Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)

How is SPD treated?

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)
Many women experience discomforts during pregnancy that they had never experienced before. During pregnancy, your body produces hormones and body parts shift to meet the demands of your growing baby. Your body produces a hormone known as relaxin during pregnancy. Relaxin softens the ligaments in your pelvis to enable your baby to pass through your pelvis. Normally, the two halves of your pelvis do not move very easily because the symphysis pubis is strengthened by ligaments. If one side of your pelvis moves more than the other side, you can experience pain and inflammation. This can happen when you walk or move your legs and the pain can become severe.

The most common symptoms of symphysis pubis dydfunction are pain in the pubic area and groin. If you suffer from SPD, you might also complain of back pain, hip pain, or grinding in your pubic area. Sometimes the pain does radiate down the inside of the thighs or between the legs. Women that experience the symptoms of SPD have a hard time walking, going up stairs and other activities that involve separating their legs. It may be hard to get up in the night to use the restroom and getting sleep may be harder.

SPD generally affects women in the end of the first timester or after delivery. However, you can experience symptoms at any point during the pregnancy. If you have the symptoms of SPD in one pregnany, it is likely that you will experience the same symptoms with recurring pregnancies. During later pregnancies, the symptoms tend to start earlier and progress faster.

If you think that you are suffering from SPD, you should contact your obstetrician or midwife for an evaluation. Your doctor will do a series of tests that look at leg movements, stability and localized pain in your pelvic area. Treatment generally involves wearing a pelvic support belt and doing exercises that improve the stability of your pelvis and back. Water exercises or acupuncture can be helpful and often offer relief. Make sure you ask your doctor any questions you have pertaining to the birth of your baby with SPD.

If you suffer from symphysis pubis dysfunction, you should keep in mind several things that will help with your pain. You should try to move around frequently throughout the day, but in small amounts. When you are sitting, make sure that you sit upright and keep your back well supported. If at all possible, it is best to avoid heavy lifting or pushing. Sit down to put your pants, shoes or socks on. Do not try to step into dresses, skirts or pants. When you are climbing stairs, climb them one step at a time. Stretching your legs to far apart at once can make the pain significantly worse. If you must separate your legs, take it slowly and keep your back arched.

Many women do continue to feel the pain after delivery. Generally, the symptoms do improve after delivery and eventually fade away. If your pain is still bothersome, continue to do the pain relief exercises and seek the advice of your caregiver. Women also may have the same symptoms around the time of their monthly menstrual cycle. This is because a woman's body secretes hormones similar to relaxin during menstruation.

Comments: Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)

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pamela316 - 2 days ago.
I also had this with my first pregnancy and am now a few days shy of 16 weeks and its back with a vengeance! I described it as feeling like I had been kicked in the crotch, had horrible pain when dressing, getting in and out of cars and even just walking. It started about the same time, maybe 18 weeks in my first pregnancy and nothing helped..some days were good, some were bad. Today we went out to breakfast and as we we leaving I felt very sharp pains and literally had to waddle out to the car. I got home and wanted to clean but was so uncomfortable standing. I just dealt with it the first time but with a 30lb 14 month old who constantly wants to be picked up I need to find some relief. Does anyone know if its dangerous to be carrying my son around? The pain got way worse after carrying him out of the restaurant. I dont want to be putting my unborn baby at risk

BabyCarl - 3 days ago.
I know some of you guys don't want to do the stretches and it seems unbearable but I promise it's worth it. I am 31 weeks, I received this diagnosis back when I was 28 weeks. It got to the point when I got home from work I was in tears. Unfortunately I have to keep working as long as I can, so the stretches make it bearable. And it will even help when it comes time to deliver. Just another joy of pregnancy! :)

sianlouise - 5 days ago.
I suffered with spd in my first pregnancy,it started about 24 weeks, it got so bad I was hospitalised from 30 weeks and then got induced at 38 weeks because I couldnt take the pain any longer. My 2nd pregnancy resulted in m/c so didnt notice it and now im 15 weeks and already seeing a physio : ( I hope its not as bad this time around....

