Many women have low, period-like pain or cramps for a day or so early in pregnancy around the time the embryo is embedding itself in the lining of the uterus. Before the 37th week of pregnancy, abdominal cramping can be a sign of preterm labor. Call your health care provider or go to the hospital right away if you experience abdominal pain that includes any of the following:Contractions  every 10 minutes or more often;Pelvic pressure—the feeling that your baby is pushing down;Cramps that feel like your period. Don't hesitate to call your health care provider  if your pain doesn't go away or if you also have bleeding from your vagina, fever, chills, lightheadedness, faintness, or discharge from your vagina.