Pregnancy can make your body react in very strange ways--perhaps one of the most strange and interesting effects is what it does to your sense of smell. What may not have bothered you before might suddenly make you want to vomit at the first whiff you get.
This can make for a rather frustrating nine months. Take heart that you are certainly not alone.
Nearly every pregnant woman experiences it. From certain foods, to skin products, to body odor, a wide variety of things trigger nausea and even feelings of anger, happiness, or depression.
There doesn't seem to be any sort of adaptive mechanism to blame for a pregnant woman's sensitivity to certain smells. Regardless of studies, certain odors can send pregnant women running straight to the bathroom.
This perceived heightened sense of smell seems to affect pregnant women most during the first trimester, and can also accompany morning sickness. However, you may be able to overcome them as time goes by.
What is it about being with child that causes women to gag at certain odors and not others? According to professionals, the same reason is to blame that causes most other complaints, from mood swings, to food cravings, and more: hormones.
Since hormones are to blame, the physical cause of heightened olfactory sensitivity can't really be explained-even though women through the ages have complained of significantly adverse reactions to certain smells. With everything in your body being off kilter, it is no wonder that smells that used to be delightful are now horrible.
Olfactory sensitivity is quite individual, and different for every woman who is with child. Sad to say, you won't know what sets your gag reflexes in motion until the smell hits your nostrils.
However, many pregnant women seem to mention similar scents to be particularly heinous. These odors include beans, spaghetti sauce, fish, and eggs.
According to a study, over forty percent of pregnant women tested in the first trimester reported increased sensitivity to the smell of cooking odors, cigarette smoke, spoiled food, and perfume. While there may not be scientific evidence that some females experience a heightened sense of smell, the experiences of many expecting moms beg to differ.
Some have even report phantom smells, where they can detect an odor despite its lack of physical presence. Luckily, only around fourteen percent of females tested in the study reported any abnormality in the occurrence of a phantom scent in the first trimester.
However, the most commonly reported phantom odor resembled that of rotting substances or feces. For the peace of mind of expecting moms everywhere, phantom smell is pretty rare.
As far as odor aversion goes, there is a lot you can do to be nice to your nose. Regardless of the culprit, it is best to avoid the offending odor as much as possible.
To be on the safe side, try to avoid all strong odors, especially those with a harsh chemical smell. One way to do this is to have someone else do the cooking while you're dealing with morning sickness.
This way, once you emerge from the bathroom with a calm stomach, you will not be thrown back into an upset as soon as the scent of grease or food hits your nose. Fish is vital to the expecting mom's health, but sensitivity to the smell of fish can make it rather difficult to consume.
Another way to deal with an aversion to certain smells is to introduce new foods as replacements. For instance, if the scent of scrambled eggs sends you heaving at breakfast, try replacing them with a bowl of cereal or oatmeal.
If you used to love tuna sandwiches for lunch, replace the fish with turkey or chicken. You can also keep a pleasant-smelling air freshener on hand to battle noxious odors.
Just make sure the air freshener scent does not upset your stomach also. Many of the ways to deal with olfactory sensitivity are the same or similar to those for dealing with morning sickness.
When a bout of odor-related nausea strikes, try eating something salty, such as saltine crackers or pretzels, to calm the stomach. It may also help to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three large ones.
Take comfort that it is only temporary--nine months is not too long in the grand scheme of things. In the mean time, keep a barf bag nearby, and roll with the scents!
Author Resource:-
Tommy Greene has worked since 1986 as an interior decorator specializing in home decor. He has written hundreds of articles about decorating home and office spaces including finding the right kind of scentsy warmers.
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