, if the doctor has doubts as to whether the enlargement of the uterus is associated with the approaching menstruation or with the onset of pregnancy, an examination of the cervix will help determine the situation. Before menstruation, it softens and opens slightly. During pregnancy, on the contrary, it is tightly closed and acquires a bluish tint.

Women also note that before the approaching menstruation, their stomach swells. This is due to the increased production of progesterone, which is natural for this phase of the cycle, which relaxes the smooth muscles, making the uterus swollen and soft. Under the influence of hormones, women also experience fluid retention before menstruation, which causes external and internal swelling.

Methods for determining pregnancy

Due to the fact that in this cycle you had one protected sexual intercourse, the likelihood of an accidental pregnancy is practically reduced to zero. To dispel your doubts, already 1 - 2 days before the expected menstruation, your girlfriend can take a blood test to determine the level of human chorionic gonadotropin human (hCG) in any laboratory. A result above 15 mU/ml indicates pregnancy.

Your girlfriend can also wait until her menstrual cycle ends and take a home pregnancy test if her period is late. To do this, she needs to purchase test strips at the pharmacy and, following the instructions, collect a morning urine sample and conduct testing. Home tests have high sensitivity and show the presence of pregnancy already on the first day of missed menstruation. Although false positive or false negative results due to kidney disease or improper testing cannot be ruled out, test strips are more than 99% accurate.

It makes no sense to look for a fertilized egg using an ultrasound sensor now, because even if by some miracle your girlfriend becomes pregnant, the duration of her pregnancy is so short that it is hardly possible to detect a fertilized egg. Most likely, you have no reason to panic, and the gynecologist could mistake the natural swelling of the uterus in the last week of the cycle for pregnancy.

Best regards, Ksenia.

Neoplasms that form in the body of the uterus are the most commonly diagnosed gynecological pathology. Based on the nature of origin of atypical cells, anomalies can be benign or malignant.

In the first case, these are tumor cells - precursors, which, due to a number of circumstances, are incapable of chaotic division. Not associated with death.

In the second it is cancer cells characterized by rapid growth and aggressive behavior. They pose a danger to the patient's life.

Benign pathologies of the uterus manifest themselves with the following symptoms, which occur in varying degrees Manifestations for all diagnoses of this form of neoplasm:

pain syndrome – the degree of intensity varies. The source of discomfort can be the lower region of the peritoneum, the lumbar region. The pain is constant, often aching. Its cause is internal stretching of the abdominal muscles and compression of the nerve processes located in the pelvic region.

The intensity of pain increases in proportion to the growth of the compaction. Acute pain– signal about insufficient tumor blood supply;

• uterine bleeding– they can be quite abundant, and menstrual flow can be abnormally long. This occurs against the background of uterine hypertonicity and thickening of the mucous layer of the body of the organ responsible for the menstrual cycle. As a rule, such bleeding is a cyclical process, repeated at certain intervals;
• partial organ dysfunction, localized in close proximity to the lesion. The reason for this phenomenon is the pressure of increasing in diameter, pathology on the subperitoneal part and genitourinary system. Gradually this leads to pyelonephritis.

Specific signs, although they have a common background for all benign formations, can manifest themselves differently in each specific case.

Myoma

Uterine fibroids are an anomaly that develops in the walls of the cervix of the organ, or directly in the walls of the body itself. Most often, the disease is multiple in nature. Has several varieties.

Symptoms appear during the stages of active tumor growth. Very often, based on its symptoms, the disease is mistaken for endometriosis, which makes timely diagnosis difficult.

The pathology is characterized by chronic disruption of the menstrual cycle, accompanied by spontaneous bleeding in the middle. The duration of bleeding is not regulated.

Myoma is accompanied by a frequent urge to urinate due to compression of the intestines and bladder, as well as constipation and stool irregularity.

The submucosal form of fibroids can occur against the background of excessive blood discharge, which in the most short time causes anemia.

Patients with this diagnosis often complain of nagging pain in the lower abdomen and a feeling of heaviness in this area. Usually these phenomena are not associated with menstruation.

Fibroma

Uterine fibroma – mature pathological formation benign form, having a connective structure. Localized on the walls of the body of the organ.

The disease is characterized by painful bleeding, profuse and prolonged. At the same time, the intensity pain may have a fairly high threshold.

More often severe discomfort comes from the pelvic area due to the pressing force exerted by the tumor on neighboring tissues.

Pain in the back is also typical lower limbs. In addition, a woman may experience acute, stabbing pain at the time of urination, so he often mistakes fibroma for banal cystitis. Persistent sensations can lead to frequent urges, or, on the contrary, create problems with urination.

At later stages of the disease, pain appears in the lumbar dorsal area, especially when trying to bend down.

A specific manifestation is discomfort during intimate relationships, which can lead to a woman’s persistent refusal to have sexual intercourse.

