Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction

[Gobolino80]

My DD who is 32 weeks pregnant has been diagnosed with Symphysis Pubic Disfunction and is constantly in pain. Any advice out there? It sounds awful. I was fortunate to not suffer with anything like that during both my pregnancies so I'm at a loss as what to suggest that might help

Hey OP, so sorry your DD is suffering. I had this in both pregnancies and unfortunately it was a lot worse second time around. What physical stage is she at now? How far can she walk? Is this her first baby? By this point I was basically housebound and wishing away the last few weeks of pregnancy!

If she doesn’t have one already I’d really recommend a support band. It takes the edge off if you need to walk anywhere (I didn’t use it sitting down as you need to wear it quite tightly). Also getting out of bed correctly so you don’t put pressure on your joints is helpful too, there are good physio YouTube videos for this. Finally a leg pillow to wedge between your legs at night to stop your pelvis collapsing in on itself was a lifesaver for me at night.

Any questions do just ask, I’m sadly quite an expect on this crappy condition now!! The only positive is that the second both of my babies were born it disappeared!

Get a referral to physio or, if she can afford to do so, self fund. There are exercises that can strengthen surrounding structures to help support the pelvis. Water exercises can be better than weight baring but everyone is different.

There are belts available to help stabilise the hips but they never helped me, other women did have better luck. I think there is even a bump sling that helps transfer the weight off the hips and redistributes it so it doesn’t hurt as much.

I found sitting properly, not crossing legs or rolling onto one hip, helped.

I was on crutches for both my pregnancies for the last trimester. The pain was horrendous. I don’t have any problems now though, everything corrected after I gave birth.

I wish her good luck!

As per other posters, the support belt can be helpful but she must see a physio asap who can advise on how best to move to help prevent exacerbating the pain.

I basically sat down for the last month if my pregnancy and moved as little as possible but it was one of the worst parts for me.

There are support groups on Facebook also.

I had a similar issue when I was pregnant and delivered in late March. I was diagnosed with SPD and found that most midwives and GPs were not very helpful. I recommend seeing a women's health physiotherapist instead of just any physiotherapist. If you're having trouble getting a referral under the NHS, it may be worth seeking out a private women's health physiotherapist.

Unfortunately, when you're pregnant, clinicians often focus on the baby's health, which is important, but the mother's health can be overlooked. It's best to get it sorted before you need surgery