Emsx - 44 days ago.
Hi ladies, I am so relieved to be re-assured that I am not the only one to find the stretching, crippling. I experienced pain in my left leg from about 10 weeks and thought is was sciatica. This was confirmed by my doctor but within a month I couldn't turn over in my bed or lift myself off the sofa as the pain had moved to my groin area. I spent many nights crying as I was in a lot of pain and felt so helpless and incapable of turning over by myself. I knew this was more then a nerve in my leg. I had to battle with doctors and Triage doctors to test me further for SPD. They eventually diagnosed me with SPD last week and signed me off work for 2 weeks to rest, like 2 weeks is enough!!! To add to the unfair treatment they reckon it will take 13-16 weeks for the NHS to give me an appointment for physio. What am I paying my N.I. for!!!!! I have complained and hopefully they will push for me to be seen urgently. I know I am ranting on but I want some treatment to ease the discomfort, is this unfair ladies??? I am happy that my baby boy is growing so well, his going to be worth it. x

luckypenny - 49 days ago.
Stretches? Really? Are they nuts?!?!? LOL This is my 2nd baby and the kids will be a lil less that 12 mo apart. I swear i think I'm being a sissy until I come on here. Like maybe I have a low pain tolerance or something. No this stuff HURTS! And I notice that the later in the day it is the worse the pain is. I have about 80 more days til lil man gets here....and I'm not on bedrest with this pg....so I have to teach up until I have my csection. Yikes. But it is so worth it once you hold that lil miracle.

babyluv04 - 65 days ago.
Funny I just diagnosed myself...I have been suffering with severe vaginal and groin pain since 33 weeks ( I will be offically 37 weeks this tues) and even my midwife whom I actually have complete confidence in really doesn't seem to know my answer. I do now and I am grateful. I can not even get dressed without being in tears, I can not walk for a long period of time because not only do my hips hurt but I have incredible vaginal pain, right on the sides, kinda feels like baby is going to fall right out. I am just so grateful, regretfully I will have to probably suffer a couple more weeks.

nicoal4 - 65 days ago.
Omg I am so excited to find this I am in so much pain the Doctor kinda mentioned this is what I have and i googled it last night I am so happy to hear its not all in my head. I worked up till 2 days before I have my 3rd daughter and this one i can bearly get out of bed I didn't understand I can't lean over and pick things up off the ground I can't pick my daughters up it hurts alll this time. Its just a relief to have answers Ive seen some women say they had to have the baby early is that true what am I looking at for the future and with this pregnancy????????`

ladybird13 - 71 days ago.
I'm fed up already. The doctor has signed me off work cos of Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction-ligaments have softened in my pelvis causing a lot of pain. Didn't have any problems at all while pregnant with my daughter & son...I'm being punished this time round tho!!

pantone - 78 days ago.
I had to laugh at the suggested stretching for SPD-I can't even think about stretching without pain. I had SEVERE spd with my last pregnancy, starting at week 16 and I have it again, starting at week 11 with my current pregnancy. I hurt so much that it hurts to pee. I am only 15 weeks right now, I am so scared of the next 6 months. My OBGYN will give me another c- section up to 4 weeks early if I get as bad as I did last time. The narcotics I tried last time just made me vomit, and that pulling made the pain worse so I ended up just taking 4mg of Ativan a day. I cried all day and night and was sweating all the time from the distress. There were times I couldn't move- frozen in pain and I remember thinking 'I would rather die than live with this.' Chiropractic treatments helped a bit, which I am thankful for. I am so scared that I hurt so much already. I am a nurse in emergency and the nurses on the mat. ward still refer back to my case. The good news- my pain decreased significantly once the baby was out, but I had to be careful- couldn't run, no jarring motions for a year, or else I had pain. It just took time.

m.e.a - 92 days ago.
when i asked the hospital to let me do physio to help him with my spd, u knwo wat they sed to me? oh bear the pain and just take some pain killers. ok no worries ill just drug me and my unborn to benifit u guys so u dnt have to pay for my physio. *rolls eyes* i hate this stupid health system

xira071 - 93 days ago.
Nature is cruel. For some reason I really thought that since I have been suffering with SPD since my 3rd month of pregnancy, that my body would at least allow me to be relinquished from my pain by the 38th week. As it turns out, since I have been unable to walk for well over two months, this has in turn caused my body to delay labor (due to inactivity). I am now 40+ weeks and have mentally lost it. As positive and hopeful as I have been trying to be, it just doesn't end and there are no signs in sight that it will. All natural attempts to induce aren't working. And I fear that I'll get to 42 weeks, and I'll still be forced to have a c-section. In a word... this really sucks! Sorry, but I just had to complain (finally) to everyone. Hope you women are all doing better than me.

poppy~ella~rae - 107 days ago.
my daughter is 10 months old now, i had spd really bad and had a very bad labour making it split more. im still in agony everyday this just doesnt seem to ever get better, iv been to a physio which just seem to make it worse and i just dont know what else to do, the thing is i wanted another child when my daughter was around 3 now im not so sure as its as bad as when i had her, how long would u suggest waiting?

