Doctors explained why taste changes during pregnancy. Strange desires of pregnant women: reasons

Changes in the taste preferences of expectant mothers have long been the talk of the town; they can be both understandable and exotic: someone constantly craves fast food, someone eats condensed milk with sausage, and someone eats borscht with sweets. Doctors have a lot of hypotheses and opinions regarding changes in taste preferences: some are proponents of the theory that hormonal disruptions are to blame, others believe that a deficiency of nutrients affects it.

For some, choosing foods during pregnancy is a “hello” from childhood; subconsciously, a woman chooses food similar to the one she loved when she was a girl. Also, do not forget about toxicosis; many women begin to eat products that contain soda. There are also completely unexpected preferences: an acute, irresistible desire to taste toothpaste, earth, soap, sand or cigarette ashes. This may indicate both a lack of microelements and serious disorders.

These storms in the body occur due to the hormone progesterone, which is produced in the body during pregnancy. large quantities. The smells, tastes, preferences, and mood of the expectant mother change; it is thanks to progesterone that a pregnant woman receives a signal about the lack of nutrients and vitamins in the body.

For example, with toxicosis, many people want something salty, because the process of dehydration begins in the body and it strives to restore the water-salt balance. It’s interesting, but thin girls are most often drawn to sweets; this is a signal from nature that it would be good to gain a little of the missing kilograms.

But you shouldn’t immediately pounce on cakes and buns with cream, because this can lead to a rise in blood sugar levels, but it’s quite possible to eat cereal, muesli or sweet fruit.

Sometimes pregnant women strive to attract the attention of their husbands, this explains the requests “bring me something exotic” or “cook me something, I don’t know what.” This is a common attention deficit that can be solved quite easily. But it all depends on the family’s capabilities: strawberries in January are undoubtedly very tasty, but where can you find them, and preferably at an adequate price?

Every woman is unique, let's turn to our readers and find out what they wanted (or didn't want) during pregnancy.

Maria:

Until 12 weeks I had terrible toxicosis, even from bed once again I didn’t want to get up, let alone crawl half-dead to the refrigerator. But in the 4th month, “Ostap was craving…”, and he was craving both sweet and salty things at the same time. The “night watch” was especially tiring: when it gets a little dark, I’m on duty at the refrigerator, looking for “something like that.” I really wanted something smoked with a bite of tangerines. And my family refused to eat the caramels, so I quietly ate them all out of the bowl.

Olga:

And I remember, I was carrying my daughter and I just choked with my mouth when I passed by a McDonald's or a pizzeria. I know that I can’t: I’ll come home and cry, I want to terribly. Then we found a compromise, the whole family bought a large pizza, I cut myself a slice and eat it with green peas straight from the jar. I also really liked the salted mushrooms and spicy adjika: I eat a couple of spoons with bread and I feel like a fire-breathing dragon, I drink liters of water. Hunting is worse than captivity.

Girls, I don’t know who else had this happen, but I felt like a hound on the hunt. I walk down the street and almost die from the abundance of smells. I really wanted buckwheat and for some reason with sprat in tomato, I could eat it in jars, my husband was shocked. I also really liked the smell of Nivea apricot shower gel, I just wanted to drink it. Sometimes I’ll go into the bathroom and spin around this shelf, but after a couple of weeks I let go, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to resist.

Alina:

And they scared me that pregnant women can’t have chocolate, supposedly the level of hormones increases, and this is undesirable. And then I read research by American scientists who confirmed that eating chocolate helps lower blood pressure. Satisfied with herself, she went to the first store she came across, bought a chocolate bar and devoured it with a sense of accomplishment. And what do you think? - the next day I no longer wanted chocolate, but I began to dream about strawberries! And this is in December! I had to endure it.

