A pregnant lady during her pregnancy experiences various modifications in her body due to the growing fetus and hormonal changes. With these modifications/changes occurring in the body, she starts suffering from various pains in the hip, back, and even in the rib. Rib pain during pregnancy is experienced mainly because of the growing fetus and the tiny kicks inside the womb by the little fella. In most cases, this rib pain is quite normal and often does not lead to any complications, but in some instances where the pain occurs at the right side of the rib, it may lead to some complications. In such cases consulting a doctor is recommended.

What is Rib Pain, and Is it Common During Pregnancy:

The human body has 24 rib bones 12 on each side of the body. The function of these ribs is to protect the organs lying beneath the ribs. If any of these organs swell or infected or inflamed or if there is a crack in the ribs, the person starts feeling the pain in the ribs. During pregnancy, the fetus begins growing from the end of the 2nd trimester. The pressure on the ribs also increases, leading to rib pain, and this pain is quite normal in most of the cases during pregnancy. Usually, this pain starts when the baby inside aligns with a particular position. This often happens during the 26th week of pregnancy.

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Causes of Rib Pain During Pregnancy:

Rib pain in pregnant women generally starts at the end of the second trimester. This pain can be experienced on both sides of the rib cage. If the pain occurs on the left side, this is because of the growing uterus, and if the pain is on the right side, the reasons are many. Some of the causes for the rib pain are listed below.

1. Pressure From the Fetus:

The fetus starts growing during the 2nd trimester, and the uterus expands upwards to accommodate the baby present inside. Due to this expansion, the pressure on the left ribs starts increasing, leading to the rib pain.