painful mama - 109 days ago.
I went to the chiropractor this week in so much pain I thought it would help to see him again. Her adjusted me and it hurt sooo bad I don't think I'll ever go back. I've barely been able to walk all week. I have taken to sleeping on the couch partially sitting up so I can move with less pain. My OB has reduced my hours at work and I am on Darvocet and Perkocet for the pain. I feel myself getting snappy with my daughter and I hate it. I know it's because I hurt. The good news is my husband is really now aware that this really hurts. He's helping me in doing small silly things and that's wonderful!!! He must feel bad because last night he said to me 'Thank you babe for carrying our baby'. That made me feel good. Do you guys have the clicking noise when you get up or walk?

womanfromohio - 111 days ago.
Had my first chiropracter appointment today. It hurt a lot worse then expected, but I can say that when I got there I was limping inside. I actually walked out...without limping. I've felt pretty good all day today

womanfromohio - 118 days ago.
I had this pain AFTER I had my daughter 5 years ago. No doctor could tell me what it was. They tried treating me for stress and a couple other things, but nothing would get rid of the pain..finally is subsided after my dd was about a year old. I am currently 32 weeks pregnant with child number 3 and the pain is so intense. I've brought it up to my midwife at every visit and they just blow it off. They kept telling me it was round ligament pain, but after reading up on that, I knew that's not what I had. I then came across this website and OMG am I thankful I did. I know this is what I have. Ever since I found this I started rolling in and out of bed with my legs together (which I did not do before because I didn't know that was actually causing me more pain) and that has helped immensely at night time (I get up at least every 45 minutes to pee). I called my midwife today and told her of my findings and she agreed that's what I have. I have my first appointment with a chiropractor next week. I will come back and let you know how that goes.

taniamommyX2 - 124 days ago.
I had this disorder severly with my 1st pregnancy and I feel it starting already (12 weeks) with this one. Last time I could hardly get up stairs, roll over in bed or even get out of bed witout crying. The only thing that helped was chiropractic work that I happened to try because of a car accident I was in at 7 mths. I had chiropractic work till the end of my pregnancy and it was wonders!

m.e.a - 133 days ago.
i seriously dont know how i can go on.. this pain in unbelievable. i cnt hold my son anymore unless im sittin down i cnt pick him up it hurts hurts i need physio but i really cbf gng to the clinic evry week i have a toddler for goodness sakes!

painful mama - 134 days ago.
I am so glad I found this forum. You ladies have helped me trremendously! I thought I was going crazy I had so much pain and was being told it was caused by a vulvar varicosity. I do have one but I was NOT convinced this was the culprit. It does give me pain but I didn't feel it was accountable for all the pain I was enduring. My OB never mentioned SPD but told me my pain could be due to my hormones and left it at that. It felt sooo releiving when I read other people's blogs and I had a name for my pain. I was so excited I called my hubby to read this. I don't think he really understood how much pain I was in until he read some of these postings. I have been seing a chiropractor 2 x a week since the Friday before Labor Day and some visits help and others make it worse. Most days are painful but some worse than others. I can relate to wanting to cry on a daily basis. I get so frustrated not being able to do silly everyday things likeroll over in bed or playing with my 2 yr old. My frustration only worsens when my husb gets upset over things I didn't do. I want to yell at him that I am doing the best I can. I think it will really help to have this forum as an outlet,.

kitty08 - 139 days ago.
hiya all im from the uk havnt been booked in with midwife yet and im 6 wks in my last pregnancy i had slight pelvic pain but nothing to major i seem to now have something far worse i wake up in the morning and i cant stand up right the pain shoots through me as i stand up straight sitting on a chair/sofa up right hurts all the way around my pelvis normal paracetamol isnt taking the pain away and im finding it difficult to walk far and pick up my 11 month ..tonight as i was walking very slowly up the stiars i could hear what i can only describe as somone gritting there teeth and i looked behind me no one there i thought it was my dbf walking behind me but then i realsied it was coming from my right side my friend says its spd but id just like to ask if anyone thinks maybe it is or not i dont want to over react but im in agony any suggestion would be helpfull

hamiltonian - 141 days ago.
Good news to all of you suffering from SPD. I've been seeing the PT since week 22 and am now 35 weeks. My PT is specialized in Women's Health and very familiar with SPD. Not only was she able to re-align all my joints - I've had my pubic, sacrum and hip joint mis-aligned almost every time I've seen her - but she also has taught me exercises to re-align myself at home. The exercises work almost every time. Since my joints were so loose and went out so ofter I got a SI (sacro-illiac) belt at week 28 that I wear through-out the day. It is a belt that goes around your hips and helps stabilize the pelvic joints. My SPD has gotten so much better since I got the belt. I still fatigue my sacrum if I stand for too long, for example when cooking or cleaning, but other than that I am fine with only 5 weeks to go. Good Luck to all of you and keep us posted on your progress!

