Children get stomach aches often, and most of the time the cause is benign: overeating or unfamiliar food, constipation, trapped gas, or anxiety — "my tummy hurts before school" is a real and well-described phenomenon, not an excuse. Pain like this is usually short-lived, comes without fever, and the child behaves normally between episodes.
Do not wait if abdominal pain comes with any of the following:
If there are no red flags but the pain keeps coming back — weekly or more often over a month — that is worth a planned visit to a pediatrician or pediatric gastroenterologist. Recurrent abdominal pain is rarely "just how they are": it usually has a specific, findable cause, from constipation and food intolerance to functional abdominal pain.
It starts with a conversation and an examination — an experienced doctor narrows the list of possible causes at that stage alone. Anything further is ordered only if the findings call for it: lab tests, an abdominal ultrasound. We do not run a "full work-up just in case" — that is what evidence-based practice means in day-to-day paediatrics.
At GMS children are seen by pediatricians consulting in English and Russian, including a pediatrician-gastroenterologist; that consultation is AED 750, with ultrasound in the same clinic on the same visit and lab tests taken there too. If your child is too unwell to travel, a doctor can come to you.
This article is for information only and does not replace a consultation. If you have symptoms, see a doctor.
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