early-pregnancy.info

Pregnancy discomfort is something that is inevitable, your body will change and we’re not just talking about it getting bigger and heavier problem. Some of these pregnancy discomfort & problem you’ve been through before - mood swings, leg cramps, abdominal pain, stress, hunger pangs - just not with such intensity. Here’s what to expect in terms of physical changes which aren’t so pleasant. You may also want your partner, friends and relatives to be aware about your pregnancy discomfort, as a forewarning since your early pregnancy period.

HORMONAL CHANGES DISCOMFORT

The Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone produced only during pregnancy, roughly 10 days after fertilisation. It is detectable in the urine and is thus what pregnancy test kits check for. This hormone prevents the release of more eggs from the ovaries and stimulates the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. In the first trimester, the level of HCG will increase dramatically in the first trimester, but drop later on in the pregnancy. You can also blame this hormone for your pregnancy discomfort like nausea and vomitting in the first trimester.Estrogen helps to regulate levels of progesterone and prepare the uterus for the baby and your breasts for feeding. It causes breast tenderness and enlargement and is produced throughout pregnancy.This is the hormone associated with fuzzy feelings of love, it has also been said to trigger “caring” behaviour, although this is not apparent in all pregnant women, mind you! Oxytocin also causes uterine contractions during pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding. This is why women in later stages of pregnancy are warned that sex may trigger an early labour, as oxytoxin is released during the sex art. Progesterone positions the placenta and also prevents your uterus from from spontaneously aborting the foetus. Towards the end of your pregnancy, progesterone levels will drop to initiate labour.Incidentally, this is also the hormone that causes another pregnancy problem, loss of interest in sex. Your constant backache is due to relaxin, which softens the cervic and loosens the joints around the pelvic area to prepare for delivery. Some bad news: your backache may continue on after pregnancy.

ABDOMINAL CRAMPS PREGNANCY PROBLEM

This usually hits some women at the start of their pregnancies -between 18 and 24 weeks. As your uterus grows, the ligaments get pulled and stretched, resulting in these cramps. They may also be due to hormonal changes. To ease the cramps:

• Avoid changing yow position quickly, especially when you’re turning at the waist. When you feel the stretching pain, bend toward it to relieve it, rest, and move slowly
• A heating pad, warm shower or hot water bottle could be useful.

If you have intense cramps or they’re accompanied with vaginal bleeding, shoulder pains or fainting spells, contact your gynaecologist immediately.

 

BACKACHE

As mentioned before, the relaxin hormone may be responsible for this. But you also tend to arch backwards to counterbalance the baby load. Later on in pregnancy, when your baby has moved down into your pelvis and its head is pressing on your lower back, this backaches discomfort can be more frequent and persistent during your pregnancy.

 

BLEEDING GUMS

Hormonal changes can cause a build-up of plaque and bacteria on the teeth, resulting in bleeding gums.

We will continue with more of these pregnancy discomfort & problems on my next post.

Tags: abdominal cramps, backache, bleeding gum, Early Pregnancy Discomfort, hormonal changes, Pregnanacy problem, pregnancy discomfort

This entry was posted on Friday, April 18th, 2008 at 2:24 pm and is filed under I think I'm Pregnant.
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