The Pregnancy Symptoms No-one Told You About

Pregnancy is an amazing time for most women, the whole idea of growing a life inside you can be utterly mind boggling and incredible in equal measures. There’s no doubt that pregnancy can be a difficult time and takes its toll on a woman’s body- you’re probably already clued up about stretch marks and painful childbirth. But your body has a couple of other not so pleasant tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to pregnancy (don’t worry, they’ll all be forgiven when your beautiful baby arrives!) Here are three embarrassing things that you’re likely to encounter which no-one told you about,

Incontinence

Not just for babies or little old ladies, female incontinence can strike you down in your prime thanks to the tiny life you have growing inside you. During pregnancy many women experience at least some degree of incontinence; age and body mass index are risk factors for pregnancy incontinence, but it can affect anyone. The kind of incontinence you’re likely to experience during pregnancy is called stress incontinence- this causes urine leaks due to increased pressure on the bladder. The bladder sphincter is to blame here, it’s a case of it not functioning well enough to hold in urine. Women are more likely to have bladder control issues because of all the changes their body goes through during pregnancy and childbirth. Research from the National Association for Continence found that in 63 percent of stress-incontinent women their symptoms began during or after pregnancy. In one study almost all of the (otherwise healthy) five hundred participants experienced urinary incontinence at some point from the first through the third trimester. So while it can seem embarrassing, you’re certainly not alone!

Body Hair

A number of hormonal changes occur in the body during pregnancy, and one of those can cause a you to look down one day and notice hair on your bump. This is because the hair on our body is usually either growing and then falling out, or in the ‘resting’ phase. During pregnancy the increased levels of hormones keep more hairs in the resting phase, so less falls out and it appears as though your have thicker hair. This is fantastic when it comes to the hair on your head, but not so welcome when it comes to body hair too! Don’t fret though, After pregnancy the excess body hair will usually fall out within six months. If you really can’t stand the sight of it, it is safe to wax, shave or pluck

Groin Aches and Pains

You’ll usually start noticing these pains mid-pregnancy, around the time that the round ligaments in your pelvis stretch to accommodate your growing baby, says Laura Riley, MD. Later on in your pregnancy, the weight of your baby’s head presses down on your pubic bone which can also some-not-so pleasant cause groin aches. Some other common causes include cramping where your uterus is stretching, gas and constipation. Not so glamourous this pregnancy business! If you experience any sharp or worrying pain through it could be an emergency, so always visit your doctor as soon as possible to be on the safe side.

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