According to a new study, women may find themselves experiencing symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) during pregnancy. Women who already have OCD may find that their symptoms get exacerbated when they become pregnant.
According to researchers, this disorder which causes sufferers to compulsively repeat actions and rituals and be preoccupied and even obsessed with germs and cleanliness could be due to hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. 
As many as 2 million American adults are estimated to have OCD, the symptoms of which may first be noted during childhood or the teenage years.
While women who have OCD may find that their symptoms worsen during their pregnancy, other women may find that they experience OCD symptoms for the first time in their life during pregnancy.
Researchers also found that those women with OCD who found their symptoms worsening during PMS, were more likely to find that their OCD got worse in pregnancy as well.
This is a hormone related subtype of OCD that may be responsible for these findings, according to the researchers and that women may have different sensitivity to reproductive hormones that may be the cause.
This may be important to note so that extra care and caution may be exercised during pregnancy and so that the attending doctor may also make the modifications to treatment as may be required.
