That shooting pain in your groin might be lightning crotch – here's what to know

Pregnancy is a magical time, filled with back pain, heartburn, and … lightning crotch? Yes, this fun phenomenon strikes (pun intended) during your third trimester, when your baby is starting to descend into your pelvis.

The sharp pain can come at any time and it's usually gone as quickly as it came on. Here's what to know, and how to differentiate it from other types of pelvic discomforts.

What is lightning crotch?

Lightning crotch is a name for the sharp, jolting or stinging pelvic pain that you may start to feel occasionally in your third trimester.

"This sensation is very common," says Layan Alrahmani, M.D., a board-certified ob-gyn and maternal-fetal medicine specialist, clinical faculty and assistant professor at Loyola University in Chicago, and member of the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board. "Luckily it's usually nothing to worry about."

What does lightning crotch feel like?

Lightning crotch may feel like a sharp, shooting pain that starts in the groin and can travel down the thigh. Or it may feel like an electric jolt, burning, stinging, or pins and needles. The pain can be slight, or it can take your breath away. It typically lasts no more than a few seconds.

Here are what some moms in the BabyCenter Community say their lightning crotch was like:

• "It's literally like a sharp shooting pain in my groin/pelvis area," says Ninalynn05. "Sometimes it gets so intense that I have to stop what I'm doing and I lose my breath."
• "I've had a little lightning crotch here and there when baby is awake and wiggling a lot. This is my fourth," says MamaFrancis97. "With my third I think I started feeling it pretty early because she sat pretty low most of the pregnancy. I vividly remember feeling pressure from her head every time I went to pee starting around 32 weeks, and she wasn't born until 40+4. I kept thinking I was going to accidentally give birth on the toilet."
• "I've been experiencing lightning crotch since early in my second trimester," says Cas1199. "It does get a little more intense as time goes on, but it's normal to experience it outside of the third trimester."
• "Mine starts as like a pinch in the center of my abdomen and then radiates down," says Britternicole.
• "I've been having it all through the third trimester. I'm 38 weeks tomorrow, and for the last week it's been pretty brutal and constant," says newmama714. "I also feel it in my groin area, on both sides depending on where she's shoving her head. It comes on so suddenly that sometimes it makes me limp until the pain fades."

It's literally like a sharp shooting pain in my groin/pelvis area. Sometimes it gets so intense that I have to stop what I'm doing and I lose my breath.

- BabyCenter Community member Ninalynn05

What causes lightning crotch?

Experts think this pain is related to your baby getting bigger and dropping down into your pelvis before birth.

"When baby's head is low in the pelvis, also known as 'engaged,' the resulting pressure on the cervix and nerves lower in your uterus can cause this sporadic discomfort," explains Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

How is lightning crotch different from other pelvic pain during pregnancy?

While there are different types of pelvic pain in pregnancy, they can feel similar.

Symphysis pubic dysfunction (SPD) or pelvic girdle pain, for example, is often mistaken for lightning crotch. But there are differences:

• SPD is longer-lasting and sometimes chronic, while lightning crotch passes very quickly.
• SPD may be worse at night or after you've been very active, while lightning crotch happens at any time.
• SPD often flares up in response to movement such as walking or climbing stairs, and it can hamper your mobility, while lightning crotch is fleeting.

Lightning crotch can also feel a lot like round ligament pain, but there are key differences:

• Round ligament pain is more common in the second trimester as your uterus grows, but lightning crotch generally happens at the end of the third trimester.
• Round ligament pain may feel like it's radiating out toward your hip bones, and it can vary from a sharp pain to a dull ache. Lightning crotch usually feels like a sharp pain or electric jolt in the pelvis or vagina.

Other back pain or nerve-related pain can also feel similar, especially sciatica. The sciatic nerve goes from the lower back down the legs via the pelvis, and when it gets pinched you can have shooting nerve pain. Here's how to tell the difference:

• Sciatica can happen anytime during pregnancy, while lightning crotch pain typically happens late in the third trimester.
• You can feel sciatica anywhere along the sciatic nerve (back, butt, and leg) and it's usually one side. You won't feel it in the groin or vagina, like lightning crotch.

Is lightning crotch a sign of labor?

Lightning crotch pain doesn't mean you're going into labor. That said, it can seem like labor pain, especially if it's your first pregnancy. Here are the main differences:

• Labor contractions are regular and repeating, and get closer over time. Lightning crotch is random.
• Labor often comes with menstrual-type lower back pain that lasts a long time. Lightning crotch is sharper and lasts only seconds.

Is lightning crotch dangerous?

Though lightning crotch can be jolting and disruptive, it's usually nothing to worry about.

If the pain lasts more than a minute at a time or you have any other symptoms like dizziness, bleeding or other vaginal discharge, fever, or bad headaches, call your healthcare provider right away. These are pregnancy symptoms you shouldn't ignore.

As the baby grows and gets heavier, there's more pressure down there, so we just have to prepare our bodies. It basically comes with the territory.

- BabyCenter Community member Blake's Yayo

Are there ways to prevent and relieve lightning crotch?

"Unfortunately there isn't a way to completely stop lightning crotch from happening," says Penn Medicine. "While it's not a fun pregnancy symptom to deal with, the good news is that the pain typically stops as quickly as it begins."

If you're feeling jolts of lightning crotch, here are some things to try:

• Wear a supportive belly band to reduce the pressure on your lower uterus.
• Stay active and take plenty of desk breaks. Walking and swimming are good options.
• Try a warm bath or massage to relax your muscles and joints.
• When you do feel a jolt, shift your position.

"I've started to stretch by doing a low squat with my legs spread apart, and/or lying down on my back as if I'm preparing to push the baby out in order to 'stretch' my pubic bone," says BabyCenter Community member Blake's Yayo. "It hurts a little while doing it, but I feel so much better afterwards. As the baby grows and gets heavier, there's more pressure down there, so we just have to prepare our bodies. It basically comes with the territory."

The bright side is that this pain comes and goes quickly, and you won't have to deal with it for long.

Learn more:

• When to go to the hospital for labor
• The stages of labor and delivery
• Getting a good night's sleep while you're pregnant