Is SPD something you can get just during the last month of pregnancy?

[beatie]

I'm 36 weeks and since 32 weeks have found it very difficult to walk or stand for more than 30 minutes at a time. I find myself very uncomfortable in bed and whilst turning over - however, I didn't have trouble getting out of bed and did not feel any particualr pain in my pelvic/pubic region.

During the past week (from 35 weeks) I have felt sporadic pain in my pubic area - weird pain that did not last for long. Since then I have noticed increasing pain and discomfort in my pubic area - sort of down my bikini line and extending to my legs. I feel it after walking and after getting up from being in one position too long.

I just assumed this inability to walk was part and parcel of a second or subsequent pregnancy but now I wonder if everyone experiences this or if I have something unique going on. Being 36 weeks, do I really need to have a diagnosis or am I right in thinking this happens to lots of people at the end of a subsequent pregnancy?

I'm guessing this is a form of SPD, sure sounds like it to me, although I'm by no means an expert, if you can live with it, I'd just carry on as best you can, if its getting really bad, then I'd get the midwifes opinion, as they can get you some physio to ease the pain {{Hugs}} Hope its all over soon for you!

It would be worth getting it checked (if you can get your doctor/midwife to take it seriously) because if it is SPD you should have an assessment of your 'abduction gap' - how far apart you can move your legs without pain - in preparation for childbirth.

I don't see why it shouldn't come on in your last month, as presumably this is when our bodies really pile on the relaxin (the hormone which loosens our joints, and in some cases triggers SPD). The good thing is that it really doesn't sound too bad. CAT me if you'd like!

No - compared to people who have SPD throughout a great proportion of their pregnancy, it does not sound too bad. Plus I keep reading that it is 'normal' for the pelvis to separate early during subsequent pregnancies.

Thanks to all the info. on mumsnet, I know what to do to minimise the pain and hopefully can ride it out for another 4 weeks. I will mention it to the midwife anyway.

Yes, please do. My sympathies - vile, isn't it.

i know how you feel.... for the last 3-4 weeks ive had this (im 30+3) and god it hurts!

Im not sure weather to mention it or not, becasue surely there isnt a lot that can be done!! I know for my area especially there would be a wait to see a physio anyway, so by the time I got an appointment i would probably have had the baby!

THe only thing that is helping me at the moment is not sitting or lying in the same position too long, sleeping on my side with 3 (yes 3!) pillows between my legs to take the pressure off my pelvis and back and getting DH to do as much as possible!!!

HTH and I honestly feel for you - but not long now!!

Jessicaetc, please do mention it. For one thing, the more women who mention it the more it may end up being taken seriously. And it should be all over your medical notes too.

Sorry to rant on, but it really gets to me that the professionals don't take SPD seriously.

my next midwife appointment isnt for just over 2 weeks and i go on holiday next saturday - is it worth booking into the doctors before hand???

Well, I'd say so. CAT me too if you'd like, I'll send you the stuff I've written about it.

thanks MI - will do.

I'd 2nd what mi says. I had this with my 1st pg and the pain got so bad at about 20 wks I rang my antenatal ward one Sunday night. I went straight in and they assessed and diagnosed me immediately and took me very seriously. Within a few days I had a tubey grip, a support belt and an appt with physio. The physio wasn't enormously helpful as I was seen as part of a group of sufferers but the advice given was very good. My midwife was able to give me lots of support re giving birth - and that part of it is VERY important if you suffer and you want to givce birth naturally.
This time round I'm seeing an osteo which has helped but still in a lot of pain most of the time. The belt helps and I use crutches to walk any distance. Lots and lots of sympathies to fellow sufferers (diagnosed or not!) x

I've had a bit of pelvic pain for a while, but it's definitely got worse just recently (now 34+, first pregnancy that's got this far). When I get out of bed first thing in the morning I have a hot shooting pain up my pubic bone and standing for too long is out of the question, as are certain sideways movements of my legs. It's not bad enough to see an osteopath about it now, but when I did see an osteopath (comparatively early in the pregnancy - for sacro-iliac pain), he suggested that an appointment a couple of months after birth is - in his opinion - always advisable for post-partum women, just to check everything is back where it should be. He told me that he's seen women in their 70s who've suffered with back pain for years - and for whom he can do nothing because the bones have fused back irretrievably.

Funny thing is that when they were discussing spd on Woman's Hour a while ago, they implied that it was quite a rare occurrence. Looking at this site though, it seems that lots of women have symptoms to some extent.

It depend whether your health authority recognises is as a 'valid' condition and not just an unfortunate side effect of pregnancy. There seems to be a high incidence of it in my area and there are two schools of thought as to why:
1} the medical bods are up-to-date on spd as a condition and therefore they are able to diagnose it accordingly. Therefore our area has no more incidence than any other but it is diagnosed more readily
2) as I live in a relatively 'middle class' area, there are more women on the pill, therefore there are more female hormones floating round the water system and these encourage spd

The last one is debatable of course but has been muted as a reason for the high incidence of spd in the area. And of course it's all to do with pain and pain is subjective - what one woman can cope with and put down to an inconvenience can cripple another.

