23 weeks pregnant and pains - is this normal?

[HopefulBump]

Hi, I hope someone will be able to reassure me whether this is normal or not.

Since about week 19 of pregnancy I’ve had a lot of discomfort. At first it felt quite like cystitis. Not particularly dark, cloudy or smelly wee but a constant feeling of needing to wee, strained wee, hot wee, feeling the need to wee immediately after having finished one. But I also felt a bit thrushy so I did a canestest which was negative. I called the GP and got antibiotics. After almost a week it had gotten worse so I did a urine test with the GP which came back clear. But during the night the pains were so bad and in my stomach that I went to A&E as I was away from my home town. They tested and again my urine was clear but they gave me stronger antibiotics which did help with the cystitis symptoms. But I’m still having general pains around the vagina and stomach area. Sometimes it feels slightly fizzy and itchy and moist like thrush. Sometimes my labia feels swollen. Sometimes it’s shooting pains up and down my vagina and sometimes it’s general discomfort where I imagine my cervix is. I do have an ectropian. I again went to the hospital where they tested my urine and did a speculum for thrush, STIs etc, all clear. But these pains won’t go away. They’re not stopping me from living by they are annoying. Anyone has anything similar?

Anyone? It kind of feels like I’ve been kicked in the vagina or there’s a tampon that’s been stuck up there with the cardboard tube still attached like toxic shock syndrome.

I’m as far along as you and this is my fourth pregnancy. I have not experienced this level of discomfort that you are talking about. Sometimes a heavy or swollen feeling down there but it’s just pressure. I would go to your gp.

Definitely not normal. What did your doctor think? Did they just assume baby is in an awkward position?

I’ve had recurrent UTIs this pregnancy and my last one (an undetected one caused my waters to rupture I had to have an EMCS at 32 weeks).
60% of the time my urine comes back clear when they do the dip test; they have to send samples off to the lab which always confirms a UTI. Ask the doc (or hospital) to do this as they can find out (if it is UTI - and does sound like it with your symptoms) what bacteria has caused the infection and which antibiotics you need to take as some bacteria are resistant to certain antibiotics. Good luck!

Thanks very much all. They just seem to have written it off mainly except they’ve booked me in for a renal scan next week to see if the UTI has scarred me internally and that’s causing the pain.

I've not had this pain also in my pregnancy although towards the end there was a low pressure (not pain) due to needing to wee a lot !

A friend of mine had similar to this years ago and kept coming back clear of infection despite having blood in her pee and excruciating pain.

Ended up with a physio referral relictantly, she thought it would be pointless but the exercises actually did offer some relief and as soon as DD was born symptoms went entirely

@anon5678 what did the physio say was causing the problem?

@HopefulBump I can't remember, I'm sorry, but I know she was in D-mannose tablets as well which she was given to flush out any embedded bacteria. I think possibly she had embedded bacteria which was causing tension in her bladder and the physio helped with that, and the tablets with the bacteria. Just googled D mannose and looks like you can get them in Holland and Barratt. Could be worth a try?

Thanks @anon5678