Cramps a Week Before Period: Pregnant or Not? 7 MAIN Causes

Question: what causes cramps a week before period? Am I pregnant?

Just when you are preparing for your next period, a sudden mild or severe cramp in your lower abdomen will get you concerned.

Cramping one week from your period can be due to many reasons, and there is a possibility that it could be due to pregnancy. However, mild cramps a few days before a period are also very common and are often caused by normal hormonal changes in the uterus. mayoclinic.org+1

If you’ve had sexual intercourse or you’re trying to conceive, cramping and spotting a week before period can sometimes be an early pregnancy sign, but it is not proof of pregnancy on its own. Many women with early pregnancy have no cramps or spotting at all. NICHD

Apart from pregnancy, you may also experience abdominal cramps for some other reasons.

Endometriosis, pelvic infections, early miscarriage at three weeks, ectopic pregnancy, urinary tract infections, adenomyosis, and sometimes an ovarian cyst may cause you to feel lower abdomen pain. MedlinePlus+1

Here’s an email I received from Perri (one of my readers)

Hi Dr. Dunn

I saw your post about cramps and I’m wondering if you could help.

About a week away from my menstrual period and I felt sharp pain in my abdomen (on the left side) that continued till the start of my period.

During menstruation, the pain got even worse as I could hardly do anything. I took Tylenol but yet could not ease the pains.

Is this pain normal, or due to pregnancy?

The truth is, most teenage girls will experience cramps before and during menstruation, and as you grow old, menstruation pain may decrease for many women. But if your usual pain suddenly becomes very severe, lasts longer than normal, or is different from your typical pattern, it’s important to talk with a doctor. mayoclinic.org+1

This article explains:

• What causes abdominal cramping a week before period

• Signs that may indicate pregnancy and when to take a pregnancy test

• Reasons for cramps a week before period with a negative pregnancy test

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What causes abdominal cramps a week before period starts?

If you are just one week before the start of your period and experience abdominal, pelvic or back pain, here are the possible reasons.

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1. Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a common reason why some women will have a mild to moderate abdominal or pelvic pain one week before period.

For women that desire to conceive, if you experience this type of cramps prior to your period, it may be a lucky sign that you are pregnant. In fact, you should also start observing for other symptoms of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, tiredness, or needing to pass urine more often. NICHD

Abdominal pain during very early pregnancy is often mild and can be due to hormonal changes and the early attachment (implantation) of the pregnancy into the inner wall of the uterus.

After sexual intercourse, sperm is released into the vagina, and if your cervical mucus is favorable (watery and jelly like), sperm easily finds its way to your fallopian tubes.

At the fallopian tube, sperm fuses with your egg, released monthly during ovulation, and forms your baby.

Subsequently, your baby attaches itself to the uterine endometrium by burrowing into the endometrial lining. This may cause some women to experience mild cramps, and also light spotting (sometimes called “implantation bleeding”), but many pregnancies have no spotting at all. Cleveland Clinic+1

Apart from cramps and spotting that may occur one week before period if pregnant, here are other pregnancy signs to watch out for.

Missed period

If you’ve missed your period after mild abdominal cramps, it’s possible you’re pregnant. If you become pregnant, your menstrual period will not show up throughout pregnancy, and this is due to high level of estrogen and progesterone. A missed period is usually the most reliable first sign for women with regular cycles. NICHD

Frequent urination

If you also pee much more than normal, it may be an early pregnancy sign too. First of all, there could be other reasons you are peeing too much like cold weather, diabetes, and urinary tract infections.

But during pregnancy, your body boosts blood flow to your kidneys, and this causes much more urine to be produced.

Fatigue

During early pregnancy, women will sometimes feel exhausted and tired all of a sudden. If you feel this way with cramping and spotting, you could be pregnant.

