Q&A: Is cramping when I pass gas a common pregnancy symptom at 7 weeks?

Yes! Pregnancy may cause all sorts of new sensations. Many factors make women more gassy than normal. First off, moms-to-be often change to a healthier diet when they find out that they are expecting. Vegetables, whole grains, beans, and other high-fiber foods create more intestinal gas. Prenatal vitamins make exacerbate the problem. Fiber supplements like Metamucil, taken for constipation, and constipation itself, can make you gassy as well. On top of all that, many adults are lactose intolerant, and women often increase their milk/milk product intake when they find out they are pregnant, leading to gas and other GI symptoms.

Sometimes abdominal pain in early pregnancy is a warning sign of a complication. Cramps associated with vaginal bleeding can indicate a threatened miscarriage. Pain on one side can be a sign of a tubal pregnancy, ovarian torsion, a ruptured ovarian cyst, appendicitis, a kidney stone, or several other more or less serious problems. Pain that is very severe or that doesn't resolve within an hour or two should prompt a call to your doctor or midwife for evaluation, even if it is off-hours. But your description of cramps that resolve after passing flatus sounds perfectly normal.