A Brief Outline On How Pregnancy Affects Health
Pregnancy is one of the beautiful phases in a woman’s life. She is experiencing many changes in her body physically at this point. She learns to cope with this and sometimes you see women disturbed mentally. A lot of changes happen to a woman physically, emotionally, mentally during pregnancy and she faces a lot of health problems too. This phase is not easier too as she experiences frequent mood swings, fear, etc.
Protecting a new life in your womb for about 9 months is not easy and with it comes a lot of complications when sufficient care is not taken. If you take sufficient care of yourself then, you can get back to your normal self within a few months but for that put in your best efforts. The changes that occur in your body are
Hair
Some women experience lot of hair fall during pregnancy and sometimes after too. Hair becomes thinner and coarser. Sometimes the oil secretion is too much and you might experience very oily hair. If you intake sufficient nutrient rich food then, this could be avoided to some extent as the nutrients reach the follicle and hair grows normal.
Mood Swings
Some women become frightened while some feel some sadness. This is all due to hormones and once when the baby is born you become normal.
Bones
Women face issues with weak bones and sometimes the issue becomes serious. To avoid this consult a dietician and take in calcium rich foods. Do consume broccoli, yogurt and milk. All these calcium rich foods make your bones stronger and you need to consume them regularly even after delivery during lactation. Supplements can also be taken.
Breasts
Breasts become fuller and they start to sag. Many women do not like this but when they stop lactation the breasts come back to their normal size. It becomes smaller and softer.
Skin
During pregnancy because of high estrogenic levels the blood circulation is better than before. It is because of this that pregnant women have a glow on their faces and there are a lot of stretch marks on the breasts, hips and abdomen. Sometimes dark marks are seen in upper lip and cheeks and they fade away with time. In some cases women experience a dark colour on their neck. Stretch marks are a very common feature during pregnancy.
Weight
A woman weighs more during her pregnancy and it is unavoidable. When a woman carries a new life in her she will definitely see an increase in her weight. After delivery if she follows dieting and takes up exercises she could reduce her weight easily. It takes time to get back to normal weight but it is possible with a lot of activity and exercises.
Varicose Veins
It is observed that some women get varicose veins during pregnancy and after delivery it goes off on its own. It is caused because the weight of the baby exerts pressure on the veins and so you get varicose veins.
Feet
Many women experience a change in their feet size and it becomes longer, flatter and wider after delivery. It is caused due to hormones.
Bladder
During pregnancy and delivery urinary incontinence becomes an issue for some. It may take about a year to fully get it cured. Small amount of leaks occur when jogging, sneezing and laughing.
Thyroid
About 10% of women develop thyroid problem during pregnancy or after delivery. Sometimes it goes away by itself and some women end up having thyroid issues for life.
Gestational Diabetes
The diabetes which comes with pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. It goes off by itself after delivery. But such women need to take care as they will develop diabetes later in life.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a cause for worry and it might go away on its own once you get a baby. But the incidence of such women developing pressure later in life is higher.
Periods
With delivery irregular periods become normal. Those experiencing menstrual cramps also feel a lot better after delivery. Sometimes the cramps may diminish or vanish altogether. Ovarian cancer risks generally go down after delivery.
Most of the changes are part of pregnancy and with good exercise routine weight issues can be reduced.