What Is The Cause For Hardness In Abdomen When Pregnant?

Hi and welcome to health care magic. You already have been through a pregnancy and know about things. It is not possible to feel the uterus on abdominal examination before 12 weeks. So if you are able to feel a mass or lump on the left side it needs evaluation. The following causes are possible: 1. twins: here the uterus grows more than the normal as there are two babies so it may be palpable at 8 weeks. 2. ovarian cysts or tumors: sometimes cysts like luteal cysts are found in the ovary during pregnancy and if large they may be palpable. Cystadenomas and teratomas are other ovarian tumors found during pregnancy and can be diagnosed by sonography. 3. impacted feces: from constipation is common during pregnancy so check of this is a cause. 4. Molar pregnancy and theca lutein ovarian cysts are also a possibility though very rare and lead to more than expected growth of the uterus. 5. wrong dates: meaning that women sometimes under calculate the dates. This may happen especially in those women that experience slight bleeding during pregnancy [implantation bleed] and consider that to be their last menstrual period. This is very very common. Causes other that the uterus and ovaries like intestinal or urinary causes may also produce such a picture but are rare. The best way to know the cause is to get an ultrasound of the abdomen and baby done as well as an examination by a doctor to look for uterine size and lump if any. Then further treatment will depend upon the cause. Hope this satisfies your query. Thanks for using HCM. Feel free to ask any more questions that you may have. Dr Madhuri Bagde Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist