Will I still have pelvic pain after birth?

Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by theosteomum

Pregnancy is (supposed to be) wonderful. However, if you’ve suffered from pelvic girdle pain (PGP) during pregnancy, you’re completely justified in wondering if you’ll still have pelvic pain after birth.

You might be wondering if the pain you’re feeling will ever get better, or even a little fearful that it’ll just keep getting worse.

Today’s post is designed to give you the facts and information you need to give you the best chance of recovery.

We’ll discuss:

• What exactly is “pelvic girdle pain” or “PGP” in pregnancy
• How common is PGP in pregnancy?
• Is pelvic pain normal postpartum?
• How common is pelvic pain after birth?
• Who is more likely to suffer from pelvic pain after birth (PPGP)?
• The modifiable risk and non-modifiable risk factors for persistent pelvic pain after birth (PPGP)
• How to reduce your chances of having pelvic pain after birth

What do I mean by “pelvic girdle pain” during pregnancy?

There are a few reasons why you may be experiencing pain in the pelvic area during pregnancy.

Some are musculoskeletal, others are not.

This post will focus on musculoskeletal pelvic pain in pregnancy.

Before we dive in too deeply, it’s best if we get a few terms straight.

Because the phrase “pain in the pelvic area during pregnancy” is a little hard to read, you’ll often see me use the term “PGP” instead.

“PGP” is short for “pelvic girdle pain”, a.k.a. “SPD” or “symphysis pubis dysfunction”.

Those who are suffering from it often like to give it some other less-than-flattering names, usually peppered with plenty of expletives, as it’s often a really pain-in-the-you-know-what.

If you’re a little unsure if what you’re experiencing can actually be called “pelvic girdle pain”, check out this post, where I give detailed explanations of exactly where PGP is located, and what it feels like.

If you’re already sure you’ve got it, but you’d like to learn more about how to manage your PGP from home, I’ve written a detailed and extremely helpful post here.

Whether you’re getting close to your due date, or you little bundle has already arrived, you’re not alone in wishing those pelvic symptoms gone.

How common is PGP during pregnancy?

The evidence suggests that anywhere between 20-50% of women will suffer from pain in the pelvic area during pregnancy to some extent.

One study has suggested that up to 25% of pregnant women will experience “serious” pain, and 8% will experience severe disability due to this pain.

So, unfortunately, PGP is a common symptom during pregnancy, and sometimes beyond.

I suffered from  PGP in pregnancy whilst pregnant with my second child.

Even though I’d consider it to be a mild to moderate case, it was still quite intense, and made the task of looking after a busy toddler all the more challenging.

I’ve written all about my experience with PGP here.

Modifiable risk factors for persistent pelvic pain after birth (PPGP):

These are factors that you have some control over. This means that you may be able to change them either before or during your pregnancy.

1. Your own self-rated health measure. This is basically how “well” you perceive yourself to be, and whether you believe you’ll get better or not.

This is a fascinating area of pain science that is continually evolving, and this finding is not unique to PPGP. In many areas of musculoskeletal medicine, research is suggesting that the patient’s beliefs around their pain have a massive influence on how they perceive it.This study suggests that women who would rate their health as “fair to poor” were more than four times as likely to report persistent pain 12 years after giving birth, when compared to women who would rate their own health as “quite good to very good”.

2. Marriage/ relationship satisfaction and how satisfied you are with your sex life.

This is another interesting little snippet, but it makes sense when you think about it. If you’re content with your partner, then you’re more likely to be happier overall. As such, you’ll be less bothered by pain or other factors which can affect your perception of pain.

3. Being overweight or obese.

This is a factor that may be hard to change once you are pregnant. However, it’s a good one to think about for many reasons if you fall into these categories and are planning on becoming pregnant any time soon. If you can, losing a few kilograms and falling into a healthy weight range may help decrease your chances of developing PPGP, as well as a number of other complications that become more likely when you’re carrying excess body weight.

Non-modifiable risk factors for PPGP:

These are the factors that you don’t have any control over, and mostly revolve around your medical history.

