What should you know about groin pain during pregnancy third trimester?

A heavier abdomen and altered balance can increase load through the pubic region, pelvic joints, hips, and inner thighs. Discomfort may flare when walking, using stairs, turning in bed, getting out of a car, or separating the legs. A clicking hip, deep catching pain, or symptoms that began before pregnancy may suggest a hip issue such as impingement, a labral tear, or osteoarthritis. These possibilities cannot be sorted by location alone, so the timing, movement pattern, and associated symptoms are useful.

Take smaller steps, sit to put on clothes, keep your knees together when turning or getting out of a car, and avoid carrying loads on one side. Choose gentle movement that remains comfortable and pause activities that create sharp or spreading pain. A maternity physiotherapist can assess walking, bed mobility, pelvic support, and exercises suited to late pregnancy. Confirm any medicine or treatment with your maternity clinician before using it.

Call your maternity team for new persistent pain, reduced mobility, or pain that is becoming more intense. Seek urgent maternity care for vaginal bleeding, fluid leakage, regular contractions, severe abdominal or pelvic pain, fever, faintness, severe headache with visual changes, sudden breathlessness, or one swollen painful leg.

Ask whether the pain suggests pelvic girdle or hip strain, how to move safely during transfers and sleep, whether a support option is suitable, and which labour or pregnancy symptoms should trigger immediate contact.