Alexandra:

Oh girls, I have best friend, we’ve been friends since 5th grade, and she and I managed to get pregnant almost at the same time. We go shopping, pick up some goodies, and everyone has their own goodies: my worst weirdness is eating fried potatoes with ice cream, and Lelya was weird in the first trimester. She liked the taste of lipstick and lip gloss, and also the smell of fresh fish, and she could stand in the fish department of the store for about 20 minutes, “inhaling” J

Viola:

In the first trimester, I really wanted black bread with sausages and beer! And despite the fact that I can’t stand this drink! And then some guy with a bottle is walking down the street, and I envy him. From the age of 4 months I had a sharp craving for sweets, especially marmalade and nougat, but I no longer had any special preferences.

Nina:

But I fell in love with mints, and toxicosis somehow went away easier with them, and the feeling of hunger gradually faded away for the time being. Especially at work, there are still a couple of hours before the lunch break, and I no longer know how to persuade my stomach to be patient a little. I had to carry food with me in plastic containers: all my friends chew hamburgers for lunch at the bistro, but I eat homemade food from containers and cry, I can’t stand vegetables from a steamer and boiled meat. But the doctor said I needed to increase my protein levels, and I suffered until I went on maternity leave.

Marina:

During pregnancy I slurped spoons coffee grounds(I only like brewed coffee, not instant), I ate lemons just in pieces, without sugar. And one more time I noticed something strange about myself: lightly salted cucumbers with cookies, I’m sitting like this and mechanically chewing, if only eldest daughter I didn’t say it and wouldn’t have noticed.

Inna:

I don’t know why, but until the 5th month something terrible was happening to my body, despite the fact that all examinations showed that everything was normal. It all started when the smell of strawberry soap began to seem attractive to me, and it got to the point that I almost licked it, I wanted to try it so much. The next stage is chalk, and this was the worst thing, since I work at a university, so it was quite a sight. A graduate student who gnaws not on the granite of science, but on pieces of chalk - this is something new. And finally, pickles - they have become my weakness, especially pickled tomatoes and Korean carrots, and you can have both dishes at the same time. I ate melon once tomato juice, and you know, I liked it, and felt great afterwards. It’s good that at least it went away after the 5th month, otherwise bad thoughts began to creep in.

Alice:

Forum members, has anyone tried eating sweet semolina porridge with sausage and cucumbers? I managed, then went to in complete shock, somehow I had not noticed such perverted addictions before. I went and took a pregnancy test - voila, two lines. And this despite the fact that there were no other signs, even menstruation was like clockwork, if not for a strange appetite, and I would have noticed it completely after three months. Especially when there was an emergency at work.

As you can see, the preferences of each pregnant woman are individual: some endure the first months easily and painlessly, while for others they become a real challenge. Small oddities are the norm, but if you are “drawn” to something inedible, you should consult a doctor.

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The unexpected “culinary whims” of pregnant women are widely known and are reflected in fiction and cinema. Any woman can name these signs of pregnancy. For example, the expectant mother begins to “crave salty foods.” Sometimes, on the contrary, a woman wants sweets all the time. It happens that an expectant mother, who was absolutely indifferent to fish before pregnancy, suddenly discovers a taste for seafood and fish dishes in the first weeks. Someone starts eating a certain type of meat, someone leans on fruits, someone stocks up on nuts - desires may be different, but the specifics of the diet appear in almost all expectant mothers.

There is a simple explanation for this “pregnancy sign”. Increased interest in certain products at the beginning of pregnancy is associated with a deficiency of certain substances in the woman’s body. We are talking about vitamins, minerals, trace elements, proteins, fats and carbohydrates required for full development fetus and successful pregnancy.

Sometimes our daily diet lacks some useful substances due to the refusal of some foods - for example, with vegetarianism (refusal to eat animal products), long-term dieting with the exclusion of one of the three main components of food (proteins) , fats or carbohydrates), rare consumption of milk or fish, if a woman does not really like these products, etc. In normal, “non-pregnant” times, a lack of any substance may go unnoticed - for the time being, a healthy body can compensate for the lack of some useful substances with others coming from food.

