February 09, 2017

ET By Invite - Hormonal Changes during Pregnancy: What a Working Woman should know

These changes can be overwhelming for working women as it can make their regular
schedule hectic.

During pregnancy, a woman's body undergoes significant changes to help with the
development of the baby. The hormonal changes in the first trimester completely alter the
way the woman perceives the world through the senses of smell, sight and taste. There are
significant changes in heart and kidney functions, increase in body fat as well as
physiological changes to the uterus and breasts. These changes are due to the hormones
produced by the mother's glands and the placenta and each of them impacting the mother in
their own way . These hormones include oestrogen, progesterone, prolactin, renin, human
chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human placental lactogen.

These changes can be pretty overwhelming, especially for working women, as it can make
your regular schedules a little more complicated than usual. However, understanding these
changes will help a woman deal with the situation accordingly . Hormonal changes are
normal in a pregnant woman; they indicate that the body is being prepared for the
development of a new life form.

Changes in sense of balance: A woman's body undergoes many changes during pregnancy.
Her breasts become larger while her abdomen transforms into a convex form, increasing the
curvature at the back. This could, in turn, shift the centre of gravity for the woman and

change her sense of balance. This can sometimes make it difficult for pregnant women to do
exercise and they are at a greater risk of getting a sprained ankle or knee. Steadiness varies
from woman to woman. It is important to be active during pregnancy as it would help the
woman to physically and mentally control her body . This is especially important for working
women, who are on the move all the time and need to be careful about where they are.
Nausea and vomiting: Women with rising levels of hCG often experience nausea and
vomiting. The hCG hormone, which is produced by the layer of the embryo that eventually
becomes the placenta, essentially prepares the body by suppressing your immune system to
support the growing baby . It is a very key hormone during pregnancy and significantly rising
levels of hCG can indicate any one of the following: Multiple pregnancies (twins and
triplets); molar pregnancy , and in the second trimester may be found in pregnancies with
Down's baby . Relatively low levels of hCG are found associated with a loss of pregnancy or
risk of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy . Nausea and vomiting can create problems for
working women as this would disrupt their normal schedules.Having frequent regular,
healthy snacks can keep nausea at bay . A brisk walk at lunch, going to bed a little early and
chewing mint-flavoured gum can all help.

Increased mood swings: Fluctuating hormone levels can have a major impact on the mood of
the mother. It can change from joy to anxiety to depression. One thing to watch out for is
post-partum depression. During pregnancy , progesterone levels become extremely high. This
can sometimes slow down the passage of food through the intestines and lead to decreased
bowel motility . On the other hand, increased levels of the hormone can contribute to fatigue,
excess sleepiness and tiredness. At the workplace itself, there are several ways in which
pregnant women can deal with these problems. They can take a break during the day to relax
or take a nap. Make sure you get regular physical activity and take a pregnancy yoga class.
Other ways to control your mood swings are spending time with your partner, watching a
movie or going out with friends.

Heart & kidney function: During pregnancy , there will be an increase in the amount of blood
that the heart pumps each minute. Changes in the levels of hormones such as progesterone
result in low blood pressure. Don't sit or stand in any one position for too long as it can cause
the blood to pool in your legs and cause them to swell. Keep shifting position, walk around
the office and keep taking short breaks. Exercise is a great way to help with your low blood
pressure.

Sometimes there is no free flow of urine from the kidneys to the bladder causing stasis of
urine in kidneys and dilatation of the tubes connecting the kidneys and bladder (called
ureters), resulting in severe pain. This is partly due to the effect of progesterone and partly
due to compression of the growing uterus on the ureters.

Skin changes: Many women experience changes in their skin during pregnancy . Some
women might experience increased pigmentation of the skin called melasma. Due to the high
levels of oestrogen, small dilated skin blood vessels develop. While most of the pigmentation
is temporary and is likely to disappear after pregnancy , some like stretch marks can
permanently alter the skin.Elevated oestrogen levels also result in spider veins, nausea and
skin changes including changes in the skin's pigment.Ensure that you wear light clothing that
breathes.

Overall, hormonal changes are essential for a good pregnancy . They bring with them certain
side effects as well, which are temporary . But, for the nine months, life can be made easy if
one were to follow the recommendations mentioned above.

Source: Economic Times

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