By Gina Roberts-Grey

Jessica Rosenberg, a mother of two from Santa Clara, CA, suffered from extreme back pain when she was pregnant with her first child. “One morning when I was about seven months pregnant, I bent forward to pick up a shirt and couldn’t straighten up,” Rosenberg says. Her pain was so severe that she had to crawl to the phone to call for help. “I spent the next three days on the couch while my back healed enough to move around again.”

Rosenberg’s experience isn’t uncommon. The prevalence of pain related to pregnancy varies, but experts say a staggering 50 to 70 percent of all pregnant women suffer from some form of pregnancy-induced back pain.

Not Just a Backache
Back pain during pregnancy is caused by an exaggerated curvature of the lower back, as the weight of your growing belly and baby pulls your body forward. Some women begin to experience lower-back pain before ever seeing a baby bump. But most find the last months and weeks of pregnancy are the most painful.

Spiking hormones also soften pelvic ligaments, allowing your joints to become looser in preparation for delivery. Diane Laurin, M.D., chair of obstetrics at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, MD, says that during pregnancy, “Women who are overweight or had back pain prior to pregnancy are most at risk for back pain.”

And your back isn’t the only spot that might hurt. Laurin says, “As the pregnancy progresses, hip and knee joints loosen and can suffer strain.” Also, the round ligaments on either side of the uterus are forced to stretch as your abdomen grows. “This stretching can lead to round ligament pain, which usually occurs with movement or when standing,” Laurin continues.

Pregnancy-related pain strikes in less obvious spots, too, including your wrists. “Carpal tunnel syndrome is very common during the last trimester,” says Benito Alvarez, M.D., co-director of general obstetrics and gynecology at The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, “especially in women who retain a lot of fluid.” The extra water compresses the nerves in your wrists, causing numbness, tingling, and sometimes pain. “The symptoms are often worse at night,” Alvarez says.