However, when pregnancy occurs, energy consumption immediately increases, usual compensatory measures become insufficient, and the pregnant body immediately “declares” its needs. After all, it is in the first weeks of pregnancy that differentiation (the appearance of structural differences) of fetal cells occurs, the formation of organs and the formation of life support systems.

These processes require huge amounts of energy and nutrients. Already by the 10th day of life, the embryo is surrounded by three different membranes that provide it with protection and nutrition, and on the 18th day from the moment of fertilization (corresponding to 2-3 days of delay in menstruation), the baby’s tiny heart is already formed and beating! During the first month embryonic development the rudiments of all organs and systems, the primary skeleton, the primitive digestive tract, blood vessels and even nervous tissue are formed in the fetus! During this period, the body of the expectant mother literally works in the “everything is for the front, everything is for victory” mode, and the lack of any useful substance is felt very acutely.

Depending on what specific substance is necessary for the normal course of pregnancy and the development of the embryo, in this moment not enough in the mother's body, and are formed taste preferences during pregnancy.

∗ If there is a lack of phosphorus and vitamin D, necessary for the development of the fetal neural tube, to the expectant mother I want fish seaweed and seafood.

∗ The love for chocolate, sweet pastries, honey, ice cream and cakes is explained by the body’s energy needs for glucose.

∗ If during pregnancy you want milk, cottage cheese, cheeses or yoghurts, then at this stage calcium is needed, which is found in abundance in dairy products. This substance is necessary for the formation of “milk” and permanent teeth, the formation of bones, ligaments, cartilage and muscle tissue of the fetus, its nails and hair, as well as for harmonious development central nervous system.

∗ In the case when meat dishes of various preparation options begin to predominate on the expectant mother’s menu, the body makes up for the lack of easily digestible protein. The same can be said about the passion for nuts.

∗ Fruits and vegetables are rich in various vitamins. Sometimes it is enough for a doctor to ask a pregnant woman about her taste preferences in order to understand what vitamins she needs.

∗ Oranges and other citrus fruits are a natural storehouse of vitamin C, a substance necessary for normal tone and permeability of blood vessels.

∗ If your favorite fruits are now apples, you want berries - wild strawberries and strawberries, and among vegetables preference is given to carrots, beets and cabbage, it means that the expectant mother’s body needs iron, which is “responsible” for hematopoiesis and oxygen supply to the fetus.

∗ Passion for bananas, peaches, apricots, dried apricots and potatoes clearly indicates the need for potassium. The function of the skeletal and smooth muscles of the fetus, including the contractility of the heart, depends on this substance.

∗ And if the expectant mother gives a clear preference to beans, peas and other legumes, it means that zinc, which is involved in the construction of the bone skeleton, is necessary for the development of the baby.

∗ Many pregnant women, who had previously calmly walked past the “green” shelves of the supermarket, begin to eat in the first half of their term a large number of greens - spinach, celery, salads of all varieties, parsley. This change in taste in pregnant women is explained by the body's need for. This B vitamin ensures the necessary speed of growth and development of the fetus, controls the formation of cardio-vascular system And nerve fibers central nervous system.

Of course, this does not mean at all that the expectant mother can be guided only by her own desires when creating a menu: unfortunately, not all taste preferences during pregnancy are beneficial for the body. For example, with the onset of pregnancy, many expectant mothers often “crave salty foods,” and pickles, marinades and smoked meats appear in their diet every day.

Such indulgence in taste preferences during pregnancy can do the pregnant woman a disservice: salt binds liquid and leads to the formation of edema, and marinades and smoked foods create unnecessary stress on the body. digestive system, causing gastritis, pain in the pancreas and gallbladder. Some women “in an interesting situation” always want oranges or strawberries, and these fruits, although healthy in themselves, begin to be absorbed in excessive quantities, which, unfortunately, can provoke allergies.

