A pregnant woman’s health is affected a lot by the hormones produced during the pregnancy. The hormones can make you teary eye or even leave you with a bad memory. The good news is that once you deliver, you will normally return to your old self again. Below are the five major hormones that play an important role during your pregnancy.
Progesterone
This hormone relaxes the muscle in the womb and also stimulates the growth of the breast tissue. This hormone will cause you to feel tired and bloated. It also causes breast tenderness, hip pain and acid reflux. You will begin to feel the effects from the beginning of pregnancy until before birth. The good news is that your energy levels will pick up in the second trimester.
Estrogen
Estrogen helps the fetus and your milk glands to develop. It gives you that special glow but it heightens your emotions as well as your sense of smell. If you suddenly sense that you are being too emotional over something, blame it on this hormone. The placenta will continue to produce this hormone throughout the pregnancy period but it will be less severe from the second trimester.
Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin
HCG assists in maintaining the levels of the two hormones above. This hormone causes morning sickness and makes you want to visit the loo often. The levels are high in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Relaxin
Relaxin affects your joints and helps to soften your cervix and ligaments to accommodate the baby’s progressive growth. During pregnancy, this hormone is 10 times more concentrated in the body. The bad thing is that it also affects other joints in the body and may be one of the main reason for your back pain.
Oxytocin
During labor, this hormone helps with your contractions and to start the milk production. It also induces bonding with your newborn. The levels fall off right after the delivery of the baby.
Prolactin
This hormone is present throughout the duration of your pregnancy and prepares your body for breastfeeding. It will be present even two weeks after birth as your breastfeeding will ensure continuous production of this hormone. At the same time, it helps to suppress menstruation.
photo credit: Shooting Nouns
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Because of the hormonal change, the husband must be extra sensitive and take good care of his pregnant wife.
Hi KC, I cannot argue with your comments!