When a woman finds out she's pregnant, she has certain expectations regarding what the following nine months will hold. She probably expects morning sickness and frequent urination. If she has female friends who've had babies, they've no doubt warned her about breast tenderness and fatigue. Still, every now and again a woman is blindsided by what seems like a very bizarre pregnancy symptom; she may even wonder whether it's related to the pregnancy at all!
Nasal Congestion
In his book, "What You Didn't Think to Ask Your Obstetrician," Raymond Poliakin, MD, notes that one of the weirdest symptoms of pregnancy (particularly early pregnancy) is nasal stuffiness. Women may even feel as though they're developing a head cold (particularly because some of the other early symptoms of pregnancy, including fatigue and headache, seem to support that analysis). Dr. Poliakin reminds women that antihistamines, like almost all medications, are best avoided during pregnancy. He suggests that humidifiers may help reduce stuffiness and nosebleeds.
Salivation
Excess salivation may seem more closely associated with canine behavior than human, but pregnant women occasionally drool. Furthermore, while almost everyone gets a little moist in the mouth prior to vomiting (which the typical pregnant woman might do frequently), pregnant drooling can be completely independent of morning sickness. In "What to Expect When You're Expecting," Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel discuss pregnant salivation, noting that hormones increase mucus production throughout the body, largely because of increased blood volume and cardiac output. There's really very little that can be done about drooling, except to swallow more frequently.
Spider Veins
The increased blood volume and blood flow during pregnancy can lead to significant skin changes, including spider veins in some cases. These thin, reddish lines (like spider legs) tend to appear on the thin skin of the chest and shoulders, notes Dr. Poliakin. They're largely due to higher levels of estrogen coupled with blood pressure changes, and they may disappear after pregnancy. While women may find their appearance troubling, they're neither dangerous nor painful. Dr. Poliakin suggests that for spider veins that don't fade after delivery (particularly in the rare case they show up on the face), laser treatment is a common and effective mechanism for removing them. It is worth waiting until after the end of the pregnancy, however, to treat veins---not only might they disappear on their own, the safety of laser treatment during pregnancy has not been established.
References
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
- "What You Didn't Think to Ask Your Obstetrician"; Raymond Poliakin, M.D.; 2007
