It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones
- From start to finish, pregnancy causes the release of hormones to keep you & your baby progressing forward towards birth!
- There are many ways hormones will start to effect you & your baby as time goes on.
- Your hormones are a normal part of the pregnancy process, but sometimes they can lead you through challenging times mentally & physically.
+2 It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones
Estrogen
You’ve probably heard of this one. It’s made in the ovaries & placenta during pregnancy. Estrogen levels rise a lot during pregnancy & peak during the third trimester. Estrogen is a hormone with many jobs like: helps the uterus grow while baby grows; maintains uterine lining so baby has a healthy place to implant and grow; regulates other key hormones; triggers and supports baby’s organ development; improves the formation of blood vessels you need to transfer nutrients to your baby; helps milk duct development for breastfeeding later on. It does cause some pesky side effects for mom: In the 1st trimester, it may contribute to nausea or vomiting; Milk duct development can cause enlarged and tender breasts; it causes inflammation of mucous membranes which means you may have a stuffy nose more often; all the blood vessel formation can cause extra blood flow to your skin and can make it red or itchy; it can cause hyperpigmentation like darker nipples of dark patches on your face (malasma).
It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones
Progesterone
Progesterone is also released by the ovaries and placenta and it’s really important to a healthy pregnancy but also has annoying side effects: it causes the thickening of uterine lining for implantation of a fertilized egg in early pregnancy; it causes loosening of ligaments and joints and internal organs, like the uterus, to enlarge to help your body stretch with your growing baby; it can cause gastrointestinal issues like heartburn, indigestion, constipation and bloating; it can cause swollen and bleeding gums, breakouts or extra sweating.
It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)
It’s not the easiest to say, but you may already be familiar with it – this is what turns your urine pregnancy test positive! It rises the most and peaks in the first trimester in order to increase estrogen and progesterone levels that help you have a healthy pregnancy. It can also suppress your immune system, which explains why you may be getting more colds or flus.
It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones
It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones
It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones
Relaxin
Relaxin increases after ovulation and helps prepare your uterus for a healthy pregnancy. Throughout the pregnancy, it relaxes your muscles, bones, ligaments and pelvis to prepare your body for labor. This can sometimes make it easier to get injured while being active, so make sure to pick safe exercises.
Hot flashes? Mood swings? Weird cravings? You can thank your pregnancy hormones! Hormones play an important role in pregnancy for both mom & baby. It can be hard to keep track of all of them, what they do, and when in pregnancy they are important. The two main pregnancy hormones you might know are estrogen and progesterone, but there are many hormones at work at the same time. Check out our list of some major ones on the gallery!
Takeaways
Many different hormones work together to keep you & your baby healthy during pregnancy and postpartum. Even though they do a lot of cool things, the rise & fall in hormones can also be tough on mom physically & emotionally. In addition to physical side effects like breakouts, loose joints or nausea, moms may experience emotional and mental side effects too. Mood swings, sadness, and irritability are common.
Between hormonal changes & other important things going on in your life, it’s no wonder some moms don’t feel their best during pregnancy. However, if you are experiencing feelings of fear, depression or anxiety that are interfering with your daily life, talk to your provider to see if it’s more than hormones. Some moms may experience perinatal mood disorders (PMADs) like depression or anxiety during & after pregnancy. Good thing there are resources for you including local support groups, counseling, and accessible organizations like Postpartum Support International.
Hormones can causes a lot of frustrating side effects for mom. But remember they are working hard to keep your baby and pregnancy healthy!
Resources for PMADs:
Postpartum Support International
Maternal Mental Health Resources, GA Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Georgia Crisis & Access Line: 1-800-715-4225
