The Sense Of Smell During Pregnancy – Being Parents

During pregnancy, many women experience changes in their sense of smell. This can happen with certain foods and also with skin and body odor products. In fact, it can cause nausea and even feelings of anger and episodes of depression.

Because of the connection between taste and smell, aversion to certain foods can go hand in hand with a change in the sense of smell. This normally happens during the first trimester and can even cause episodes of morning sickness.

Thus, various studies confirm that increased sense of smell during pregnancy is common. The majority of pregnant women experience greater olfactory sensitivity during this stage.

However, some women notice only a slight change in the sense of smell, while others think that some smells are unbearable. In a lot of cases, everything returns to normal once the baby arrives.

Smell during pregnancy

Pregnancy affects every woman’s body in a different way, which is why we do not know exactly what the reaction to certain smells of mothers would be. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to avoid these nausea-inducing smells. However, you should know that there are a lot of ways to avoid them.

Among other tips, you can reduce the possibility of coming into contact with flavors that can cause you problems by avoiding certain foods and drinks. In addition, you may also want to wash your clothes more often, as the fibers can trap odors and stay on longer than you want.

Causes of change in smell during pregnancy

It is not known why women react differently to certain smells when they are pregnant. However, this may be due to the following factors:

1. Increased blood flow

The volume of plasma in the body almost duplicates during pregnancy. This means that everything is moving, the blood goes to the brain faster and in larger quantities. This, at the same time, makes you more sensitive to the smells that your smell receptors pick up.

1. Hormonal changes

The increasing levels of estrogen and hormones during the first trimester can cause nausea and vomiting. If you already suffer from nausea, it is likely that a strong odor is assaulting you. Note that increased sense of smell is closely related to morning sickness.

1. Protection Mechanism

Your sense of smell can even be a protective mechanism to keep you away from toxins and other venoms that could affect the baby’s growth. In this case, it is an instinctive action originating from our ancestors.

How to improve the sense of smell during pregnancy?

Here are some tips you can follow to improve the sense of smell during pregnancy. If these changes don’t help and some smells still make you feel nauseous, learn about natural remedies that can alleviate your nausea.

• Eat and cook smart. With the foods you can bear to smell, of course.
• Leave windows open as soon as possible. Thus, you will get rid of cooking odors or humidity.

• Odors can adhere to the fibers, which is why it may be useful to wash clothes, towels and sheets more frequently than usual. Spraying your clothes with air freshener can also help.
• Switch to cleaning products that do not contain scents.
• Try to surround yourself with aromas that will make you feel better. Mint, lemon, and cinnamon are helpful in calming nausea.
• Put a few drops of essential oil that is healthy and that you like on a tissue and keep it in your bag. If you find yourself face to face with a strong odor that you cannot avoid, this may be a good time to use the tissue and thus mask the smells around you.

Finally, remember that it is normal for the sense of smell to be impaired during pregnancy. However, don’t worry: in the majority of cases, everything returns to normal after the baby is born.