Where is your appendix while pregnant

The most commonly observed symptoms of appendicitis in pregnant women are:. The above symptoms might all indicate appendicitis, so any mother with even a doubt should consult the doctor quickly. The diagnosis of appendicitis is a tricky procedure, and the treatment is usually even trickier.

Here are some methods employed to identify it:. The rupture of the appendix can cause real complications during pregnancy, and many pregnant women have died due to the rupture of their appendix.

Therefore, it is wiser to remove the normal appendix in cases where appendicitis is suspected, rather than waiting for the disease to proliferate. There are two methods for treating appendicitis in pregnant women, depending upon their condition.

These are:. The mother is expected to not do any stressful activity and take rest for some time, after the surgery. The response of the baby is monitored by the mark, and it is observed that most women undergo preterm contractions after appendectomy during pregnancy. However, this does not usually result in preterm labour. Appendix pain during pregnancy is a threat to the health of the mother and the baby, so it must be treated with utmost care.

The condition can have dire consequences if left untreated, so it is better to get an expert opinion if you even have a slight doubt regarding the symptoms.

Sign in. Forgot your password? Get help. Create an account. Andersen B, Nielsen T. Appendicitis in pregnanc:, diagnosis, management and complications. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. Appendicitis in oregnancy.

J Am Board Fam Med. Negative appendectomy in pregnant women Is associated with a substantial risk of fetal loss. J Am Coll Surg. Acute appendicitis: meta-analysis of diagnostic performance of CT and graded compression US related to prevalence of disease. Evolving practice patterns in imaging pregnant patients with acute abdominal and pelvic conditions. Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. Ultrasound Q. Accessed on July 12, Appendicitis in pregnancy: New information that contradicts long-held clinical beliefs.

Am J Obstet Gynecol. Cappell MS, Friedel D. Abdominal pain during pregnancy. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. Al-Mulhim AA. Acute appendicitis in pregnancy. A review of 52 cases. Int Surg. The Alvarado Score for predicting acute appendicitis: a systemic review. BMC Med. Acute appendicitis: diagnostic accuracy of Alvarado scoring system. Asian J Surg. Concurrent ruptured ectopic pregnancy and appendicitis.

Diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pregnant women: value of sonography. Am J Roentgenol. MRI: first-line imaging modality for pregnant patients with suspected appendicitis.

Abdominal Imaging. Bulas D, Egloff A. Benefits and risks of MRI in pregnancy. Semin Perinatol. The most reliable sign of appendicitis is pain that starts out dull in and around your belly button and, after a few hours, shifts over to the right side and becomes more intense.

Philadelphia: Elsevier Limited. If you have appendicitis and try to lie on the right side of your body, you will feel the pain more strongly. You may also feel pain when you stand or move. Some women experience pain when they stand because they have an overly stretched round ligament something that can occur during pregnancy.

However, that sort of pain goes away within a few moments. Appendix pain, on the other hand, does not go away, so this is how you can distinguish them. Be aware that you may feel pain higher up in your body if you are in your third trimester. Women who are 28 weeks pregnant and up will feel pain right under the lowest rib on their right side. This is because as your child and your womb grow, your appendix gets moved. Instead of it being located between your belly button and right hip in McBurney's Point it will move up your abdomen so that it is pushed right below the right side of your ribcage.

Pay attention if the pain you feel is followed by vomiting and nausea. As you most likely know, vomiting and pregnancy go hand-in-hand. However, if you have appendicitis, you will feel pain first and then you will vomit or the nausea and vomiting will be worsened as compared to what they were previously. Jaypee publishers. India Also, if you are later along in your pregnancy after the initial vomiting stage has passed , nausea and vomiting are much more likely to indicate something else going on like appendicitis.

Be aware if you suddenly develop a fever. When you have appendicitis, a low grade fever usually develops. A low-grade fever by itself is not too much of a cause for alarm.

However, it is really the combination of fever, pain, and vomiting that should concern you. If you experience all three of these symptoms at once, you should go see your doctor. Monitor any paleness, sweating, or lack of appetite that you experience. Both sweating and paleness can be brought on by the nausea and fever you have when your appendix becomes inflamed.

You will also lose your appetite - this happens to anyone experiencing appendicitis, regardless of whether they are pregnant or not. Part 2. Stay calm and prepare for the visit to your doctor. Going to the doctor, especially in a stressful situation like this one, can be nerve-wracking so it is best to know what you are going to experience. The abdominal exams your doctor will perform are listed in the following steps. It is best to see a doctor in the emergency room.

Appendicitis is a condition that should be treated promptly if you have it, so it is recommended to be seen in the hospital where tests can be performed quickly if needed. Avoid taking pain medications before going to see your doctor. While you will be experiencing pain, that pain is one of the only ways doctors can diagnose appendicitis in pregnant women so masking it with medication could be detrimental. Do not eat, drink, or take any laxatives before seeing your doctor.

Most people see a physician in the emergency room when they are worried about appendicitis, so the wait shouldn't be too long. The reason refraining from eating and drinking is important is that an empty stomach is required for certain procedures done by doctors. Also, it is easier on your digestive tract and reduces the chance of your appendix bursting if you do in fact have appendicitis.

Know that your doctor will feel around your stomach testing for pain. There are a variety of tests doctors perform in order to determine the cause of abdominal pain to figure out whether or not it is appendicitis. These include pressing around your abdomen to elicit painful areas, as well as tapping and testing for "rebound tenderness" pain after they release the pressure of their hand.

India The tests may seem redundant and time-consuming, but know that these can be very helpful to your doctor in figuring out exactly what is going on. Be prepared for a rotation of the hip test. This test will look for the "Obturator sign," which is pain that occurs when your hip is rotated. Your doctor will hold on to your right knee and ankle and then bend your hip and knee while rotating your leg inwards and outwards.