Dr. Laura Pérez Martín, gynecologist at the General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, tells us what happens to our body during pregnancy
It is normal, during pregnancy, for women to present various physical and emotional changes that are relevant for their peculiarities and consequences. In the popular consciousness, a series of myths and beliefs have been immortalized that often do not have a solid scientific basis and that only cause disinformation in future mothers and pregnant women.
Dr. Laura Pérez Martín, gynecologist at the General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, Spain, explains, scientifically, what happens to the body of women in the pregnancy stage.
During pregnancy or pregnancy, the state of women where an embryo is carried in the womb, the secretion of many hormones increases, which can affect you both physically and psychologically. On the one hand, there is the human chorionic gonadotropin, it is produced by the embryo and it is the one that all pregnancy tests detect. At the beginning of pregnancy, it is important since it maintains an adequate production of other hormones, mainly progesterone. Although it is also one of the responsible for nausea and vomiting in the first stage.
Increased pigmentation in certain areas of the body, such as the alba line, mammary areolas, and vulva is one of the effects that pregnancy hormones produce on the skin.
It is a normal effect that usually disappears little by little after delivery. The spots on the face or on the chest, called chloasma or melasma, are also related to the increased concentration of hormones. In fact, it can also arise with taking hormonal contraceptives.
“It is important to know that these spots get much worse with sun exposure. Once they have emerged, they do not usually disappear completely. If you are careful, they can be clarified and go unnoticed. Therefore, you should avoid as much as possible exposure to the sun and use sunscreen cream daily, “says the expert.
Your breasts may start leaking prematurely since another hormone, which increases progressively during pregnancy and which is prolactin, is responsible for the production of milk in the breast. Despite preparing the breast for lactation, they usually need different types of stimuli after delivery for the milk to rise.
In some women, there is the expulsion of a whitish liquid, which does not have the same consistency as milk, from both nipples before delivery: it is within normal limits. The expert assures that there is nothing we can do to stop it since it is a normal process of the body. If the liquid is yellowish or reddish, smells bad or is accompanied by the appearance of lumps or other changes in the breast or nipple, then you should go to the specialist.
As for medications, the gynecologist assures that there are many that can be taken without problem during pregnancy, either because they are not capable of reaching the fetal blood or because, although they are capable of reaching, they do not harm the fetus. However, he warns that only those recommended by a doctor should be taken.
In terms of nutrition, there are few things that are truly prohibited, since most of the nutritional precautions that are given to pregnant women seek to avoid possible infections. What is absolutely forbidden is alcohol, since even in small quantities it could produce alterations in the baby’s development, such as malformations or intellectual disability.
Forgetfulness is normal and ceases after part or. This is because during pregnancy there are changes in the brain structure that can affect our memory and learning ability.
The brain is a very plastic organ, which is why during gestation it adapts to the arrival of offspring. “In general, these changes are for the better,” says the expert. In 1999, an article, entitled Motherhood improves learning and memory, was published in the journal Nature, claiming quite the opposite. The authors of the research concluded that during pregnancy the number of neurons and the connections between them increase at specific points in the brain, causing an improvement in performance in these areas.
However, subsequent studies suggested that there was a slight improvement in the early stages, but memory decreased at the end or in the first weeks postpartum. “This is more in line with the experiences reported by pregnant women, which frequently manifest forgetfulness,” confirms the gynecologist. Although you should not be alarmed, these capacities are restored again as before.
In the same way that it happens with the sense of the taste, the referring thing to the sense of smell is not a myth either. Indeed, sensitivity to certain odors increases or at least the perception of them changes. For this reason, smells that have never bothered you before are now unpleasant.
“There are very few scientific studies that address this question. From a primitive point of view, it could be the result of an adaptive mechanism in the face of new nutritional needs or even defensive against substances that could harm our body. Although this is just a theory, it is something that we still do not know, “he explains.
Pregnancy is undoubtedly a stage of many changes, some of them not very comfortable for women, others not so unpleasant. But the important thing is that all women who go through this phase enjoy it responsibly and with the best information to take appropriate care.