Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Appendicitis is the most common surgical-requiring condition during pregnancy. This disease occurs in 1 in 1000 pregnancies. Usually pregnant women develop appendicitis in the first two stages of pregnancy; however, there is also a case in late pregnancy. You should immediately see your doctor if you are pregnant and suspect appendicitis.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Recognize the symptoms of appendicitis

1. 

   Know the symptoms of appendicitis. These symptoms include:
   • abdominal pain usually starts near the navel, gradually moving to the right over the next few hours (this is the most suspicious sign of appendicitis)
   • nausea and / or vomiting (unlike vomiting related to pregnancy you have experienced)
   • fever
   • do not want to eat.

2. 

   
   
   Watch for any signs of pain. Pain is the most obvious sign of appendicitis. The pain begins to dull from the navel area, then a few hours to the right side and the pain gets worse.
   • The "typical" appendicitis pain is localized at two-thirds of the distance from the navel to the hip bone (this point is also called the McBurney's mark).
   • If you lie on your right side with appendicitis, you should feel the pain increase. You may also experience pain when standing or moving.
   • Some pregnant women experience pain while standing, because the round ligament is overly stretched (which can happen during pregnancy). However, this type of pain will quickly go away. On the contrary, the pain of appendicitis does not go away, which is a sign that will help you distinguish between the two phenomena.

3. 

   
   
   Note that the pain may be in a higher position if you are in the third stage of pregnancy. Women who are 28 weeks pregnant or older will feel pain right below the right flank. This is because as the fetus grows in the uterus, the appendix moves to another place. Instead of lying between the navel and right hip ribs (at McBurney's point), the appendix moves upward and is pushed into position just below the right ribs.

4. 

   
   
   Pay attention if there is nausea and vomiting after the pain. You probably also know that vomiting usually occurs during pregnancy. However, in appendicitis, pain comes first, followed by vomiting (or nausea and vomiting worse than before).
   • Furthermore, if you're later in pregnancy (when the vomiting phase is over), vomiting and nausea are more likely signs of another problem, like appendicitis.

5. 

   Note if you suddenly have a fever. Appendicitis is often accompanied by a mild fever. A low-grade fever alone is not a warning sign. The combination of fever, pain, and vomiting phenomena, however, is of concern. You should see your doctor if all three of these symptoms appear at the same time.

6. 

   Watch for sweating, pale, or not wanting to eat. Pale skin and sweating can be caused by fever and nausea when the appendix becomes inflamed. You can also lose your appetite - this happens in all cases of appendicitis, whether pregnant or not. advertisement

Part 2 of 3: Prepare for the clinical examination

1. 

   Stay calm and be prepared to see the doctor. Seeing a doctor, especially in such stressful situations, can cause anxiety and anxiety. So it is best to know what kind of examination you are likely to go through. Examination is described in the following steps.
   • It's best to see a doctor in the emergency room. Appendicitis must be treated urgently, so it's a good idea to go to a hospital where tests can be done quickly.

2. 

   Do not take pain relievers before seeing your doctor. Pain is one of the few signs that a doctor can diagnose appendicitis in pregnant women, so taking painkillers can be detrimental.

3. 

   Do not eat, drink, or take laxatives before seeing your doctor. Almost everyone goes to the emergency room with appendicitis so you won't have to wait long.
   • Fasting is important because some doctor examination techniques require an empty stomach. In addition, fasting also helps lighten the digestive tract and reduces the risk of rupture of the appendix if you actually have appendicitis.

4. 

   Know that your doctor will feel around your abdomen to check for pain. A doctor can perform a variety of examining techniques to determine the cause of your abdominal pain and whether it is appendicitis. These techniques may include pressing around the abdomen to predict painful areas, typing, and trying "backwards sensitivity" (pain when the doctor stops the pressure).
   • The exam may seem cumbersome and time-consuming, but you need to know that these operations are necessary for the doctor to guess exactly what is going on.

5. 

   Ready for hip rotation. This is to look for "muscle plugs", which is pain that occurs when the hip bone is rotated. Your doctor will hold your right knee and ankle, and then flex your hips and knee while rotating your legs in and out. Watch for any pain in the right lower quadrant. Tell your doctor if you experience pain in this area as it could be due to muscle irritation, a sign of appendicitis.

6. 

   Prepare for a leg stretch. You may be asked to lie on your side, while the doctor stretches your legs and asks if you have pain. This is also called a “lumbar muscle test,” and if the pain increases, it could be another sign of appendicitis.

7. 

   Hunting for rectal examination. Although rectal exam is not directly related to the diagnosis of appendicitis, many doctors perform this exam to rule out other possible conditions. So don't be surprised when your doctor examines your rectum. advertisement

Part 3 of 3: Using medical tests to confirm the diagnosis

1. 

   Prepare to take blood for testing. The number of leukocytes often increases in appendicitis. However, this test is usually less effective in pregnancy because the white blood cell count has increased during pregnancy, so this is not necessarily a sign of appendicitis.

2. 

   Ask your doctor about ultrasound. Ultrasound is the "gold standard" (most recommended) in diagnosing appendicitis in pregnant women. This technique uses echoes of the sound waves to create an image that helps your doctor determine if you have appendicitis.
   • Usually, patients who come to the emergency room because they suspect appendicitis are often given a microscopic scan (CT scan). However, most doctors choose an ultrasound to diagnose pregnant women because this technique is not harmful to the fetus.
   • The ultrasound method usually successfully detects most cases of appendicitis.

3. 

   Be prepared for other imaging tests. After 35 weeks of pregnancy, all imaging tests are complicated by the development of the fetus making it difficult to see the appendix.
   • In this case, your doctor may recommend a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to get a better look at appendicitis, if present.
   advertisement

Advice

• Any unusual pain or fever during pregnancy should be seen by, or at least, discussed with your doctor. Most obstetric clinics have doctors or midwives on duty 24/7 to answer such questions.
• Watch for symptoms for a while, as the most questionable sign of appendicitis is pain that starts in the navel area and slowly moves to the right.
• Stay calm and accompany your loved one to ease your anxiety while you wait to be seen.

Warning

• Diagnosing appendicitis in a pregnant woman can be complicated, since the pain is not in the usual position.
• If your appendix ruptures during the third stage of pregnancy, your doctor may give you a cesarean section to ensure it's safe for both mother and baby. The baby by this point is old enough to be born and live in the outside world.
• Go to the emergency room as soon as you feel the pain throbbing and not getting better. It is still best to ask an experienced doctor what is going on.