There is a particular moment in pregnancy where you realise your body is doing something completely different to what it was doing six weeks ago. Your belly has shifted forward. Your centre of gravity has changed. And somewhere around the middle of the second trimester, or perhaps a little later, your hips start to let you know they have opinions about all of this.

Hip pain and pelvic pressure during pregnancy are among the most common complaints I see in the clinic. They are also among the most misunderstood. There is a wide range between normal pregnancy discomfort and something that genuinely needs attention, and the gap between the two is where a lot of women end up stuck — unsure whether to push through or ask for help.

This post is about helping you understand what is happening, what is within the range of normal, and when it is worth getting assessed.

Why your hips and pelvis are under so much pressure

From the moment you conceive, your body begins producing relaxin. This hormone does exactly what its name suggests — it relaxes and loosens your ligaments to allow your pelvis to gradually widen in preparation for birth. That is a helpful and necessary process, but it has consequences.

Your sacroiliac joints (the joints at the back of your pelvis, either side of your tailbone) become more mobile than they normally would be. Your pubic symphysis — the joint at the front of your pelvis — also loosens. For some women, this loosening is barely noticeable. For others, it creates a significant change in how the pelvis absorbs load.

Add to this the increasing weight of your baby, the shift in your posture as your belly grows, and the compensatory changes in how your lower back and hips are working, and you have a pelvis that is dealing with a lot more mechanical demand than usual.

Most of the hip and pelvic pain I see in pregnancy comes down to a mismatch between what the body is being asked to do and how well the supporting structures are managing the load.

Pelvic girdle pain versus symphysis pubis dysfunction

These are terms you might come across in your reading, and they often get used interchangeably. They are related but slightly different.

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is the broader term. It refers to pain in any of the pelvic joints — the sacroiliac joints at the back, the pubic symphysis at the front, or both. The pain can sit in your lower back, your buttocks, your groin, or the front of your pelvis. It often gets worse with activities that load one side of the pelvis more than the other — walking, climbing stairs, rolling over in bed, standing on one leg to get dressed.

Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) is more specific. This is when the pubic symphysis at the front of your pelvis becomes significantly loosened or inflamed. The pain is typically felt right at the front, in the centre of the pelvis, and can be sharp. Women with SPD often describe a clicking or grinding sensation at the front of the pelvis, and it tends to be worse with movements that involve spreading the legs apart.

Both conditions respond well to management, and both benefit from early assessment rather than waiting to see if they resolve on their own.

What is within the range of normal

Some degree of pelvic discomfort during pregnancy is common and expected. Your body is doing extraordinary work, and a certain amount of aching, heaviness, or stiffness — particularly after a long day or a poor night’s sleep — is part of that process.

What falls within the range of normal:

• Mild aching in the hips or lower back that comes and goes
• Stiffness first thing in the morning that eases with gentle movement
• A feeling of heaviness or pressure in the pelvis later in the day
• Discomfort that improves with rest, gentle stretching, or changing position

These symptoms are worth monitoring, and there are things you can do to manage them, but they do not necessarily require clinical intervention on their own.

When it is worth getting assessed

There is a difference between discomfort and dysfunction. If any of the following sound familiar, it is a good idea to have someone assess what is happening:

• Pain that wakes you at night or makes it difficult to roll over in bed
• Sharp pain in the front of the pelvis, particularly with walking or standing on one leg
• Difficulty walking — feeling like your legs are not working together properly
• Pain that is getting progressively worse rather than staying stable
• Clicking, popping, or grinding at the front of the pelvis
• Pain that limits your ability to do normal daily activities — carrying groceries, picking up a toddler, sitting comfortably at work

These are not things you should simply push through. They are your body telling you that the load management around your pelvis needs some support.

What helps

The good news is that hip and pelvic pain during pregnancy tends to respond well to the right management. What that looks like depends on what is driving the pain, but it often includes a combination of:

Postural awareness and positioning: How you sit, stand, sleep, and move through your day has a meaningful impact on how much load goes through your pelvis. Small adjustments — like how you get out of bed, or how you distribute weight when standing — can make a noticeable difference.

Targeted strengthening: Specific exercises that support the muscles around the pelvis (particularly the deep stabilisers and the glutes) help take pressure off the joints themselves. This is not about heavy exercise — it is about the right muscles doing the right job at the right time.

Chiropractic care: Hands-on treatment to address joint restriction, muscle tension, and pelvic alignment can help reduce pain and improve how your body is managing the load. In my experience, women who are seen earlier in the process tend to do better — partly because we can address things before compensatory patterns set in.

Support belts: A well-fitted pelvic support belt can provide significant relief, particularly for women with SPD. It works by providing external compression to the pelvis, reducing the movement at the pubic symphysis. It is not a long-term fix, but it can make a real difference to comfort while you are also working on the underlying load management.

How I approach pregnancy care

My post-graduate training in chiropractic paediatrics (DACCP) included extensive study of pregnancy-related musculoskeletal conditions. In practice, this means I assess and treat pregnant women regularly, and I understand the specific demands that pregnancy places on the body at different stages.

Every pregnancy is different. What works for one woman at 28 weeks may not work for another at 20 weeks, even if the symptoms sound similar. The assessment is about understanding your specific situation — where the load is falling, what is compensating, and what we can do to support your body through the rest of your pregnancy and into your postpartum recovery.

If you are experiencing hip pain, pelvic pressure, or any of the symptoms described above, it is worth having a conversation about it. You do not need to wait until the pain is severe to be seen.

What to do next

If any of this resonated with you, book a consultation and we can take a proper look at what is going on. The earlier we can assess things, the more options we have to help you feel more comfortable for the rest of your pregnancy.

You can book online at chiropracticmoves.com.au or call us on 0404 717 488. We are located in Paddington, Brisbane.

Dr. Amanda O’Doherty

Hi, I’m Amanda. Chiropractor, mum, human body nerd, keen walker (with stroller of course) and social butterfly. I work with mothers and babies to help with underlying musculoskeletal issues of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding; so that mothers can gain confidence in their body for their birthing and breastfeeding journey.