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Your guide to pregnancy hormones

Pregnancy, labour and delivery depend on them -- how hormones will change your body from before you pee on the stick to well after your baby is born

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Originally published in Today's Parent December 2010

Blamed for nausea, gas and unpredictable mood swings, pregnancy hormones have earned a pretty rough reputation. But they’re also responsible for some amazing feats too — from a gloriously shiny mane to that first loving eye lock you’ll share with your new little one. We’ve spoken to two OB/GYNs — Dr. Ahmed Ezzat, president of the Society of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists of Canada and Dr. Elaine Herer from Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital — for a rundown on the good, bad and the bizarre of pregnancy hormones.

During pregnancy

Even before the moment you test your urine with that ubiquitous stick, hormones are hard at work. The nausea and extreme fatigue common in early pregnancy can be pinned on HcG, says Ezzat, while the physiological changes are due to rising estrogen and progesterone. Combine all of the physical and emotional upheaval, and it’s an intense time, says Herer. “It’s important to remember though that pregnancy is a temporary state. And at the end, you have a beautiful baby in your arms.” So with that happy vision in mind, here are some common hormone-driven changes you may experience.

• The inaccurately named morning sickness; nausea (and sometimes vomiting) can last all day long.

• Erratic emotional highs and lows.

• Cosmetic changes: the surge in blood volume could mean shinier hair and stronger nails that both grow more quickly than usual. Some women also experience acne, brittle nails, skin sensitivity (particularly in the sun) and increased pigmentation on the face, nipples and belly (a vertical line, called the linea negra, appears on some women).

• Constipation and gas, as progesterone slows digestion and relaxes muscles in the gastrointestinal tract.

• Shortness of breath.

• Runny/stuffy/occasionally bloody nose, due to thinning of mucous membranes.

• Increased vaginal secretions.

• Breast and abdominal soreness.

• Headaches and migraines.

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What do you think?

  • steve avery (not verified) says ....

    and i think 4 shure we r prego

    • 15 December 2011