Epigastric pain

Oedema in the liver can become very painful because the liver is covered by a capsule, which becomes tense and painful when the liver accumulates too much fluid in its tissues. The liver lies behind the epigastric area of the abdomen, which you learned to identify in Study Session 15 (look back at Figure 15.4). Other causes of epigastric pain are rare during pregnancy, so the message is: first think of hypertension in a pregnant woman (particularly after 28 weeks of gestation) complaining of epigastric pain.