Pregnancy does change the way you smell. Changes in body odour during pregnancy can include foul breath, sweaty odour from underarms, odour from vagina, navel odour, smelly scalp, smelly hair and foul smelling farts.

Pregnancy is definitely supposed to be one of the best phases of your life. However, along with the wonderful changes your body goes through, pregnancy also makes your body go through the worse of all things. Odour is one of the primary things that concerns numerous women during their pregnancy. There are some acute changes in your sense of smell and the way you smell like, during this time.

4 Main Causes of Change in Body Odour During Pregnancy 

There are multiple factors leading up to these situations. Some of the central reasons that cause these odour-based changes in your body are:

• Increased flow of pregnancy hormones
• Changes in the way of blood flow throughout the body
• Changes in your overall daily schedule
• Change in your food habits

Read More: Your Changing Body: 6 Stages Of Pregnancy

Throughout this period, you are likely to develop an extremely keen sense of smell, whereby you will also be able to smell your own body odours way more than another will. This, however, might come both as a blessing and a curse! The blessing is the fact that you will be more aware and conscious of the odours your body might be letting out, and you can apply natural aromatic products to conceal them before others notice. However, the curse is that because of the fact that you will be smelling everything keenly now, you cannot escape weird odours, especially the foul ones, that others might forego at times.

You will even feel that the odours that you would love to smell, are getting on your nerves now. You might want to carry an organic and pregnancy friendly air freshener to keep such perils at bay until the time of delivery!

Changes in Body Odour During Pregnancy

The changes in the way your body smells during pregnancy, based on years of survey, are:

Foul breath

The major cause of this is morning sickness. This leads to a lot of vomiting, first[phb_baby_name_generator] thing in the morning. So you get dehydrated at the very start of the day. And, throughout the say too, you visit the loo too often these days, which leads to dehydration that causes bad breath. Put an alarm on repeat throughout the day, so that you do not miss out on drinking water at regular intervals. This might be of some relief and reduce the foul breath.

Sweaty odour from your underarms

Pregnancy is said to turn up the body heat for most women. Due to this, your underarms start sweating more than they used to, earlier. Moreover, the odour of your sweat depends on what you eat. Because the minerals from the foods are absorbed into the bloodstream, and the odours of the foods are reflected through your sweat. The changing flow of hormones also plays an important role in intensifying the odours. Avoiding foods like cabbage, cauliflower, and cabbage can help reduce the level of odour as they contain sulphur that enhances the same.

Odour from your vagina

This is an extremely common thing to experience during pregnancy. Almost all pregnant women have complained about this at some point in their journey. This happens due to the changes in hormonal flow, along with the accumulation of excess bacteria in and around your vagina. At times, there can also be fungi accumulating, which might result in a fungal infection. If you notice a foul or sour odour from your vagina, along with a greenish or yellowish mucus-like discharge, you should visit the doctor and get yourself examined.

Navel odour

The navel is another place that is quite susceptible to infections and mild irritation during pregnancy. Hence, if you feel that there is a funny smell coming from the belly button, you should visit the doctor as soon as possible, to avoid escalations that might be harmful to you as well as for the baby. At times, some women have even complained that there is a mild secretion from the belly button, which has a strange odour. In that case, it is almost definite that there is an infection brewing, which must be attended to, at the earliest!

Smelly scalp and hair

Although it is said that during pregnancy you will have great lustrous locks, you might also experience smelly hair along with an itchy scalp. Many women complain that during pregnancy their hair smelled like leftover onions and some complained that their hair had a funny alien odour. Even after a couple of hours after a shower, your hair might start becoming smelly. Unfortunately, a change of shampoo and conditioner also will not yield the desired results. All that you can do is consult your gynaecologist or a dermatologist recommended by the former, for safe medication and a possible change of washing schedule.

Farts become much more foul smelling

During pregnancy, your body goes through a horde of transformations in terms of hormonal balance. This leads to a weakened digestive system, which in turn leads to constipation and excessive formation inside the stomach and intestines. Hence, there is a foul odour that comes out along with your fart, which might be a disclaimer!

As much irritated as you might be, remember that this will last only for these ten months, and will disappear after your delivery. So, visit your gynaecologist as regularly as you can, and get some tips on keeping yourself odour-free and healthy overall. This is one of the most enjoyable phases of your life, when you are looking forward to full-time parenthood. Enjoy these moments while they last!

Read More: Body Odor During Pregnancy: 11 Ways to Get Rid Of It