My stomach makes me look pregnant.

@charmone Is there some type of clinic you could go to where you can get medical care based on your resources? I really hope you do get some medical care for this.
JK

If you have ascites, it is fluid buildup in your peritoneal cavity. The remedy is to have the fluid removed by a doctor. No amount of dieting is going to help your stomach. Go to a gastrointestinal doctor.

Hello @overlyanxious and welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm glad that you have posted about your concerns. Getting your concerns out in the open is a good way to find answers. As you know on Mayo Connect, we cannot make diagnoses, we can only share from our own personal experiences. I hope that others with this type of problem will join in this discussion.

Just wondering about a few things. As you are comfortable sharing about yourself, please let us know a bit more about this problem.

For example, have you ever discussed this protrusion with a doctor? How much of a protrusion is it (if you were to use a tape measure around your stomach what would the measurement be)? Do you have any digestive issues, such as problems eating, nausea, vomiting, constipation, any discomfort or pain? Any problems with your periods? Does it get worse at any particular time of the day? Do you take any medications for other health problems? Has anyone else in your family had a problem like this?

Answering these questions will help you have a beneficial conversation with your doctor when you next see him or her.

Will you give this some thought?

Ever since I was in about middle school, I’ve had a round stomach, slightly hard stomach. I used to be a dancer so I always had my stomach muscles working, which hid it. I always thought that I was just fat. But even now, even though I am at a perfectly healthy weight and body fat percentage, if I completely relax my stomach muscles, my stomach protrudes in a way that makes me look pregnant. If my stomach muscles are engaged, even just slightly, then it looks normal. I am currently 22, and I’ve always had this. Is this normal? Is this something to worry about? I wish it would go away, but no matter how much weight I lose it’s always the same.

Hello @overlyanxious,

I’d also like to add my welcome, and let you know that I moved your message and combined it with this existing discussion. I did this as I thought it would be beneficial for you to be introduced to the many members who are discussing much of what you are experiencing.
If you click on VIEW & REPLY in your email notification, you will see the whole discussion and can join in, meet, and participate with other members talking about their or their loved ones' experiences.

Hi! Thank you 🙂
I don’t really get neaseaous or anything weird during my period, but I have had a sensitive stomach since childhood (used to be worse, a little better now), meaning that I randomly get really horrible pain in my stomach and bowl area. I thought about the possibility about it being an allergic reaction, but whenever it happens, I make a mental note of what I’ve eaten, and I don’t see any consistencies in that area...
This stomach pain usually lasts about 2 hours, during which the pain comes and subsided in waves, and leaves me very physically drained and exhausted afterwards. I usually heat up during these two hours as well (not to the point of fever though).
I haven’t noticed any particular time of day, but usually it happens an hour or so after I’ve eaten a meal. No one else in my family has this to my knowledge.
I haven’t mentioned it to a doctor yet. I never thought it was that strange until recently. And going to the doctor where I live is expensive, so I just want to gauge the seriousness based on other people’s opinions and experiences before committing economically.

Thank you for providing a little background regarding the history of your symptoms, @overlyanxious. I realized that you are anxious about the expense of doctor's visits and this is very understandable. Have you read some of the other posts in this discussion to see what others have said about their stomach bloating?

I see that you have made a mental note of what you have eaten, etc. Perhaps a written journal regarding the pain (how long it lasts, etc.) combined with the food you have eaten as well as any physical activity or stressful experience might be a good idea as well. This will help you get a better handle on the problem and when you make a doctor's appointment it will also provide more concrete information to provide the doctor.

While I cannot speak for you, I really feel that the best way to deal with anxiety about health problems is to do research (like you are doing now) and then to visit a doctor and explain the problem. Your problem could be something simple like gluten sensitivity but in order to resolve your anxiety, you need to have it checked out by a medical professional.

I look forward to hearing from you again. Will you post an update?

@hopeful33250 Hi don't know where to post this Heard on news today Oprah @prince Harry have teamed up to do a documentary on Mental Health she has a book Facing fears and lessons she has learned sounds interesting

I have similar case but i don't have stretch marks, I had a scan and was told i had fibroid though its still very small and doesn't disturb me from conceiving, but i realise my belly grows big and looks hard when i wake up in the morning. Am so confused and not comfortable with the big belly, i use to have a flat belly. Please what can i do to this?

Hello, @ponmile - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am a ways beyond my belly moving from flat to not as flat, and I do remember the frustration. I do think it becomes much harder to maintain a flat tummy as the years go by.

I also had bloating in my abdomen when I experienced bladder prolapse, but that occurred in the evenings and I had to change to stretchy pants. I eventually had prolapse surgery, which helped this situation.

Hoping @mkhan1 @tigerarmani @detto @mri8191 and @baxtersmom may have some input for you related to the larger, harder tummy in the mornings.

Since you are having this sensation daily in the mornings, did you get a chance to ask your gynecologist or your general practitioner about what may be going on? Are you feeling that it's related to the uterine fibroid, or due to something else?