Is Lower Back Pain Before Period Sign Of Pregnancy Or Period Coming?

Question: Is lower back pain before period sign of pregnancy or PMS?

At the age of 13, when a lot of girls will start having menstrual period, abdominal pain before or during your monthly period can be disturbing.

Sometimes, pain may get severe and prevent you from your normal academic or daily activities.

Ordinarily, before period starts, it’s common for girls and women to have both physical and emotional changes in their body. These premenstrual changes are part of what doctors call PMS or premenstrual symptoms and are very common. ACOG

Most of these body changes will start within a week to your next period; nonetheless, some women may get premenstrual symptoms up to two weeks away from period.

In young girls, symptoms can cause severe discomfort, especially abdominal cramps. In many women, period pain may improve over time, especially after childbirth, but some will continue to have strong pain into their 30s and 40s. AAFP

Low back pain before period may just be a new symptom you are getting for the first time. If you’ve had sexual intercourse weeks back and are confused if you’re having period sign or pregnancy, this guide explains what you must know.

Low back pain before period is very common and often occurs because of hormone changes in your body as you get towards your next period date. Period cramps can also spread to your lower back and thighs. nhs.uk

Pain is usually mild and subsides as your period commences. If you experience severe pain occasionally, it may not be abnormal. However, a persistent, severe, or worsening back pain that affects your daily life may indicate something else like endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or another pelvic or back problem, and you should see your doctor. 

Another symptom you may experience when period is approaching is breast pain and swelling. This usually occurs because of estrogen and progesterone effect on your breast. In some women, a small previously unrecognized breast lump becomes noticeable days before period. If you feel a new breast lump, always let your doctor check it, even if it gets better after your period. 

Other period symptoms are feeling weak, mild nausea, mood swing, acnes on the face, difficulty in sleeping at night and feeling a bit confused or irritable.

The truth is, if you did not have intercourse weeks before menstrual period, it’s almost surely your period coming if you get these signs.

On the other hand, if you have had unprotected sexual activity, these symptoms can overlap with early pregnancy symptoms. They do not prove you are pregnant, but they should make you consider taking a test if your period is late.

During pregnancy, it’s common for women to get a low back pain in the lumbar and pelvic regions, especially in the second and third trimester as the uterus grows. Back pain can also happen earlier in pregnancy, but it is not usually the first or only symptom. Medscape eMedicine

Nevertheless, if you’ve already noticed typical early pregnancy symptoms (like a missed period, breast tenderness, nausea, or tiredness) and now have low back pain, it could mean you’re already pregnant — but only a pregnancy test can confirm this.

This article explains why you have back pain before period, signs that show you’re pregnant and steps to take.

What causes low back pain before periods?

If you are close to your period and now experiencing low back hurting or abdominal cramps, it’s likely your period will start in a few days. These symptoms occur because of hormone changes around ovulation and before your next period. Period cramps and pain can spread to your back and thighs. nhs.uk+1

Before ovulation (release of an egg from the ovarian follicle), hormones from your brain signal your ovaries to release estrogen.

Estrogen helps start the build up of the endometrium that was washed out during previous menses. Other effects of estrogen are increased sexual urge and watery vaginal discharge before ovulation.

After ovulation takes place, estrogen levels drop with increase in progesterone and small amounts of other hormones like relaxin.

Progesterone helps thicken the endometrium even more and prepare your womb for your next period or pregnancy.

During this period (after ovulation), changes will begin to occur in your mood, concentration, breast, vaginal discharge and even the way you look.

Progesterone causes your breast to feel heavy and bigger with sometimes pain. Your vaginal discharge that was watery before ovulation (due to the effect of estrogen) becomes thick and sticky.

This rise in progesterone that occurs after ovulation begins to fall if you don’t get pregnant. This sudden drop in estrogen and progesterone is one of the reasons you now have PMS symptoms like sleepless nights, abdominal cramps, fatigue, and a low back pain.

