Symptoms and manifestations of appendicitis during pregnancy

Release time : 01/18/2025 18:13:27

We all know that appendicitis is a common disease, and once it occurs, acute appendicitis often indicates the need for open surgery.

Similarly, pregnant women can also suffer from appendicitis. The symptoms of appendicitis in pregnancy are not typical and can easily be confused with other diseases.

What are the symptoms of appendicitis during pregnancy? Is appendicitis harmful to the fetus? The symptoms of appendicitis during pregnancy can be described as "no rain, no rainbow." For some pregnant women, appendicitis in surgical emergencies is the storm they are expected to endure. Appendicitis can occur at any stage of pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of appendicitis during pregnancy? First, abdominal pain.

In pregnant women, the most typical symptom of acute appendicitis is right lower abdominal pain.

At first, the patient could not clearly describe where the pain was located. Initially, the patient often experienced discomfort in the region around the umbilicus, which gradually shifted to the lower right part of the abdomen.

In the late stages of pregnancy, the area of pain may differ from that in the early stages, tending to be more towards the lower right side, but for most women, the sensation of pain is still primarily in the lower right abdomen. Along with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting can also occur.

II. Body Temperature.

In some patients with appendicitis during pregnancy, there is no fever. The temperature in most cases will not exceed 38 degrees Celsius.

Therefore, body temperature cannot be used as an indicator for diagnosing appendicitis in pregnancy.

When a patient experiences perforation, necrosis, or appendicitis accompanied by peritonitis, their body temperature will significantly increase.

III. Right lower quadrant tenderness.

In the early stages of pregnancy, if a woman develops appendicitis, there will be noticeable tenderness in the lower right abdomen. Due to the short-term enlargement of the uterus, the appendix may shift, causing the point of tenderness to be slightly higher in some patients.

Patients with a history of chronic appendicitis should pay special attention.

What to do if you have appendicitis during pregnancy? If acute appendicitis occurs during pregnancy, immediate surgical treatment is necessary. Conservative treatment is of no benefit to the patient, and delaying surgery could potentially be life-threatening.

In the early stages of pregnancy, i.e. From 1 to 3 months, pregnant women with acute appendicitis should undergo surgical treatment, regardless of the severity of the symptoms.

During the mid-pregnancy period, which is from 4 to 6 months of pregnancy, performing surgical treatment for appendicitis is the safest and most appropriate method at this stage, as it has no impact on the fetus. This period is considered the optimal time for surgical intervention in treating appendicitis.

In the late stages of pregnancy, due to significant enlargement of the uterine cavity, appendicitis is more likely to cause infection in the abdominal cavity and requires immediate surgical intervention.

In the late stages of pregnancy, performing appendicitis surgery may stimulate premature labor in the fetus. However, most such preterm births can be successfully carried to term.

Should a patient continue to consider the safety of the fetus and opt for conservative treatment, the antibiotics used during this approach must be taken over an extended period. Consequently, appendicitis may still recur in life. If appendicitis were to recur once during pregnancy, the difficulty of treatment would significantly increase.

So, if a appendicitis is present during pregnancy, the best way to handle it is to undergo surgery as soon as possible. Only proper treatment can ensure the safety of both mother and child.

Can appendicitis in pregnancy self-resolve on its own? Everyone is familiar with this disease, and various common factors in daily life, such as improper diet, can all potentially trigger appendicitis.

For expectant mothers, appendicitis can be a distressing condition. Due to the presence of a fetus in the womb, they are hesitant to undergo treatment for appendicitis, fearing it could adversely affect their baby. In cases where the symptoms are not yet pronounced, these patients tend to endure them until they resolve on their own.

Can appendicitis in pregnancy resolve on its own? The first point to clarify is that, if left untreated, appendicitis during pregnancy will not improve on its own. It is important for expectant mothers not to harbor any hope of recovery.

Moreover, pregnant women need not worry about luck; treatment of appendicitis will not harm the baby.

Due to the anesthetics used during treatment, as well as the antibiotics to be administered thereafter, physicians choose drugs that have no impact on fetal development.

If appendicitis is not treated in pregnancy, it may cause perforation of the appendix. The rate of perforation of appendix in pregnant women is two to three times higher than that in non-pregnant people.

Due to the enlargement of the uterus, the greater omentum is displaced upwards. When the infection source cannot be enclosed, it is very prone to spread. Acute peritonitis can also affect the serosa of the uterus. Talking about one's own uterus, it will frequently contract, leading to miscarriage in pregnant women and even death of the fetus due to hypoxia.

Therefore, it is stated that appendicitis in pregnancy cannot resolve on its own and must be surgically removed.

Is appendicitis during pregnancy harmful to the fetus? The most feared thing for expectant mothers is to be concerned about the impact of appendicitis on the fetus.

Does appendicitis during pregnancy pose any risk to the fetus? As symptoms of appendicitis in pregnancy are not characteristically present, and can easily be confused with other diseases, this increases diagnostic difficulty and poses a threat to both the pregnant woman and the fetus.

In early pregnancy, if appendicitis is not treated promptly or misdiagnosed, it can stimulate the uterus and cause fetal loss.

During the late stages of pregnancy, if inflammation spreads widely, it can affect surrounding organs including the uterus, leading to contractions and preterm delivery. This poses a certain threat to the life safety of both mother and child.

If appendicitis develops into diffuse peritonitis, the pathogen invades the bloodstream of the patient and causes sepsis shock. The consequences for a mother and her fetus are very serious.

In addition, many pregnant patients with appendicitis are also concerned about the potential impact on the fetus during treatment. Therefore, when pregnant women develop appendicitis, if a doctor advises surgical intervention, expectant mothers and all family members become very anxious, fearing that anesthesia during surgery could lead to fetal malformations.

There is no need to worry about this. The anesthesia used for appendicitis surgery is subcutaneous, which does not involve the administration of drugs into the placental bloodstream. Therefore, in general, appendicitis surgery during pregnancy will not pose a threat to the fetus.

Prevention of acute appendicitis during pregnancy is not a serious condition, but if it is not treated in time, it can lead to life-threatening complications.

If a patient suffers from chronic appendicitis, they often drag their condition out by delaying treatment until they can no longer bear the pain.

If it's a belly, then the pregnant woman with a baby is even more heartbreaking.

How should we prevent appendicitis during pregnancy? In fact, preventing appendicitis during pregnancy is not difficult.

During pregnancy, do not stay at home all day because of pregnancy. Engage in moderate exercise that is beneficial for both your physical and mental health. You can go for a walk in the park or spend time outdoors with family members to breathe in the fresh air.

During pregnancy, it is particularly important to avoid overeating and binge drinking. Pregnant women should also avoid consuming unclean food, as unclean food can cause an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis. The symptoms caused by acute gastroenteritis may potentially affect the appendix, leading to an outbreak of acute appendicitis.

Additionally, avoid consuming too much of certain foods that can lead to gastrointestinal calculi, such as persimmons.

If a patient has had chronic appendicitis before pregnancy but has not been removed, consideration should be given to the removal of the appendix prior to conception.

Given a history of previously diagnosed chronic appendicitis, it is very likely that the condition may recur as acute appendicitis during pregnancy.

The medical information provided in this text is for reference only.

In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately for a precise diagnosis and treatment by a professional in-person.