The pleasure of being a mom, paired with a sense of function and significance and the insuperable amount of love and laughter that it gives one’s life, is a secret not too well-kept. The whole experience, from knowing that you are pregnant, to the early morning sickness, from the 5 weeks pregnant cramps to the first trimester tiredness, from the blossoming of breasts to the ever-growing baby bump, and from the 2nd trimester contractions to the last stage of labour and joyously awaiting the arrival of your youngster, is unquestionable, but inexplicable.
Many pregnant women, out of their large enjoyment and anticipation to get to bring and provide a healthy baby, plan way too ahead of their “time”. However, it is a truth widely recognized that irrespective of how well you plan for your baby’s arrival, you would constantly not fully be gotten ready for any of the bodily changes you may go through during your pregnancy. In many cases, you might even confuse the pregnancy symptoms with the pre-menstrual ones, due to the fact that several early pregnancy symptoms such as 5 weeks pregnant cramps, 5 weeks pregnant lower backache, and queasiness, are quite much like the symptoms prior to the menstrual periods.
Is It Normal?
For some women, cramping is a matter of common event during the course of their pregnancy. Specifically, the 5 weeks pregnant cramps in the first trimester are typically the much-talked-about early pregnancy symptoms among expectant moms, where, they sometimes feel pain in their vagina while having sex. However, it has to be born in mind that cramping is typical during all stages of pregnancy, unless it is characterized by severe pain or bleeding.
The early pregnancy cramps are generally associated with the increased progesterone level and normal physical changes, which your body goes through, as it braces itself up for bearing your baby and eventually, delivering it. The hormone progesterone stimulates the uterine lining to thicken, so that the fertilized egg gets implanted here. By gestational week 5, the rise in the level of progesterone causes uterine blood vessel growth, therefore, nourishing the embryo by developing a fully-functional placenta. Considering that during this procedure the uterus broadens, the ligaments and muscles added to it stretch and hence cause cramping.
Pregnant Cramps
Early pregnancy cramps, no matter them being mild or severe, are normally intimidating. For new pregnant women, cramping may give issue, as it could be among the signs showing that they have unfortunately miscarried. Nevertheless, it is absolutely normal to experience cramps in the first trimester. However, it could involve issue if it is paired with vaginal bleeding.
Common Causes
The Expansion of the Uterus
During the early stages of pregnancy, the uterus begins to thicken and expand in order to make room for and get used to the growth of the baby inside it. During the 2nd trimester, the round ligament, a muscle supporting the uterus, begins to extend, as the baby and the uterus grows. This abrupt motion causes abdominal cramps accompanied by a sharp, jabbing feeling in the lower abdomen.
Hormone Changes
When a woman develops, her body starts to produce hormones such as progesterone, oestrogen, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and human placental lactogen. Where the latter two are special to pregnancy only, the former two are associated with the menstruation as well. Nevertheless, there is an increase in the production of each of these hormones in the early stages of pregnancy, which in turn, lead to cramps and pains.
Implantation Cramping
Not all women experience implantation cramping however those who do feel it when the implantation really takes place in the uterus. Cramps due to implantation are nature’s method of alluding to the impregnation of a woman. Implantation cramps, which feel similar to the menstrual cramps, are mild and for that reason, are not uneasy at all. They take place on either side in the lower abdominal area, due to the melting of the uterine mucous membrane at the site of implantation, so that the fertilized embryo attaches itself to the uterine wall.
Gas and Constipation
Frequent incident of gas is typically mistaken for cramps during pregnancy. The increased levels of progesterone contribute a good deal to the accumulation of gas in a pregnant woman. Progesterone causes the muscles in the body to relax. As a consequence, the intestinal muscles relax. This in turn, causes the food digestion to decrease, thus allowing the gas to accumulate and cause flatulence accompanied by bloating.
Likewise, constipation, which is a typical issue during pregnancy, too, is a result of the relaxation of the muscles caused by the pregnancy hormones, which consequently, slows down the motion of food along the digestive tract.
Gas pains and constipation often occur as abdominal cramps with a sharp, stabbing pain.
Severe Causes
Miscarriage
In spite of the fact that the early pregnancy cramps such as the 5 weeks pregnant cramps and the 6 weeks pregnant cramps are typical in many cases, they could also be indicative of an upcoming miscarriage. If you miscarry by gestational week 4, you might experience mild cramping. However, the 5 weeks pregnant cramps and the 6 weeks pregnant cramps due to miscarriage are severe and painful.
Usually, the first sign of a miscarriage is vaginal spotting or bleeding. However, every vaginal bleed does not lead to a miscarriage, considering that 20% of expectant women discover vaginal spotting in the first trimester, and most of them do not miscarry.
Common signs of a miscarriage are as follows:
- Vaginal bleeding
- Lower back ache
- Pelvic cramps
- Stomach ache
- Ectopic pregnancy
Severe cramps on one side of the abdomen during the early stages of pregnancy imply that the pregnancy is tubal or ectopic. In an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg develops at a site outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tubes. Since the ectopic pregnancies can be life threatening for the mother, they have to be treated right away when they are identified.
Back Aches in 5 Weeks Pregnant Women
In early pregnancy days, persistent lower backache can be a “real pain.” During the later trimesters, the entire anatomy of the expectant mother gets out of shape. With a shift in the center of gravity, and the majority of the weight in the front of the torso, this puts a strain on the back and causes pain.
Lower back aches in 5 weeks pregnant women might also be credited to a lack of regular night’s sleep. In order to get comfortable, you might be laying on your side, with the weight of your womb pulling on your back, causing the backache.
Pregnancy hormones and physiological changes may contribute towards that backache too. As the body prepares itself for giving birth, the muscles and ligaments relax and loosen up. Together these body changes can cause lower backache as an early pregnancy symptom in 5 weeks pregnant women.
When to See a Doctor
Although cramps are common and normal during pregnancy, you ought to go to a healthcare provider if you find them disquieting enough. If the cramps are not severe, you might consider awaiting a day or more to see if they go away by themselves. However, consult a doctor immediately if you experience any of these:
- Heavy bleeding
- Pink or grey embolisms of tissue in your vaginal discharge
- Severe pain for 24 hours on one side of the lower abdomen
- Vaginal spotting for 3 consecutive days or more, followed by abdominal cramps
- Lower belly becoming tender during cramps.
