What should you know about extreme groin pain during pregnancy?

Pregnancy changes posture, load through the pelvis, and the way the hip and pelvic muscles work. Pain may be felt in the groin when walking, turning in bed, climbing stairs, or standing on one leg. A muscle strain or pelvic girdle problem is possible, but severe pain can also come from the hip, urinary tract, abdomen, or reproductive system. Hip impingement, a labral tear, and hip osteoarthritis are less common considerations but may cause groin pain when the hip is loaded or moved. The maternity team should help separate these causes.

Contact your maternity team for advice rather than self-treating intense or new pain. Until you receive guidance, take shorter walks, avoid twisting and heavy lifting, keep your knees together when turning in bed or getting out of a car, and use supportive footwear. A pregnancy-aware physiotherapist can assess movement and suggest gentle, suitable exercises. Check any medicine, heat treatment, brace, or supplement with your pregnancy clinician before using it.

Seek urgent maternity or emergency care for vaginal bleeding, fluid leakage, regular tightening, severe abdominal pain, fever, fainting, painful urination, reduced fetal movement when relevant to your stage of pregnancy, or sudden inability to walk. Sudden one-sided leg swelling or breathlessness also needs urgent assessment. Do not wait for a routine appointment when severe pain is rapidly worsening.

Ask whether the pain pattern fits pelvic girdle pain, a hip problem, or another source; which movements are safe; and whether you need a pelvic health physiotherapy referral. Ask which warning signs should prompt immediate contact at your stage of pregnancy.