On my ante-natal thread another poster said she was 'walking through the pain' of spd regardless. I'm afraid that, to me is just not spd as I CANNOT physically walk for any length of time - it's just too too painful. My osteo has confirmed that my pelvis is all skewiff so at least I know there is a reason for this pain!

Jessicaandbumpsmummy - That is exactly my situation at the moment. Had just mentioned this on our ante-natal thread. DH spends hours massaging back/legs etc..but it seems that when i sit/lie in one position for any length of time I just get this terrible backache and a heavy feeling in my tummy (can't really describe it).
Yesterday I had to bolt out the supermarket to go and sit in the car - it got really bad, maybe as i'd been standing for too long browsing the aisles.
I am definitely going to speak to GP this week. Am so glad that I am not at work - at least i can deal with this at home.

Hope I didn't gatecrash - is a relief to find others going through the same.

Ta x

Hi Beatie - if it is spd, then some of the tips on my spd thread might help. I did a lot of research on this and summarised points that seemed to help women. Unfortunately different things can help different women. Personally, I also have the difficulty walking/standing (in my case 5 minutes is max). Hope something on here might help.

Definately mention it to your mw or other health care professional.

Thanks Kiwikate - I'd already checked that out and found it extremely useful.

That Woman's Hour feature just cited the 'official' figures, RZ - which are low as they're based on only one survey of presenting women at one hospital.

That was me on the programme, btw

I've just dug out that woman's hour feature (MI, hope I don't sound like a creepy internet stalker here, but are you the woman interviewed at the start of that piece?). Amazing how little provision there is for treatment.

I had what I suppose was fairly mild SPD in my hips while pg, but never bothered mentioning it to my MWs, I suppose because I didn't want to look like I was making a fuss and I didn't fancy a wearing a support belt in the summer heat while commuting on the tube. It made walking for more than short distances really uncomfortable and sitting at my desk all day was only bearable if I had my lovely ergonomic chair.

But even though ds was born 9 months ago, my pelvis isn't really as it should be - I can't run without my pelvis feeling very weird and although I can stand on one leg to put trousers or whatever on, my pelvis feels a bit wobbly and I can't do it for long.

Anyone know if this normal? Or worth seeing someone about?

I think myself that it's worth seeing someone - it should eventually subside, I think, but I know that over two years after the birth of my second baby - despite loads of pilates and osteopathy - I still occasionally get a twinge.

If you mean the woman with two daughters being incredibly graphic about the pain in her crotch, yes that was me - most of the factual stuff came from me too because I bumped into a friend who works for Woman's Hour and badgered her with loads of stuff about SPD.

Thanks MI, I need to try and find someone to look at it.

It was a really interesting piece - you sounded like a spunky lady (not in the rude sense tho ), and the chorus of Inferiorettes in the background was really sweet.

The reporter came round specifically for those noises. DD1 was very thrilled to hear herself 'on the radiator, mummy'.

I don't want to sound alarmist, but I think you should get this checked out, just in case it's anything more serious. Any leg pain can be indicative of a DVT in the pelvic region - which is the most common place to have one in pregnancy. I had one there, and had a bursting/aching type pain with walking, which got worse over the course of a week, spreading from my pubic region down into my leg. Actually, if it's both of your legs then this is unlikely, but DVT in pregnancy is more common than most people think. Sorry - this is my pet issue!

Ouch!!
Had it from quite early on during pregnancy.
basically, relief comes with birth. It won't go away whatever the treatment during pregnancy. in severe cases, some doctors (though not in the UK I think) will prescribe anti inflamatory drugs.
Physio is useless. It just gives you a few hours of mobility after the treatment. Don't spend your money on it, better splash out on a spa treatment to give an all over feelgood massage!!

However speak to your midwives, doctor and have them WRITE IT DOWN on your birth notes so as make sure you are confortable during labour.

Sleep on your left side with a large cushion between your legs to take pressure off pelvis.

Avoid parting your legs too quickly (well you know what I mean!!)My husband was in fits when I tried to get out of the car/bath etc.... He thought I was suddenly so measured and ladylike in all my movements even though I had an enormous belly!!! An elephant in a cristal shop. But controling your movements does help, so does yoga quite paradoxically. I found the more active I was, the less pain I had.

take care

Bramshott - thanks for the heads up. I definitely have the pain in both thighs though.

What did they do for your DVT?

I slipped a disc a couple of years ago and had SI joint dysfunction during pregnancy ( think this is the same as SPD)..I found the belt brilliant. It was the difference between walking or not. Does anyone else still have problems after the birth?

With a DVT, once it's been diagnosed, they will give you blood-thinning injections of heparin, until after delivery when you can stick with it, or switch to warfarin.

My pain subsided quite fast once they'd worked out what it was, but I had to put up with a week of "oh no, there's no way you've got one of those, they're really uncommon" great midwife/doctor comments!

As I say, unlikely to be this in your case if pain is in both legs. Do look out for any swelling though - maybe measure the circumference of each thigh at the same point (say 1 hand width above your knee), and check they are the same - this was a good indicator for me, as swelling can be harder to spot in the thigh than in the calf.