During pregnancy, the body undergoes many transformations, from well-known symptoms like nausea and morning sickness to lesser-known changes to the appearance of the skin and hair.
Sometimes the changes a pregnant woman experiences are par-for-the-course and manageable. These sorts of problems are usually caused by the womb putting pressure on organs or nerves, as with low back pain or digestive problems, including heartburn and constipation.
A pregnant body can be like a reflection of the needs of the developing fetus. Sometimes those needs - like the body's greater requirement for iron - can negatively impact the mother's health; in this case, leading to anemia.
Women may become more vulnerable to certain conditions and infections. Gingivitis, for instance, can flare up because of hormonal changes. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and vaginitis (yeast infections) can also become common during pregnancy.
Other sorts of vulnerabilities during pregnancy can have more serious impact on the developing fetus and the health of the mother. Exposure to certain bacteria while changing your cat's litter dish and viral infections that you can be exposed to can pose risks to the fetus, as with toxoplasmosis, measles, and rubella.
Blood flow, especially to the lower body, can be obstructed by the new weight that a pregnant woman carries. This may cause varicose veins, which can be unsightly and uncomfortable though not a serious health risk, or it can lead to embolisms, or blood clots, which can be very dangerous.
If you have certain preexisting conditions, like genital herpes, epilepsy, diabetes, or high blood pressure, you should seek your doctor's advice to avoid complications such as gestational diabetes or preeclampsia. And if you drink, find out about the serious damages that alcohol
use can have on a fetus.