Why Do I Feel Movement In My Lower Abdomen: Causes & Treatment

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HealthlineSubscribeWhy Do I Feel Movement in My Lower Abdomen?

Medically reviewed by Michael Schopis, MD — Written by Kimberly Holland — Updated on May 24, 2025

Movement when pregnant
Movement when not pregnant
Takeaway

It’s not unusual to feel movement in your lower abdomen. Many typical body functions may cause those sensations. If the movements continue or you have other symptoms, speak with a healthcare professional.

Tugs and twists, pulls and plucks. Your belly can experience all kinds of sensations on a daily basis. Most are completely typical, but sometimes, an unusual movement or feeling may stand out.

Read on for more information about the more obvious causes, like pregnancy and digestion, the less common causes, and when that unusual movement may be a sign of something more concerning.

What might cause movement in your lower abdomen during pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a time of new experiences. One of those includes the commotion happening in your abdomen. As babies develop, their movements, however small, can be increasingly felt by the person carrying them.

Quickening is the term used to describe the flutters and sensations of movement that pregnant people experience. Most people will experience these first fetal movements between 16 and 25 weeks. This is during the second trimester.

By the third trimester, you should be feeling movement regularly. In subsequent pregnancies, you may be able to feel those movements earlier as your body knows what to expect, but the timelines for movement can be different for each person and each pregnancy.

What movements may mean if you’re pregnant

If you feel movement while you’re pregnant, your baby may be:

hiccupping
turning over
stretching limbs
flexing
kicking

When you might need to see a doctor

Movement in your abdomen while you’re pregnant is expected and most likely typical. However, sometimes, other sensations in your abdomen can be signs of a potential problem.

If you notice any of the following signs and symptoms, don’t wait for your next checkup — contact your doctor or healthcare professional right away:

severe diarrhea
dizziness or fainting
a fever higher than 100°F (37°C)
feeling pain or burning while urinating or having problems urinating
vaginal bleeding
unusual vaginal discharge, such as a gray or white discharge that smells foul
blurred vision or seeing spots in your eyes
cracked and bleeding nipples
swelling in your hands, face, or fingers
chronic, severe headaches
pain in your arms, chest, or legs

Chart of potential causes for movement in your lower abdomen

Causes of abdominal movements when pregnant	Causes of abdominal movements when not pregnant
hiccupping	digestion
turning over	indigestion
stretching limbs	ovulation
flexing	muscle spasm
kicking	allergic reaction
intestinal obstruction
diverticulitis
Gas or bloating

What might cause movement in your lower abdomen when you’re not pregnant?

Pregnant people aren’t the only ones who may experience unusual movements or sensations in the lower abdomen.

Common body functions like digestion can cause these feelings. Even gas or indigestion can be responsible. Understanding the likely cause for these movements can help you decide if they need to be treated or if they may warrant a trip to the doctor.

Digestion

When you eat, the muscles in your digestive tract start moving to bring food through your stomach and into your intestines. You may feel these muscles moving immediately after you eat or even a few hours later.

Indigestion

On the flip side of digestion is indigestion. Indigestion may cause:

heartburn
nausea
stomach pain
bloating
vomiting

Less commonly, you may experience a gnawing sensation in the stomach, which can feel like muscle movement.

Indigestion can be treated at home with over-the-counter antacids. But if you experience chronic indigestion or begin to experience severe vomiting, black stools, or unexplained weight loss, seek treatment from a healthcare professional.

Ovulation

During a menstrual cycle, you may experience a variety of sensations and feelings. Cramps at the start of a menstrual period may make muscles in your lower abdomen feel tighter. This may feel like movement.

During ovulation, you may also experience jumps or pops in your lower abdomen. This is usually caused by the ovary stretching to release the maturing egg. Often, this sensation is mild and temporary.

Muscle spasm

Just as you can have muscle spasms in your arms or legs, you can have muscle spasms in your abdomen. These involuntary contractions can be the result of muscle strain or overuse. But they can also be a sign of dehydration.

Most muscle spasms are mild and will pass on their own. If you continue to have them, or if they worsen and become severe, you should talk with your doctor. They may want to look for contributing factors for these muscle spasms.

Allergic reaction

A feeling of fluttering or twitching in your abdomen may be a sign that your digestive tract is experiencing an allergic reaction to something you ate. Although it’s uncommon, these feelings can be related to celiac disease or an abnormal reaction to gluten.

Avoiding foods with gluten can help prevent these movements and any accompanying symptoms of celiac disease. These may include:

abdominal bloating or pain
persistent diarrhea
constipation
vomiting
weight loss

Intestinal obstruction

Digested food particles travel from your stomach through a long line of intestines and organs before they exit your body as stool. Sometimes, that digestive path can become blocked.

The blockage may be partial or total. When the blockage occurs, you may experience a variety of symptoms, including muscle cramps that can feel like movement.

Other symptoms of an intestinal obstruction include:

severe bloating
nausea
vomiting
constipation
inability to pass gas or stool
abdominal swelling

An intestinal obstruction should be diagnosed and treated by a doctor as quickly as possible. No home treatment can remove the obstruction.

Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a condition that affects the digestive tract. It causes uncomfortable symptoms like bloating and diarrhea. It can also cause pain and muscle cramps in your abdomen, which may feel like movement.

Without treatment, diverticulitis can lead to symptoms like:

nausea and vomiting
constant pain in the abdomen
bleeding from the rectum

If you have any of these symptoms, you should make an appointment to see your doctor.

Takeaway

Feeling movement in your abdomen isn’t an unusual experience. If you’re pregnant, jolts and jabs can be caused by a developing fetus. It can also be the result of typical digestion, muscle spasms, or ovulation.

Rare but more serious issues, like intestinal obstruction, aren’t a common cause of movement in the abdomen, but the sensation may be a sign of it.

If the feeling of movement in your abdomen becomes chronic or you begin experiencing additional symptoms, make an appointment to see a doctor.

Even if it’s the result of indigestion, a doctor can help you find relief. If the sensation is caused by something else, treatment may help prevent worsening symptoms.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Ford AC, et al. (2020). Functional dyspepsia.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33049222/
Gastritis. (2022).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gastritis/
Huecker BR, et al. (2023). Fetal movement.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470566/
Sasan D, et al. (2019). ‘Phantom kicks’: Women’s subjective experience of foetal kicks after the postpartum period.https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/6qad9_v1
Symptoms & causes of diverticular disease. (2021).https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/diverticulosis-diverticulitis/symptoms-causes

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Medically reviewed by Michael Schopis, MD — Written by Kimberly Holland — Updated on May 24, 2025

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