Cervical cyst

Cervical cyst – pseudotumor pathology cervical canal or the vaginal area of ​​the body of the cervix of the organ. The structural filling of the formation is hemorrhagic and mucous secretion. Most often, a cervical cyst consists of several lumps.

As the anomaly grows, the woman begins to experience pain during sexual intercourse, and these sensations are so intense that they make it impossible to continue further.

At the same time, the amount of vaginal secretion increases, their structural content changes, as evidenced by the unpleasant, putrid odor emanating from the genitals.

There are nagging, rather intense discomfort manifestations in the lower abdomen, reminiscent in strength of manifestations of appendicitis. If you don't try to stop them, discomfort can accompany the patient almost constantly.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a hormone-dependent abnormality of unknown origin. It consists of the growth of endometrial fragments outside the zone of its normal localization. It is often genetic in nature.

The main symptom that allows diagnosing the disease is excessively painful menstruation. The pain is quite intense, difficult to relieve with analgesics and antispasmodics, and is paroxysmal and acute in nature.

The reason for this is the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal tissues. Accompanied by brown spotting and cycle disruptions. Typically the duration menstrual flow with endometriosis it is much higher than the average norm.

The pain appears a few days before the onset of menstruation, sharply intensifies during it and accompanies the woman for another 5–6 days after. As the pathology grows, the intensity of the discomfort increases and at a certain stage requires emergency medical intervention.

Manifestations of malignant neoplasms

At the stages of the primary formation of cancerous tissue fragments, symptoms by which one can judge the presence of the disease are practically absent, which makes it difficult early diagnosis and complicates the process of treating the anomaly.

As pathological processes progress, following symptoms, allowing a large share probability of detecting uterine cancer:

• atypical discharge- one of the very first signs. It is a brown, bloody liquid with a sharp, unpleasant smell rotten meat. An increase in the concentration of blood clots indicates a worsening situation and progression of the disease;
• blood during sex– discharge mixed with blood during sexual intercourse, after the douching procedure, physical activity, long walk. Is a consequence of a violation hormonal balance and deterioration blood supply uterine thalas;
• pain syndrome– manifests itself in the lower abdomen and is encircling, local in nature. Often radiates to the lumbar area. It appears in the last stages of cancer, when a large formation puts pressure on the nerve processes;
• . Difficult exit feces occurs due to tumor pressure on the intestinal lumen, and frequent urination– a consequence of the same load on the genitourinary system.

Endometrial cancer

Endometrial oncology is the most frequently diagnosed cancer disease in patients of the older age group. The tumor grows in internal walls mucous membrane of the uterine body.

Pain is present on late stages progression of the tumor, when it has already grown into the pelvic area or intestines. In this case, the nature of the pain is nagging, quite strong, often cramping in the lower part of the peritoneum. Possible aching pain in the lumbar and sacral region, as well as at the time of emptying.

This form of cancer is characterized by purulent discharge accompanied by weakness, fever, fatigue and nervousness.

In addition, endometrial cancer is often associated with profuse leucorrhoea, especially with large anomalies. Watery inclusions in them indicate the active growth of oncology.

Carcinosarcoma of the uterus

The disease is a heterogeneous pathology formed from sarcomatous and carcinomatous fragments. It is characterized by an extreme degree of aggressiveness.

The very first sign indicating approaching danger is rare bloody issues from the genitals. At first they are minor and painless, but as the lump grows, the discomfort can be quite significant.

Since the anomaly is prone to rapid progression, the pain very quickly becomes unbearable and requires localization with potent drugs. Its acute and prolonged nature sharply reduces the patient’s quality of life, since it is associated with frequent and severe attacks in the lower pelvic area.

Sarcoma

Extremely rare, deadly dangerous disease. Develops from undifferentiated fragments of the myometrium and endometrium.

It has no age restrictions and is characterized by the following specific manifestations:

• constant pain syndrome pulling in the area of ​​the ovaries and lower abdomen. Often accompanied by discharge of heterogeneous consistency with a strong unpleasant odor;
• yellowish skin color due to impaired liver function as a result of the damaging effects of metastases;
• severe weakness- is already approaching early stages, since the toxic effect of tumor decay products is very significant even at stage 2 of the disease.

Cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a serious malignant lesion of the cervix. At the stage of formation of atypical processes, the disease does not manifest itself in any way. The first symptoms often begin already at the stage of irreversibility and look like this:

• vaginal bleeding– occur after sexual intercourse, during an examination by a gynecologist, in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Pathology releases blood clots during any interaction with external irritants;
• changes in the nature of menstruation– they become longer lasting, and can be both strong and moderately abundant;
• uncharacteristic discharge from the genitals– these include leucorrhoea, bloody fragments of a dark brown color with the smell of rotten meat;
• pain syndrome– in comparison with other forms of uterine cancer, they are less pronounced and, basically, manifest themselves already at the final stage of the disintegration of the malignant anomaly.

