When does spd occur in pregnancy?

PGP is also known as Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD); a condition which affects the pelvic joints, making them stiff so that they stop working normally.

It can occur at any stage of pregnancy, or during childbirth, and may come on suddenly, or start gradually. The good news is that it usually resolves very quickly after birth, with some women noting immediate effects, and other women noticing it improves over a couple of weeks.

One in five women are affected by this during pregnancy.

During pregnancy you gain weight which puts extra strain on your pelvis, you also stand differently as the weight of the baby changes your posture. Pregnancy hormones such as relaxin and progesterone can also loosen the ligaments and muscles making the pelvis less stable, all of these things can contribute to developing PGP.

The main symptom is pain, which most commonly occurs while walking, climbing the stairs and turning over in bed.

Sufferers may feel pain in their pubic area, groin, hips, on the inside of their thighs and in one or both buttocks. Often, the pain can be concentrated on one side or might appear to jump from one side to the other.

There can also be instability of the joints, which makes day-to-day activities, difficult.

The condition usually starts in the second trimester but in some cases can begin during labour or occasionally even after the birth.

Pelvic floor exercises will improve the stability of your pelvis and back. Exercising in water may also help, but avoid swimming breaststroke. Take care when sitting down and getting up. Don't lift or push anything heavy. If you are climbing stairs, take one at a time, stepping up with your best leg and bringing the other one up to meet it. Your GP may also refer you to a physiotherapist.

PGP is very treatable, both during pregnancy and afterwards, and it’s important to seek help as soon you get symptoms.

Treatment involves assessing the joints and muscles in and around the pelvis and returning them to normal function, usually using manual therapy techniques.

A physiotherapist will advise on a range of exercises and positions to help ease the pain, as well as what exercises to avoid, and your GP will be able to give you information about which painkillers are suitable to take during pregnancy.

Here are some general pointers to help:

It is important to try and stay active during pregnancy, even if you have PGP. Try and find some exercises that are manageable for you – many women find swimming helpful as the water takes some of the weight off the pelvis. Avoid breaststroke as this can exacerbate symptoms. The important thing to remember is to stop any exercise if it is causing you any pain.

Having PGP doesn’t  mean you are more likely to have problems during labour, just as long as you follow the right advice.

Make sure you put ‘PGP sufferer’ in your birth plan and make the midwives aware of this straight away.

Try to avoid lying on your back to give birth – it is far better to be upright or kneeling as this protects the pelvic joints.

If you have an epidural, make sure someone measures the width you can comfortably open your knees to before it is administered as this will avoid any lasting damage in the future. A birthing pool is an excellent way to ease pain as it allows you to move about freely and takes pressure off the pelvis.

PGP does not mean that you will need to be induced or have a caesarean.

In most women, the pain stops after giving birth, however, there are a few rare cases where it can continue on afterwards.

Sufferers are advised to carry on with any treatment until they have returned to their pre-pregnancy fitness.

Unfortunately, if you do suffer from PGP in one pregnancy, it is likely the problem will reoccur in following pregnancies and without treatment, may be more severe.

SPD stands for; Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD); this is a condition which affects the pelvic joints, making them feel stiff so that they stop working normally.

SPD can start at any point during your pregnancy but is most common during the third trimester, with many women experiencing it during their second trimester.

The onset of pregnancy-related SPD can vary, with 74% in a first pregnancy and 12% in the first trimester, 34% in the second trimester and 52% in the third trimester. Women who develop SPD during pregnancy generally have a good prognosis, as delivery is usually curative.

Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), or pelvic girdle pain (PGP), happens when the ligaments that normally keep your pelvic bone aligned during pregnancy become too relaxed and stretchy soon before birth (as delivery nears, things are supposed to start loosening up).

This, in turn, can make the pelvic joint — aka the symphysis pubis — unstable, causing some pretty strange sensations, including pelvic pain.

The incidence of diagnosed SPD is about 1 in 300 pregnancies, though some experts think that up to 25 percent of all pregnant women will experience SPD (though not all have it diagnosed).

The most common symptoms are difficulty when walking and wrenching pain (as though your pelvis is tearing apart). Typically, the pain is focused on the pubic area, but in some women it radiates to the upper thighs and perineum.

The pain can worsen when you're walking and doing weight-bearing activities, particularly those that involve lifting one leg like climbing stairs, getting dressed, getting in and out of a car, or even turning over in bed.

The culprit behind SPD is the aptly named hormone relaxin, which makes your ligaments stretchy so your baby can ease his way into the world.

Sometimes relaxin does its job too well, loosening the ligaments around your pelvic bone way before baby is ready to come out, which causes movement (and unfortunately, pain) in the pelvic joint.

In very rare cases, the joint may gape apart, a condition called diastasis symphysis pubis or symphyseal separation, which can cause more serious pain in your pelvis, groin, hips and buttocks. SPD can also worsen after delivery and require medical intervention, but this too is very rare.

For most moms, once your baby is born and relaxin production ceases, your ligaments (and dance moves) will return to normal.

There are some things you can do to ease your discomfort if you're suffering from this pregnancy symptom, including: