6 Surprising Pregnancy Side Effects To Go Alongside Your Bump

It doesn't take a genius to understand the changes that the female body undergoes during pregnancy. Of course, for some people this stops at the bump. It's only when you actually go through pregnancy yourself, or you are at least very close to someone who is pregnant, that you understand how the human body changes in a magnitude of ways.

It's for the above reason that procedures such as the liposuction have become ever so popular over the last few years. To highlight just how the body changes in other surprising areas, let's take a look at some of them in-detail through today's post.

Your hair grows ridiculously

There are good and bad parts to this first issue.

Let's start with the good news. We all want thick, flowing hair, and this is something that pregnancy facilitates. We aren't actually growing more hair, but we are just losing less hair than we normally would.

Now, onto the bad news. This hair doesn't just appear on your head - it's everywhere. Ultimately, there's a bit more maintenance to take care of.

Then, when you do have your baby, you might be able to notice a difference. Your hair will feel a bit thinner, even though it has just returned to what it was like in your pre-pregnancy state.

You might drool a little

Unfortunately, there's nothing good about this next point. You will tend to find during pregnancy that you start to drool a little more - and there is a very good reason for this.

Like most side effects, it is all due to your hormones and how they are working overtime. The result here is that you will generate more saliva than you have ever been used to.

Dark blemishes on your skin

As we all know, most women go through that pregnancy glow period - where every random person can seemingly identify your pregnant state.

This next side effect links to this. Over time, you will start to feel darker spots and blemishes start to appear on your face. The reason? Your body is creating more melanin. This is a pigment in your body which gives colour to everything from your eyes to your skin - so by having more of this the results should be obvious.

Prepare for some leaks

No, there are no mistakes with this next title. Like it or not, your body will tend to leak through the course of a day when you are pregnant. In other words, you may unexpectedly pee.

Why does this happen? Put simply, pregnant women just drink a lot more water. This is what doctors are big on; they tend to recommend that they drink around 80 ounces per day. Considering the fact that there is now an extra force pressing on your bladder, it stands to reason that a few unexpected leaks are going to occur.

What can you do to combat this? First and foremost, don't be afraid to use the toilet more than you are used to. To help matters a little more, tap into Kegel exercises which can give you a bit more control.

You may suffer with Varicose veins

It might be one of those conditions which is often associated with getting older, but like it or not, pregnant women are also susceptible to the perils of Varicose veins.

Unfortunately, this is an issue which doesn't just occur in your legs either. Your anus can also be affected, as can your vulva.

What is the reason for the above? Now that your uterus is bigger, it can start to interfere with the blood flow which occurs between your legs and your heart. It means that you have slightly higher blood pressure, and this leads to the Varicose veins condition.

There can be ways to reduce the risk of this occurring. For example, taking vitamin C supplements, wearing support stockings and even trying to not cross your legs when sitting down can all help.

You become constipated

Like some of the other side effects we have spoken about, this next one doesn't just occur whilst you are pregnant, but it can also happen during the breastfeeding period as well.

The reasons for this are quite simple to explain. During both pregnancy and breastfeeding, your body requires more water. It means that for "other tasks", your body just doesn't have enough fluid to process them.

Fortunately, this is one issue that you can almost eradicate if you start to make the correct lifestyle choices. If you drink plenty of water (more than what you did in your pre-pregnancy stage) and also tap into plenty of fibre, there is every chance that this period of your life isn't going to be blighted by constipation troubles.