In addition, cervical cancer is associated with fatigue syndrome and sudden, more than 10% of initial body weight, weight loss accompanied by loss of appetite and progressive anemia.

Learn more about the symptoms of cervical cancer in this video:

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Instructions

You should immediately take into account the fact that the uterus itself stretches and grows painlessly, that is, you do not feel pain when it enlarges. Receptors that are responsible for pain are located on inner surface organ and signal pathological process, for example, when placental abruption begins, or the receptors may become irritated inflammatory process, with pregnancy pathology. You may experience strange sensations when the uterus spasms and enters a state of hypertonicity. In this case, you may feel both mild insignificant pain and severe cramping. Feeling the abdomen will help you distinguish the condition of the uterus; if it is hard and you feel pain, then you need to seek help from a doctor.

Increasing in size, the uterus affects nearby organs. In the first months of pregnancy, you will feel discomfort in the bladder, which will be accompanied by a frequent and sudden urge to urinate. These will go away by the end of the first trimester of pregnancy and will appear again in the last, when the fetal head begins to descend into the pelvis and put pressure on bladder. A uterus with a large fetus may not be positioned quite correctly and may put pressure on the ureter, the organ that connects the kidney and bladder. In this case, you will feel aching pain on your right or back. A specialist will be able to establish an accurate diagnosis and the cause of such pain after you pass everything necessary tests, then he will prescribe the appropriate treatment for you.

Gradually increasing, the uterus puts pressure on the intestines, and then on other organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Your intestinal function may be impaired - its peristalsis will slow down and constipation may begin. In this case, be sure to include in your daily diet foods that are rich in fiber - fruits, vegetables, cereals. If your condition has not improved, you can take pharmacological preparations safe for pregnant women, for example, Duphalac or Normolakt.

During pregnancy, the uterus grows, and its weight increases unusually quickly for the body. The back muscles and spine do not have time to get used to the increased load, and you feel aching pain in the lower back. Typically, these sensations intensify with each month of pregnancy and cause great discomfort, especially if you have scoliosis or osteochondrosis of the spine. You can strengthen your muscles during pregnancy special exercises, just don’t overdo it so as not to harm your condition.

In the last months of pregnancy, the fundus of the uterus with a large fetus rises very high and begins to put pressure on the diaphragm. At the same time, it becomes difficult for you to take a deep breath and a feeling of lack of air appears. Try to walk more, while feeling the heaviness of your stomach naturally moves down and the fetus puts less pressure, blood circulation also improves and it becomes easier for you to breathe.

During pregnancy, the tummy is an indicator of good health and mood for many expectant mothers. What can I say, if nothing bothers a woman, then she is in a good mood and has thoughts that are conveyed to the baby. Sensations in the abdomen in early pregnancy can be varied. Very often they are caused physiological processes associated with the growing uterus.

Sensations in the lower abdomen in early pregnancy include the following:

1. It is caused by the fact that more blood than usual begins to flow to the location of the uterus. This condition does not require any intervention and is not painful for the pregnant woman.
2. Nagging pain lower abdomen. This is another one of the normal conditions. The hormone relaxin, which begins to be produced during pregnancy, causes women to feel a sprain in the groin muscles and lower abdomen. As a rule, these pains are not severe and have an intermittent, wandering character.
3. In early stages of pregnancy, a woman may feel this condition, like a slight petrification of the lower abdomen. Moreover, the uterus in this period is of such small size that it will not yet be possible to feel it. But she will force you to go to the toilet often. The uterus with the fertilized egg grows quickly, pressing on the bladder, which causes frequent urge visit the ladies' room.
4. Bloating. A feeling of bloating is also normal for women in early pregnancy. This condition is due to the fact that gradually begins to rebuild gastrointestinal tract for the expectant mother, making room for her growing belly. In addition, the hormone progesterone, which begins to be actively produced from the first days of pregnancy, helps reduce muscle tone in the intestines, which leads to constipation and bloating. To get rid of it, not really pleasant phenomenon, it’s enough to adjust your diet a little. You should remove from your diet all foods that can cause bloating: legumes, cabbage, brown bread, etc. And also eat small portions 5-6 times a day.

In addition, gynecologists recommend dealing with the feeling bloated belly in the early stages of pregnancy with the help of special gymnastics. It is a set of gentle exercises for lumbar region. As a rule, these are all kinds of bends with and without outstretched arms, as well as raising the legs to strengthen the abdominal muscles.

Considering that in the first trimester a woman is susceptible to miscarriage, a set of exercises should be performed only after consultation with a gynecologist.

But not all abdominal sensations in early pregnancy are harmless. There are several criteria under which you simply need to call an ambulance:

So, not all abdominal sensations in the early stages are harmless. But in fairness, it must be said that nature protects pregnant women and, as a rule, they do not develop appendicitis. Listen to yourself and your pregnancy will be easy.