Pelvic girdle pain

[Cookie2810]

Hi all. Just wondered if anyone had experienced this? I'm 27 weeks and just had the pain start in the last couple of days. It hurts even to sit down due to the pain between my thighs. Tried to contact the midwife but haven't heard back so looked up some exercises online and have ordered a birthing ball. If anyone has any suggestions I would be most grateful! I'm a bit gutted as so far have had barely any pregnancy symptoms and now this has come out of nowhere!

[Llizzie]

Hi there. I have had this for a few months - I’ve had a pretty miserable time of it and at 33 weeks I’ve now had to give in and just take it easy. Which has been hard to adjust to as I love long walks and spin classes. But I know plenty of people who have had osteo and or physio and it’s helped massively - it hasn’t eased for me sadly with those, but your midwife should be able to refer you for treatment or recommend some exercises. Do keep on at them - I know they’re busy but I’ve found persistence is key. A pregnancy belt might help, and I found a hot water bottle or heat pad on my groin can provide some relief. Also swimming can really help some women (I’m having a daily bath as a sub!). Hope it eases for you soon x

[Cookie2810 in reply to Llizzie]

So sorry to hear that. I don't know anyone who has ever experienced it before. Apparently only 1 in 5 women experience it! Had a bath tonight which has helped and hopefully the exercises are helping. Will definitely keep at them and pray it helps. And if the midwife ever gets back to me hopefully they can advise some physio or something too. Thanks for your advice and wishing you all the best x

[LdS87]

Hiya, I'm 27 weeks too and mine started about 2 weeks ago. When I had my 25 week midwife appointment I brought it up and the midwife immediately said she would refer me for physio. Its not too bad at the moment, I have found that baths and short walks like 20 mins have helped.

[Lowamh]

Yes, I had it from very early on and had quite a rough time with it during pregnancy. If you can afford to pay, see a private physio specialising in women’s health for hands on treatment and also a chiropractor. There is a website called Pelvic Partnership which has recommendations and was invaluable for me. I was on crutches but the physio and chiropractor helped me off them towards the end x

[Cookie2810 in reply to Lowamh]

Thank you!

[Kat2410]

Hi there, sorry to hear you are suffering with this. I’ve had it with my last pregnancy. My best advice would be really to try and take it easy. Sounds strange but avoid opening your legs, eg knees together when getting in/out of the car. Lifting your legs to put clothing on is a big no no it will make things worse, so if you have a partner there to help ask for as much assistance as you can. I ended up on crutches which was utterly miserable and not the way I visioned being pregnant. Try and limit the amount of times you do the stairs, the birthing ball will help to sit on. Also I recommend contacting the physio asap. They will give you exercises to do and ways to get out of bed without making it worse. I did pay for a private sessions too. Good luck 😘

[Cookie2810 in reply to Kat2410]

Thank you, that's really helpful x

[jolota]

I've got it at the moment, check your local area & see if you can self refer for physiotherapy treatment for it on the NHS, I waited weeks to see my midwife and she gave me the referral link but as it's self referral I could have done it myself much earlier!In the mean time I had paid privately to see a chiropractor which has helped a bit.

I would really recommend the following websites for information about how to manage it day to day.

thepogp.co.uk/

pelvicpartnership.org.uk/

Agree with other posters that the general advice is to rest, my physio said it's not something you can 'walk off' so be really careful & focus more on exercises that don't aggravate your pelvic pain and be mindful of your movements especially getting out of the car, sitting to put clothes on etc.

[Cookie2810 in reply to jolota]

Thank you so much. Do you know how to self refer? I've just spoken to the doctors and asked them and they didn't help at all. Tried googling and now m really confused! Thanks just looking up those websites now. Really appreciate it

[jolota in reply to Cookie2810]

It's possible that it might not be an option in your area to self refer but I googled 'my area nhs physiotherapy self referral' & it was the first link that came up and was quite obvious. (I'm in gloucestershire for context)The NHS website has some information about checking self referral options

nhs.uk/conditions/physiothe...

Don't let your midwife fob you off though when you see her, my friend in another area had PGP & her midwife said some pain & discomfort was to be expected in pregnancy!! So didn't even suggest the option of physiotherapy to her and she just suffered through it. Try self referral & if not possible ask your midwife to refer you, if she won't then I'd ask your GP to refer you. Keep trying anyway & good luck!

[Cookie2810 in reply to jolota]

Thank you! I've managed to complete a self referral. Also looking up a private physio as I think I can get a bit of money back through work. What a nightmare, never imagined this happening and it just feels like the pain is getting worse

[jolota in reply to Cookie2810]

That's great! Self referral can take a while so definitely worth looking into a private physio / osteopath / chiropractor if it's affordable for you. Though be aware that some are kind of useless even after saying they have experience of treating PGP. So be prepared to try a few and move on if they aren't helping you improve. I think unfortunately without treatment & lots of rest it will only get worse as the weight of the baby increases, that's certainly been my experience, though following advice & exercises from the websites has helped make it more manageable.

Also, I should mention that I actually had my second NHS physio appointment today & despite the fact I can't walk any distance without a walking stick to take the weight off my pelvis (as advised by both my chiropractor and NHS physio!), she's said that I'm too close to my due date for treatment to be worthwhile & that because my comfortable hip distance isn't too restrictive, it won't affect my birth so I can only contact her for an appointment if post birth my symptoms don't improve (which is the case for some women). So also be aware that they might decide not to treat you on the NHS ):

Good luck, hope things improve for you. The reduced mobility is something I've found really difficult to deal with, though the first trimester was undoubtably much worse for me, just feel like I only had about 2 good months before this kicked in!

[Cookies7]

Hi, I feel something similar to this if I've walked too much. I feel a strange heavy feeling in the groin area. I also feel a sharp pain when I sleep on my left. It hasn't been so bad that I feel I need to talk to my midwife about but I think you should contact them again so they can refer you to relevant people. I'm 21 weeks and feeling this so it's probly something that just happens unfortunately. Hopefully you get the help you need

[Cookie2810 in reply to Cookies7]

Thank you. Yes I get a pain that feels like a period cramp if I walk for a long time but it's always fine as soon as I sit down. This pain just seems to radiate around the groin and makes everything painful, even sitting down! Wouldn't wish it on anyone. Have chased the midwife again, spoken to my GP who said they'll refer me, also self referred myself and contacted a private physio as I think I can claim some money back through work. Praying I'll get some help soon as it's driving me insane!

[Cookies7 in reply to Cookie2810]

Oh seems like a nightmare. Hopefully you get some relief from it soon. And take it easy, rest often and take a warm bath like some other women said. I use a hot water bottle around that area when I feel more pain. Also avoid crossing your legs and feet when sitting down