The other hormone, relaxin, is also produced after ovulation and in early pregnancy. Relaxin helps loosen ligaments in the pelvis and may contribute to back or pelvic discomfort in some women, although its exact role in premenstrual back pain is not fully clear. Medscape eMedicine

Don’t forget prostaglandins

Another chemical that causes uterine contraction during the menstrual period is prostaglandins. These hormone-like substances force the uterus to contract and may cause you to have referred pain to your back.

Usually, low back pain before a period or belly pains will subside or disappear completely as period starts.

Is lower back pain before period sign of pregnancy?

If you’ve never had sexual intercourse or consistently used reliable contraception like the pill or condoms during sex, pregnancy is very unlikely and there is usually no reason you should worry about being pregnant.

On the other hand, women who had unsafe sexual intercourse (or missed pills, burst condom, etc.) may get pregnant and start showing signs before their next period. Early pregnancy symptoms before a missed period vary from woman to woman, and some women have no symptoms at all. Cleveland Clinic+1

However, many women will notice some of the following symptoms:

• Breast swelling with pain or tenderness

• Sore breast and itchy or sensitive nipples

• Light spotting before period due to implantation bleeding (not every pregnant woman has this)

• Body weakness or unusual tiredness

• Mild abdominal cramps for a few days

• Peeing too frequently

You can see more examples of early signs in this Cleveland Clinic early pregnancy symptoms guide.

If you had unprotected sexual intercourse and now have some of these symptoms with a low back pain, you could be pregnant, but these symptoms alone are not enough to be sure. The most important signs are a missed period and a positive pregnancy test.

What steps to take?

If these signs are already visible, you will be eager to check if you are pregnant or not.

The truth is that your test result may not be accurate if it is done too early, before your next period is due. Most home urine pregnancy tests become more reliable around the time of your missed period or a few days after. MedlinePlus+1

So don’t rush. If you test early and get a negative result but your period still does not come, wait a few days and test again, or see your doctor for a blood test. MedlinePlus has a simple overview of how pregnancy tests work and when to do them.

You should know many conventional test strips will not detect pregnancy if they are used too quickly. Some “early response” tests may pick up pregnancy a few days before your period is due, but no test is 100% accurate that early. Always read the instructions carefully and follow the advice on when to test.

What causes severe lower back pain before period?

While it’s true you may have a mild back pain before period, some women continue to get severe low back pain before and during periods.

One common cause of very painful periods is endometriosis, when the uterine endometrial tissues are displaced to other parts of the pelvis (such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes or bowel). Other signs of endometriosis are cramps between periods, difficulty in conceiving, heavy vaginal bleeding during menstruation, lower abdominal pain during sex and pain after intercourse.

Severe back or pelvic pain around your period can also be caused by other problems such as fibroids, adenomyosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or ordinary back problems like muscle strain or disc disease.

Another reason you may get more back pain before period is perimenopause, which occurs in women usually more than the age of 40. During this period, you may also get irregular periods, hot flashes, dry vagina and pain during intercourse.

Upper back pain before period, is it normal?

Just like lower pain in your back, it’s possible you could feel pain above your waist level before period. As your period starts, these pains often go away.

If you know you are pregnant and you’ve missed your period for weeks, a new low back pain together with vaginal bleeding and cramping can sometimes be a sign of miscarriage or (less commonly) an ectopic pregnancy. Always check out with your doctor or go to the hospital urgently if you have these symptoms.

How to relieve lower or upper back pain before period?

• Have a lot of rest as possible. Depending on how you sleep, pillows can help make you feel better. Commonly, if you sleep on your back all the time, an extra pillow under your knees may help relieve pain.

• Have regular exercise and keep stretching your muscles. Gentle movement often improves period pain over time. nhs.uk

• If you are obese, it’s time to lose some weight.

• Use pain killers like naproxen, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen (paracetamol) if you have no allergy or kidney, stomach, or heart problems. Do not exceed the dose on the packet, and avoid ibuprofen or naproxen in pregnancy unless your doctor says it is safe for you. ACOG+1

• Talk to your doctor if pain is persistent, very severe, keeps getting worse, or comes with heavy bleeding, fever, difficulty passing urine or stool, weakness or numbness in the legs, or if you are pregnant.