Pregnancy health

Minor health issues
Stretch marks | Weight gain | Morning sickness | Tiredness | Constipation | Swollen ankles and fingers

Serious health issues
Hyperemesis | High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia | Cholestasis | Symphysis pubis dysfunction | Vaginal bleeding | Gestational diabetes

Health issues during pregnancy

"Pregnancy is not an illness." Loved ones, healthcare workers and complete strangers will tell you this. Repeatedly.

Here are some of the non-illness bits of it: extreme tiredness, nausea, back pain, piles, constipation, vaginal bleeding, weight gain, stretch marks, swollen ankles, feet and fingers, itchy skin, headaches, nose bleeds, acne, anxiety and mood swings.

There is a general view that pregnancy should be a wonderful experience and women should be serene and have that kind of misty 'I'm thinking about my baby' look on their face all the time.

"Yes, of course, I am over the moon to be having another child - but that doesn't mean I have to love every second of pregnancy, especially because if I wasn't pregnant and feeling like this I wouldn't be expected to be enjoying feeling like it." Addictedtoharibo

And here's another mum's description: "I am not one of those glowing pregnant women. I vomit a lot. I have permanent wind, indigestion, and spots. My hair turns into a fuzzball, I gain weight at a rate of knots and am permanently tired. My pelvis goes to pot within four months, my blood pressure is up and down so often Alton Towers have asked if they can install it as a ride; my ankles are so swollen I look like they've been encased in pastry like some massive hairy sausage rolls. Pregnancy, to be completely frank, is a total pain in the arse for me (quite literally, because I get piles, too.) If I could get a baby ready-made on eBay I would." Whomovedmychocolate

It's stressful being in charge of an unborn baby around the clock (it's stressful being in charge of a born baby round the clock, too, but that's a different story), so it's not surprising you're under pressure mentally and physically.

And while most of these physical aggravations are completely normal - and there are lucky women who only experience a couple of them - some can be harbingers of more serious health issues, so you can't dismiss them as character testing but harmless.

Swelling can indicate pre-eclampsia, itchy skin could signal cholestasis, headaches might mean high blood pressure and feeling endlessly nauseous could be hyperemesis.

So health issues during pregnancy divide into 'minor' (unless you're the person enduring them) and potentially serious. But that's what antenatal checks are for, to detect the serious ones.

Minor health issues
Stretch marks | Weight gain | Morning sickness | Tiredness | Constipation | Swollen ankles and fingers

Serious health issues
Hyperemesis | High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia | Cholestasis | Symphysis pubis dysfunction | Vaginal bleeding | Gestational diabetes