Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when faced with these strange sensations in the abdomen is the possibility of pregnancy, but let me tell you that is not necessarily what is happening. The abdomen is a great cross between different organs and systems, so the sensations that you may feel in it can correspond to various causes such as anxiety, inflammation, a hernia or, most commonly, indigestion.
In this FastlyHealarticle, we explain what are the main causes of feeling movements in the belly without being pregnant and if this is normal or not.
Table of Contents
What causes movements in the belly
The movements in the belly are not necessarily related to a pregnancy . You should know that a large number of organs and systems converge in the abdomen, that is why that sensation of movement can be due to a wide variety of causes that you will find below.
Most of the sensations that you can experience may have to do with the digestive system, but even so the influence of the nervous system and your mind on these organs is very important as we will see below.
Something important that you have to know is that all these sensations are not exactly normal. Normal and proper digestion of food should not give symptoms such as bloating, the urge to sleep, or bowel movements. Nor is it normal to have a large amount of gas, to have a hernia or for anxiety to generate so many disturbing symptoms.
Indigestion
It is one of the main causes of feeling movements in the belly without being pregnant. When the food you eat is unhealthy, when you eat quickly, when you peck and don’t wait long enough for your intestines to digest, you are harming your body.
Digestive activity begins before eating, when you are predisposed to ingesting food and saliva appears in your mouth. It is essential to chew what you eat well and pay attention to the feeling of satiety. If you eat too much or too little your intestines won’t work well either.
If you do not combine foods well, you can also suffer from indigestion. In addition to feeling something move in your belly, you can experience:
- Swelling in the belly
- Abdominal pain.
- Gases.
- Belching
- Diarrhea.
- Constipation.
When this becomes more chronic, other types of disorders may appear such as: intestinal inflammation, metabolic and hormonal problems, joint discomfort and all kinds of chronic problems.
But not only what you eat alters your digestion, since your worries, anxieties, stress and pressures also modify the way you process food.
What to do?
It is key to review what you eat and how you do it . This will give you many answers and modifying it will bring you many benefits not only now but in the future
You can turn to medication to lower acidity or to enzymes that apparently improve digestion, but if you don’t go to the root cause, you can hardly feel good in the long term.
Intestinal inflammation
As I have mentioned, intestinal and colonic inflammation is the result of the influence of both your mind and the choice of your habits.
When your digestion is not proper for a long time, you can experience various kinds of symptoms such as:
- Abdominal pain.
- Inflammation of the belly.
- Gases.
- Intestinal bleeding
- Diarrhea.
- Constipation.
- Sensation of bowel movements
What to do?
You can make a medical consultation to investigate the cause of your discomfort, they may associate a lack of enzymes or even diagnose a chronic disease, such as irritable bowel or Crohn’s syndrome , but all this originates from the same point: the important thing is to discover what is the cause of your discomfort and work on improving it .
I suggest you:
- Choose healthy foods.
- Learn to combine them.
- Give time to your digestion and not eat permanently.
- Eat in a quiet place and with whoever you want to do it.
- Avoid unpleasantness, stress, rush during the meal.
- Find what is causing you discomfort.
- Perform relaxation or mindfulness techniques.
There is medication that in an attempt to control inflammation is administered chronically, but it does nothing more than cover the symptoms you suffer. That is why I recommend you delve a little further.
Anxiety
Who has not felt “butterflies” in the stomach or a cramp when feeling nervous? It is normal to experience that something moves in the belly when we are facing a strange situation or that our secretion of cortisol and adrenaline increases.
This is desirable in dangerous situations, as it could have happened if we had to face a tiger in cave times, but what happens when these alarms go off very frequently and even worse when we permanently feel that discomfort? This can not be a good thing for your body, since not only these sensations appear, but you can experience restlessness, anxiety and, with it, a multitude of physical symptoms that can even be diagnosed as chronic diseases.
What to do?
As I usually suggest in other cases, it is essential that you review what is the cause of that anxiety because you cannot keep that discomfort for long.
You can go to one or a professional, perform mental relaxation techniques, exercise or whatever makes you feel well-being, search within yourself what is hurting you and try to feel better.
Abdominal hernia
A hernia occurs when the abdominal wall is weak. Through the space that remains between the muscles that should close your abdomen in front, internal structures such as part of the intestines , for example , can protrude .
In those cases, you may notice that something moves in your belly, especially when you force yourself to get up, go to defecate or cough.
Many times, the problem is minor, since there is no pain or other discomfort, but in other cases, the hernia can compress the intestinal content that is trying to escape. This is known as a strangulated hernia and presents with a lot of pain, nausea, vomiting, and / or an inability to pass gas and go to the bathroom.+
What to do?
Most hernias are usually small and do not usually cause problems, but if you think this is your problem you can go to your doctor or trusted doctor.
That way, you can stay calm knowing what the state of your abdominal wall is. If the hernia is considered significant, aesthetically disturbing, or at risk of strangulation, surgical intervention may be necessary.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Is it normal to feel movements in the belly without being pregnant? , we recommend that you enter our Digestive System category .

I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.