Nausea and vomiting

Throwing up or feeling like vomiting are symptoms that are common from around the 4th to 9th week of pregnancy. Some women notice mild nausea earlier, but for many it starts after a missed period. ACOG

Breast pain and swelling

During early pregnancy, changes to your breast will occur, and it’s not unusual. Your breasts may feel bigger, heavier, or more tender.

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What to do if I feel pregnant?

Women that have been pregnant before will understand how pregnancy symptoms feel like, and they quickly also get a pregnancy test done after a missed period.

If you are getting pregnant for the first time, you may be confused about early pregnancy symptoms.

The most reliable way you can convince yourself about if you are pregnant or not is by taking a pregnancy test.

• Blood pregnancy tests can sometimes detect pregnancy a few days before your expected period, but the exact timing varies from woman to woman. Cleveland Clinic

• Urine pregnancy tests (home tests) are usually most accurate from the day your period is due or a few days after.

Then again, it may be discomforting to go to a health center for a pregnancy test. Sometimes, you will want a private test done at home. If you desire to test at home, you can get a pregnancy urine test strip and test in your bedroom.

It’s best to be calm and test about seven days after a missed period if your first test is negative but you still feel pregnant. If carried out very early, a negative test result does not rule out pregnancy.

If you have a positive test and strong one-sided pain, heavy bleeding, shoulder pain, or dizziness/fainting, see a doctor or go to the emergency room urgently to rule out ectopic pregnancy. CHI Health+1

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2. Early miscarriage

Commonly, it’s possible you are having a miscarriage even without knowing.

Before your period and about three to four weeks into pregnancy, a very early pregnancy can end and come out as bleeding around the time your period is due. Doctors sometimes call this a “chemical pregnancy” or very early miscarriage. ACOG+1

If this happens, you may experience cramps in your tummy with vaginal bleeding and back pain. The bleeding may be slightly heavier or different from your usual period.

The truth is, it’s difficult to tell if your cramps are due to a miscarriage except for a pregnancy test (or blood hCG test) that will first show positive and then become negative again.

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What causes cramps a week before period if not pregnant?

While mild or dull cramps one week before period may be an early pregnancy sign, if you notice a sharp pain all the time, it could be something else.

Here are possible reasons you are cramping one week before period with a negative pregnancy test result (or when pregnancy is unlikely).

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1. Endometriosis

Within the uterus is the endometrium that coats your womb. During your period, your uterus contracts and forces the endometrium to be expelled as period-blood.

Sometimes tissue similar to your endometrium can grow outside the uterus (endometriosis). Experts still do not fully know why this happens; one theory is that some menstrual blood flows backward through the fallopian tubes into the pelvis (retrograde menstruation), but other factors like the immune system and genetics are also involved. MedlinePlus+1

If this occurs (endometriosis), you may feel pain in your abdomen.

The chances your tummy pain is due to endometriosis is higher if you’re between 25–40 years and if your mother or sister has been diagnosed with endometriosis.

About 1–2 out of 10 women will have endometriosis, though it’s possible a lot of women will have endometriosis without any symptoms. Cleveland Clinic+1

The most common symptoms of endometriosis is belly pain before, during and after menstruation. Other symptoms are:

• Painful sexual intercourse

• Irregular periods

• Difficulty getting pregnant for a long time

• Pain while defecating

• Blood in urine or feces

If you experience cramping abdominal pain all the time in your lower abdomen, it’s abnormal, and you must inform your doctor right away.

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Other causes of cramps a week before period (negative pregnancy test)

Other causes of cramps a week before period negative pregnancy test are:

2. Adenomyosis

3. Birth control pills (especially in the first few months of use)

4. Ectopic pregnancy (usually gives a positive test, but very early tests can be negative or very faint)

5. Food poisoning

6. Irritable bowel syndrome

7. Gas in abdomen

8. Appendicitis

Severe, sudden pain, pain with fever, vomiting, pain when passing urine, or pain that makes you bend over and cannot straighten up can be signs of something serious. In these situations, you should see a doctor or go to the hospital urgently.

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