Many women see their first varicose vein during pregnancy…..usually on the lower part of the leg or the thigh. A varicose vein may appear as a bulge in the skin, or one may clearly see the vein itself. Often the vein is twisted and bumpy. The area around a varicose vein may feel uncomfortable.
Insomnia
Pregnant women often have difficulty either falling asleep or remaining asleep. Some of this is due to the fact that beginning early in pregnancy, women urinate more frequently. And certainly during the last few months, the enlarged uterus will not allow the bladder to expand much at all. So, even if you can fall asleep easily, you’re up and urinating after a couple of hours anyway.
Back ache
Lower backache is a predictable event in almost all pregnancies. There are several contributing factors at work here, including hormonal and physical changes. Some of the hormones released during pregnancy soften the connective tissue (ligaments and cartilage) that hold bones to one another and also pad the joints between bones.
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness is the common term for the nausea and/or vomiting which may occur at any time of day during pregnancy. Morning sickness is a common feature of many pregnancies. No one is quite certain what causes this phenomenon. Hormones, and hCG in particular, top the list of suspects. It has been known for decades that a woman with a molar pregnancy or a multiple gestation may have both very high levels of hCG and severe nausea and vomiting. Other theories speculate that the extreme swings in a pregnant woman’s blood sugar levels may trigger nausea (blood sugar levels are at their lowest in the morning after fasting all night). Whatever the cause(s), it is a particularly dissatisfying component of pregnancy.
Fatigue
Almost all women experience a very noticable increase in fatigue early in pregnancy. For some women it is the earliest sign that they are pregnant. For most women, the degree of fatigue lessens as they move into the second trimester (about 12-13 weeks gestation). If you are not anemic and your nutrition is good, there’s not much you can do about this. Go ahead and check out when you feel particularly tired…..lie down; take a nap; listen to your body. But don’t allow the fatigue to consume the day……make a point to get out and get your usual amount of exercise and fresh air.
Anatomy of Pregnancy
An understanding of the anatomy of the reproductive tract is helpful during pregnancy. Your doctor or midwife will liberally sprinkle medical terms throughout their conversations with you.
The Hormones of Pregnancy
Pregnancy places unique demands upon the human female body. Hormones are the chemicals which the body produces to facilitate the changes needed to accomodate the growing fetus, stimulate labor, and prepare for lactation. The body even produces a new organ (the placenta) to help produce some of these hormones.