My stomach makes me look pregnant.

Hi!!!!
So I had 3 c section! Last one in sept 2017!!!! These past 6 months and lately being the worst and almost everyone I meet they ask me if I’m pregnant again! I compared my belly with a friend who really is Pregnant and everyone sees the similarities!!!! I’m waiting for my referral to obgyn here in Canada to ask their advice!!!! I’m getting. So tired of people asking me if I’m pregnant again!!!!’ Oh I should mention my tubes are tied lol

Hi @motherof3 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I remember being asked if I was pregnant when I was not, maybe 6-8 weeks after giving birth to my oldest son. It's embarrassing and can make you feel insecure, for certain. I also asked a lady with whom I was doing nursery duty at church one time when she was due, sure she was at least 8 months along. She replied she wasn't pregnant!

I do see a lot of women, especially 35+, who look questionably pregnant.

Has this belly thing been a big change from how your figure was previously? Have you had any other symptoms?

Ma'am my stomach is swollen like I'm 5 mths pregnant I'm not constipated I took magnesm citrate ....last mth I had period for two days very very light ...I haven't had one this mth yet .I do have severe constipation..can u help

Hello, @resaluv37 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I would want to know what was going on if I looked 5 months pregnant and that was not the case.

One tool that may be helpful for you to get some direction is the Mayo Clinic Symptom Checker https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptom-checker/select-symptom/itt-20009075

I was confused whether constipation was an issue for you currently? Besides some menstrual patterns that may be different than usual, do you have any other symptoms?

Hi all, thought members in this discussion might like to know that Mayo Clinic Connect has opened up a brand new group dedicated to COVID-19, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/covid-19/. The idea is to help members connect and cope during these unique circumstances.

You may follow the COVID-19 group by clicking on +Follow. Please look at the discussions there and participate, and you are welcome to start a new discussion on any COVID-19-related topic you'd like.

My stomach is always firm, and looks like I'm pregnant (or like I'm trying to distend it all the time). I'm 5'3" 115 lbs, and stomach has always been between 30 and 32.5 in regardless of time of day. I look back at old photos and as far as I can tell, it didn't look like this until maybe middle school - I was always petite, but around that time my stomach didn't seem to match the rest of me. My weight has varied at times, but my stomach always stays, and it's embarrassing when people have asked before if I'm pregnant. I'm in my late 20's now, and my diet and lifestyle is not the same as it was 10 years ago, but the stomach is still there (just to note as well, I've never been pregnant or had kids). I had a PAP Test about a year and a half ago now, but everything was normal. I just want to know why my stomach is always firm and looks bloated, and if there's anything I can do about it.

Belly fat is Brown fat. Other fat is not. Other fat needs to be lost with food and exercise before Brown fat is challenged. Approach googling about this little known fact.

Also, some organ growth, like the liver can contribute to a pop belly look.

@bill54321 I have heard that kidneys can become enlarged also and contribute to what appears to be a large belly.
@averagejill I presume your doctor has explored those possibilities, I suspect that when they run blood tests those things would show up in some of the findings to be out of range.
JK

When I had fibroids I also experienced lots of bleeding. Have you had ultra sound or laparoscopy done to see if/where fibroids are?
Fatty liver disease runs in my family (non alcoholic type) which does cause one's stomach to bulge out but can also be dealt with proper diagnosis and change in diet. These are a couple of thoughts.