chinkyize82 - 142 days ago.
It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Reading all of these comments made me cry especially when I read that some women are hurting so bad they just feel like crying everyday. That's how I feel. It hurts soooo bad to roll over in bed, sit up in bed, get out of bed and the first steps once I stand up from the bed. I almost fell to my knees the other day trying to walk from getting out of bed. Getting dressed is excrutiating whether I'm sitting or standing. Going up the steps is crucial, getting in and out of the car is painful. Father of my kids thinks I'm milking the whole pregnancy thing when I ask for help and doesn't understand how much pain I really am in. That alone brings me to tears. We have two other kids together and this is the first time I've ever had this. I told my doctor about the pain and he tells me there is really nothing I can do about it, that it's just another symptom of pregnancy that some women get. He sys it could get better or it could get worse. Well it's definately GETTING WORSE! It makes me sooo angry how clueless these Dr.'s can be. The one person I come to for help can't help me and basically tells me to deal with it! My everyday life has changed dramatically. I have a seven year old and a five year old, both boys, and they are my angels. They give me massages and they help me around the house. They understand that mommy can't play with them like she use to and they just tell me to sit down and relax. They are the best. They are my only relief. Besides the SPD my iron is low so not only am I in pain but my body is weak and fatigued at that. I am so miserable! Oh...I'm 28 wks pregnant and the pain started at 20 wks. I really really really hope this pain does not continue after birth because I will go crazy!

MrsDon - 149 days ago.
I am so glad that I found this site! I was beginning to think my left hip was fractured and nobody was going to believe me. I'm 15 weeks and have been having this awful hip pain, mostly just on the left side and mostly just the back of my hip, for several weeks. If I move the wrong way it will actually feel like a shockwave of pain going through me. And if I stand for more than an hour my whole back will begin to ache terribly. Sometimes it feels ok, sometimes it's juat an annoying throb, and other times I think I can't move. I have had trouble getting out of the bed, standing, putting on pants (or doing anything involving lifting my left leg). I go back in a week to my OB, so do I call in now and let her know the awful pain I'm in most of the time, or is this something that can wait?

alliecanada - 155 days ago.
Hi all....Just wanted to let you know that I suffered from SEVERE SPD from 6 months pregnant until just a few months ago. My daughter is now almost 3! No one around here knew what this was, and doctors would tell me 'Pregnancy is not always comfortable'. I diagnosed myself by googling my pain and found so many forums where women were going through the same thing. I tried medecine after medecine, went to a physiotherapist for 2 years, ended up at a pain clinic getting shots into my pelvic joint. Nothing really worked. It was still there, sometimes not as bad as when I was pregnant, but still: always painful. I was even on crutches the last 2 months of my pregnancy -- confined to a recliner in my livingroom. I ended up having a Caesarean because my baby was big (10+ lbs at birth) and I was in too much pain. SOLUTION!!! Just wanted to tell you all that I found almost immediate relief upon finding an Osteopath. They specialize in treating the whole body and not just the symptoms. Within 6 weeks the pain was gone and hasn't come back since. I am 100% cured of this awful condition! I suggested for a friend of a friend with the same condition to see my Osteopath. She's pregnant and due any day. He had her cured within 3 visits. Please take this advice and try to find an Osteopath in your area!!!!

daranni - 158 days ago.
I had SPD with my first pregnancy and now with my second. This time it came earlier and was more dibiltating. i was very close to using crutches until I read about going to a chiropractor. (They main cause of SPD is due to misaligned hips).I am 75% better! I still have pain when rolling over in bed and when getting up from sitting or lying down but, it is not exruciating anymore! it's tolerable. I can walk with out pain! I was only able to go to 2 visits because I couldn't afford anymore. I am going back as soon as I can to get rid of the rest of the pain. I highly recommened a chiropractor. Make sure they are experienced with pregnancy and that the know the 'webster technique'.

xira071 - 158 days ago.
Just an update for you ladies. My SPD was officially diagnosed at 14 weeks, but I believe it started at about 8. Today I am 31 weeks. (Yeah!!! Only 9 or less to go.) Considering how much I suffered with my first pregnancy (SPD started at 26 weeks) I have to say, this time around is so much better. Don't get me wrong, there are good days and bad days, but resting, not lifting things, letting my hubby do the shopping, etc. is making the pain tolerable. I didn't expect to be able to walk by the 5th month, and I am almost 8 months and can still get around the house! FYI: SPD isn't just the front joint of the pevlis, but can also be the back one. For those suffering from pain in the legs, buttocks, and back... congratz, you have both joints under pressure. My first pregnancy was only the front. This time its both. Take your condition seriously, don't be super woman and try to do things like normal. It makes getting through your pregnancy much more tolerable. Good luck to all of you.