6 Weird Pregnancy Symptoms You Might Not Know About
Nausea. An expanding waistline. Weirdo food cravings. Crazy hormonal outbursts. A little plus sign creeping up on the pee stick. These are the telltale signs of pregnancy — but they’re not the only ones. You may have heard your mommy-friends talking, or seen portrayals of pregnant women in the movies, but before you go thinking, “No way! I’m not pregnant. I don’t have any of the regular symptoms,” check out these not-so-well-known signs of pregnancy.
1. Stuffy Nose: Your nose is dripping and it just won’t stop. You’ve got a cold — or do you? A stuffed-up nose is sometimes a symptom of pregnancy. The change in hormones you’re experiencing does much more than take you on an emotional roller coaster. Increased hormones can also cause your mucous membranes to swell and dry out, leading to cold-like symptoms that have absolutely no viral cause.
2. Super-Snoring: Those hormone-related swollen mucous membranes are at work again. Not only are they causing your nose to run, but they’re also the culprit behind nighttime snoring. Say sorry to your S.O. and sleep on your side to make your midnight nose chorus not so noticeable.
3. Drippy Drooling: Ah, the glow of pregnancy… or maybe that’s a bit of drool making its way down your face. Excessive salivation is actually common enough to have a real medical name: ptyalism. Even though the experts don’t entirely know what causes this to happen, they think it may have to do with (you guessed it) changing hormones. An uptick in salivation and drooling is associated with severe morning sickness as well.
4. Big Foot: Those cute little kitten heels you adore suddenly don’t fit. You feel like one of Cinderella’s step-sisters trying to squeeze your mammoth feet into itty bitty shoes. Your feet haven’t exactly grown — at least not in the way that your soon-to-be child’s feet will. They’re swollen. It’s common for pregnant women to retain fluids, causing some swelling. If you’re experiencing excessive swelling, have swelling in your hands and face, have a serious headache, or have any other odd symptoms, call the doctor right away. Excessive swelling is a sign of preeclampsia and can be super serious.
5. Metal Mouth: Another lesser-known pregnancy symptom? Dysgeusia. That’s what it’s called when you have an odd change of taste in your mouth. During the first trimester, this may take the form of a metallic taste. Don’t freak just because your mouth tastes like you were chewing on pennies. The taste change should go away by your second trimester.
6. Skin Tags: You suddenly have little pieces of skin hanging out in some of your folds, where skin rubs against skin, such as the underboob area or your armpits. Let’s hear it for those hormones again; they’re likely the cause of these excess flaps. Keep in mind that picking, scratching, or trying to shave these off isn’t advisable. Only a doc should remove skin tags for you.
What pregnancy symptom surprised you? Share your pick and tweet us @BritandCo!
(Photo via Getty)