1.  Previous lower back pain before pregnancy

Experiencing significant lower back pain before becoming pregnant is not only a risk factor for developing pelvic pain while pregnant, but also for it persisting after pregnancy.

2.  Pain in other areas of the spine or body

Experiencing significant pain in other regions of your body puts you at greater risk of your pain becoming persistent. This may be due to changes in the way your brain works. In states of chronic or significant pain, your brain becomes much more sensitive to pain signals, causing you to feel pain at much lower thresholds.

3.  High levels of pain during pregnancy, or pain in 3 to 4 pelvic locations

The worse your pain during pregnancy, or the more widespread it is, the more likely it is to persist after you’ve given birth.

4.  Pain that requires the use of crutches during pregnancy

If you reach the stage where you need crutches, it’s more likely your pain will persist after birth. Boo.

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How to reduce your chances of having pelvic pain after birth

There are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of recovering from PGP, and stop it progressing to PPGP.

Firstly, this is a good time to remember the old saying of “prevention is better than a cure”.

So, if you’re not yet pregnant, but  planning on becoming pregnant soon, now is the time to try to get yourself into good physical condition.

Try to aim to fall into the “healthy weight range”, and develop a healthy diet and exercise regime.

Entering a pregnancy in good physical health will help improve your own perceptions of your health, which in itself can have a positive impact. You’ll also be less likely to develop a range of other complications, or require a Caesarian birth.

But what if I’m already pregnant?

If you’re already pregnant, there are a few other strategies you can try to help manage or prevent PPGP:

Focus on what you can control:

You may have a few of the “non-modifiable” risk factors working against you.

Don’t despair though!

There is bound to be some things in your control that you can modify.

How can you improve your perceptions of your overall health?

Can you give your diet an overhaul?

Can you hit the local pool and start walking laps, to increase your overall fitness?

Can you seek out a suitably trained professional to give you some tailored treatment and advice?

There are loads of possibilities here.  

Have a look at the list of modifiable factors, and see which you can improve.

Just knowing that there are some things still in your control can make a huge difference.

Try to improve your relationship satisfaction:

There is evidence to suggest that women who are in satisfied relationships may experience better long-term outcomes around PGP than those who aren’t.

The reasons for this are unclear, however, may have to do with overall happiness levels influencing your perception of pain.

I understand that not every Mum has a romantic partner.

However, this may be taken more broadly to mean your relationships with any special people in your life.

Spending quality time with your partner (if you have one) with a baby isn’t easy, and can often fall waaaay down the list.

This post may give you some ideas to help keep you and your partner as “fresh” as possible.

Limiting pregnancy weight gain to within recommended levels:

The amount of weight you gain during pregnancy can affect both yours and your baby’s health.

After birth, it can continue to influence your recovery.

Recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy depend on your pre-pregnancy weight and BMI (body mass index).

You can check out the recommendations in the table below.

If you have questions about managing your pregnancy weight gain, you should speak to your health care professional.

Using effective PGP management strategies. These include:

• Minimising time spent on one leg (e.g. sitting down while getting dressed),
• Keeping knees together as much as possible,
• Taking regular breaks from walking and standing.

If you can’t read that post now, the top 3 takeaway points are:

• Introduce specific exercises to help improve your strength. Where possible, do this under the supervision of a suitably trained health professional.
• Seek hands-on treatment from an experienced health professional. There is also some evidence to suggest that acupuncture can provide relief of PGP.
• Water aerobics has been proven to decrease the severity of PGP. So throw on your bathers and hit the pool!

According to this article, the best outcomes are achieved when you apply multiple approaches.

So you’re best not to just rely on one strategy, such as rest or weight management.

You’re more likely to achieve better outcomes when you try a number of different things.

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Pelvic pain after birth- the summary:

To wrap this up, there’s a good chance that the pain in your pelvic area will improve after you give birth.

Some women are more at risk of persistent pain in this area than others, however, there are a number of things you can do to minimise that risk.

How does this make you feel about your pain?

Is there any other information that would help you feel more confident about a return to painfree life?

Leave a comment below!