There are a lot of changes that a woman’s body goes during the pregnancy period, and one of them is loss of appetite during pregnancy. During this time the weight, shape and form of the body changes, not to mention the hormonal changes and even the amount of blood which increases in order to meet the needs of women and babies in the same time.
When does appetite loss during pregnancy occur?
Although this symptom could appear anytime while being pregnant, in many cases this is the first of the signs of pregnancy. A lot of women realize that they don’t like their favorite foods anymore in the first trimester. Also it is possible that they feel like they can’t keep anything down, and this feeling could be accompanied by a feeling of nausea.
Common causes for appetite loss while being pregnant
Nausea
Nausea and vomiting usually are among the first symptoms of pregnancy and they often cause loss of appetite during pregnancy. They are a characteristic of the first trimester.
In order to control them your doctor could prescribe some kind of medication, but in severe cases not even medication helps. All this could cause nutritional deficiency.
This is why many women lose weight in this period. The professionals aren’t certain what causes nausea, but most probably it is due to the hormonal changes and the change of the blood sugar level.
Progesterone
It is possible to have appetite loss while being pregnant as a result of the fact that in this period the digestion slows down, and the food spends more time in the digestive tract. This is caused by the hormone called progesterone.
Iron
In many cases pregnant women are advised to take iron supplement to meet the needs of the body. This is necessary because usually the level of hemoglobin is lower than it should be. Since the supplements are taken in the morning on empty stomach, this could upset your stomach and cause loss of appetite during pregnancy. In order to take care of the problem, the doctor might change the timing of the pill intake.
The digestive tract
The reasons for appetite loss while being pregnant that have been mentioned before apply to the first trimester. In the second trimester the uterus becomes larger and it pushes the stomach, slowing down the digestive process. This way the bowel movement changes and this also causes loss of appetite during pregnancy.
In the third trimester
Usually women find the last trimester easier than the first two, but since the size of the uterus has grown and it is still pushing the stomach, women may feel full very fast, and they cannot eat normal amounts of food, leading to appetite loss while being pregnant.
Stress
In the last trimester women usually get a bit stressed out regarding the development of the baby, and this could also induce loss of appetite during pregnancy. The secret is to keep your calm and be sure that everything will be just fine.
