Archive for the ‘Women’s Abdominal Pain’ Category

Belly Button Pain in Women

Since the onset of belly button pain in women can mean so many different things, it is important to narrow down the possible causes, especially if there is a chance that there may be something seriously wrong requiring immediate medical help.  It should be comforting to know that most of the time, belly button and abdominal pain in women doesn’t mean that anything in particular is wrong or needs emergency attention. However, if the pain gets worse over time and shows no signs of going away, you probably do need to get a doctor to look at it.  The times when belly button pain in women could mean something serious is when you are pregnant, if you have had recent surgery, or if you have just started a new medication.

When dealing with abdominal pain when you are pregnant, it is usually a good idea to go see your doctor; though some pain is common during a pregnancy, overwhelming pain or constant pain is not.  With pregnancies, it is also best to err on the side of caution since belly button pain in women who are pregnant can signal trouble with the baby, especially later in the pregnancy.  Abdominal pain in women early in their pregnancy may be your body’s way of adjusting itself to carrying the baby, but it could also be caused by something that does need attention, like a fallopian pregnancy.

Belly button pain in women who have had surgery around their stomach is fairly common, especially when it was a particularly invasive surgery, such as to clear a blockage in the stomach or intestines, or have a stomach stapling.  With minimally invasive surgery, abdominal pain shouldn’t be too bad, and when you take into account the effect of painkillers, a procedure like liposuction should not be causing pain for more than a few days.  With any surgery, if you still experience very sharp pains or constant pain that doesn’t seem to be getting better with time, it is time to see a doctor.  Since infections can take hold a couple of days after a surgery, they may not be caught by a doctor before you leave the hospital.  Infections can cause abdominal pain in women and does need to be treated as soon as possible.

New medications often have unexpected and unintended effects on your body. Stomach pain in women can be caused by this, especially if the meds are being taken for a previously existing stomach problem.  Unknown allergies can also cause pain around your belly button if your body has an adverse reaction as your intestines absorb the medicine into your system.  If a new medication makes you feel ill or you have side effects that your doctor didn’t mention to you, it would be wise to call your doctor as soon as possible in order to either get an explanation or to have your medication dose changed or discontinued.

Belly button pain in women can be caused by a number of maladies, so it is hard to know exactly what course of action to take without speaking to a doctor.  However, if you recognize whether abdominal pain is getting worse or not improving, you can give your doctor information he can use to make a diagnosis, and get you on track to feeling better.

Pain Below Belly Button

It is very common for women to experience pain below their belly button, most often during their menstrual cycle. Changes in a woman’s daily lifestyle can intensify the pain; however, many pains are harmless and can be relieved simply with pain medication. Although it is natural to have some period pain, (such as cramps), women who are experiencing a lot of pain or an excessive increase in pain over what they are used to during their menstrual cycle may need to see a doctor. There are some very serious health problems that can cause pain below your belly button to worsen.

Nearly all women have experienced some degree of pain in this region, but what does it mean when the pain worsens or feels different than it ever has before? Quite often, lifestyle changes ae to blame. Women who begin smoking, change their birth control method, or gained a lot of weight may have more cramps and worse pain during their following menstrual cycles. These pains below the belly button have no other underlying cause, and will reverse once the lifestyle change is also reversed.

Women who have changed nothing in their lifestyle may also begin experiencing pain below their belly button. These pains may simply be caused by a narrow cervix, and medications usually can provide relief from this type of pain. Fibroids and adenomyosis can also cause pain to occur, but in most of these cases there is no cause for real alarm; they are growths in the uterus that are harmless and almost always will go away on their own. You may still want to see your doctor to make sure that there is nothing serious that is causing the pain. Again, your doctor will also be able to help you reduce your pain either with medication or, if the pain is chronic some form of physical therapy or biofeedback.

There are, of course, times when pain below your belly button will become severe and require medical treatment to fix the underlying problem and permanently relieve your suffering. Endometriosis is a very serious condition that causes excessive amounts of tissue to form on the outside of a woman’s uterus. The pain below the belly button caused by endo can become so severe, that everyday activities can be too painful to accomplish. Surgery is required to remove the excessive tissue; waiting to take care of the problem may cause serious or lasting problems if the woman tries or becomes pregnant. Other causes of a woman’s pain below the naval can be infections in her reproductive organs or irregular pregnancies. The pain can range from mild to almost unbearable, but a doctor will be able to diagnose and treat the reason behind the pain.

Finally, a condition known as interstitial cystitis, or IC for short, can cause serious pain below your belly button coupled with frequent or painful urination; if you experience this combination of symptoms, you will best be served by seeing a urologist for diagnosis and treatment.