11 Gross Things Nobody Tells You About Being Pregnant

Known as Chadwick's sign or Jacquemier's sign, darkening of the vaginal tissue or mucus membranes can be one of the earlier signs of pregnancy.

Usually this happens around 8 weeks.

Additionally, the cervix may darken in color because of all the additional blood your body is producing.

So for hopeful mother's trying to get pregnant, a surprising new shade "downstairs" might be a welcome sign!

According to What To Expect, the medical term for the thin white discharge many pregnant women experience is leukorrhea.

Typically, this discharge is milk-colored and mild-smelling. Leukorrhea often starts around the 13th week of pregnancy, and it can increase over the course of pregnancy.

It's usually just a sign that your body is making a few renovations in your uterus to make it more comfy for your baby.

The American Pregnancy Association explains that many women have more nosebleeds when they're pregnant.

This occurs because the circulatory system expands during pregnancy, allowing the amount of blood and circulation of blood to increase.

Because of the small size of blood vessels in the nose and the increased amount of blood, the vessels are more prone to burst.

When you're pregnant, you have extra progesterone in your body — this is a hormone that causes your muscles to relax, explains the American Pregnancy Association.

Thus, the progesterone makes it harder to control when you pass gas, which means you may fart accidentally more often.

Additionally, progesterone relaxes the muscles in the digestive tract, which makes food pass through the intestines more slowly, leading to constipation.

Many women notice that they have to pee more often when they're pregnant, but pregnancy may also lead to urinary incontinence.

A lot of pregnant women notice that they "leak" when they laugh, cough, or sneeze — which is both annoying and embarrassing.

The solution? Kegels! Or, if necessary, pads and pantyliners.

Fair warning: this one might not immediately disappear after you give birth.

Every time you see a photo of a pregnant belly, it's perfectly round and beautiful.

Most women who have ever been pregnant know this isn't realistic — the baby isn't a sphere, so your belly won't be.

As babies grows, they push against their mom's belly and make it look lumpy and bumpy.

Some moms may even have surprisingly flat baby bellies — it all has to do with where your womb is positioned and how wide your pelvis is.

What To Expect explains that sweating excessively during pregnancy is totally normal.

When your hormones are the most extreme — during the first and third trimesters and after giving birth — they can make you feel extra sweaty.

The American Pregnancy Association explains:

During pregnancy, your blood volume increases, while the rate at which blood flows from your legs to your pelvis decreases. This puts pressure on the veins, which can cause varicose veins.

Varicose veins are enlarged veins that commonly occur in the legs, although during pregnancy they can also appear on the buttocks and vaginal area.

As previously stated, pregnancy causes rises in progesterone levels — it also causes rises in levels of estrogen.

Both of these hormone changes can change a woman's body, including voice changes. A pregnant woman, or the people she spends a lot of time with, may notice the subtle differences in the way her voice sounds.

BabyCenter explains that around 50 percent of pregnant women have red, tender, swollen gums.

Generally, this inflammation comes from pregnancy gingivitis, which occurs because hormone changes can make gums more sensitive to plaque bacteria.

If you have a constantly stuffy nose during pregnancy, it may be pregnancy rhinitis.

Pregnancy rhinitis feels similar to having a cold — primarily nasal congestion.

Up to one third of women experience pregnancy rhinitis, and it often gets worse toward the end of a pregnancy.

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