Hip pain in late pregnancy. Hip pain in late pregnancy is quite common, and its etiology is rarely established unless acute demineralization occurs. We measured the bone mineral content of both hips in 26 women within 48 hours of delivery. Twelve of 36 densities (33%) were decreased in a group with severe pain when compared to 12 of 120 decreased densities (10%) in the remaining patients (P less than .05). Those data suggest that severe hip pain may be related to a decrease in bone mineral content. 