Finally, in many modern food products contains flavor enhancers that are addictive and increase appetite, but they can also be harmful to health.

Unfortunately, in most cases, this taste addiction does not disappear with the onset of pregnancy, and a lady “in an interesting position” may want chips, cola or shawarma just as in normal times. Of course, if we're talking about O healthy products, you can and should listen to the requirements of your body. However, even in this case, it is worth consulting with your doctor about creating an optimally balanced diet.

Unusual taste changes in pregnant women

Sometimes in the first weeks completely unusual taste preferences appear during pregnancy. Doctors call such phenomena perversion of taste in pregnant women. For example, young healthy woman suddenly you have an uncontrollable urge to chew chalk or try an iron nail. Agree, this is a very extravagant desire that can surprise not only those around you, but also the expectant mother herself!

However, there is nothing dangerous in such unusual “culinary preferences”. Like all taste preferences during pregnancy, they are caused by a lack of essential nutrients (in in this case– calcium and iron). Of course, this is not a reason to realize strange whims: gnawing chalk and metal objects not worth it! But it is imperative to tell a doctor monitoring the development of pregnancy about unexpected changes in taste in a pregnant woman: it is possible that we are talking not just about the body’s need for one or another microelement, but about severe vitamin deficiency.

This guess can be confirmed using biochemical analysis blood, which will make it possible to assess the amount of all the basic microelements necessary for the full metabolism and development of the baby.

There is another explanation for the unusual reaction from the taste buds of the expectant mother. Such preferences can be explained by the phenomena early toxicosis. This condition for the body is intoxication (poisoning), resulting from a protective reaction of the expectant mother’s immune system. Since 50% of the embryo’s genotype is inherited from the father, the pregnant woman’s immune system mistakes the embryo for a “foreign substance” and begins to secrete protective cells - antibodies. This attack is for the baby immune system does not pose a danger: it is reliably protected from its “encroachments” placental barrier. However, antibodies produced against fetal cells accumulate in the bloodstream and negatively affect the functioning of the central nervous system of the expectant mother. As a result, the sensitivity of her taste buds may temporarily change, which will lead to a sharp distortion of taste.

These unexpected changes in taste in a pregnant woman certainly reduce the overall comfort level of the expectant mother. However, they do not occur in everyone, and they proceed in quite different ways. Sometimes taste distortions occur only in the first weeks and are quickly eliminated, sometimes a little later, for some the symptoms are stronger, for others they are slightly expressed. It happens that extravagant taste preferences constantly bother the expectant mother, and sometimes such manifestations arise only periodically. For the vast majority of pregnant women, all such problems disappear during the first 2–3 months of pregnancy, that is, after the 12th week.

Changes and even perversions of taste in pregnant women are not a sign of disease and do not require treatment. We can say that this is a variant of the norm, a kind of “ by-effect» interesting situation. After these symptoms disappear, the expectant mother feels well again. Such phenomena do not affect the course of pregnancy and fetal development in any way.

Only with pleasure?

When composing a diet, it is important to take into account the taste preferences of the pregnant woman so that the eating process brings pleasure to the expectant mother. Nutrition is one of the basic needs of our body. By satisfying it, we experience pleasant feelings: at the moment of saturation, the so-called “hormones of happiness” - endorphins - are released. How tastier food, the more pleasure the eating process brings, and, consequently, the more “happiness hormones” are released, no less important for a pregnant woman than proteins or vitamins. The main function of these hormones is to regulate metabolism, that is, the rate at which food is processed into the final products necessary for energy metabolism(and these are proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements). Regular release of endorphins in the body of the expectant mother has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of the fetus.

The exotic culinary preferences of expectant mothers and the sharp change in their tastes have been noticed for a long time. Who hasn’t heard jokes about a husband who runs at night, almost in his pajamas, to look for peaches or pickles for his pregnant wife... A passionate fan of pickles during this period can turn into a notorious sweet tooth, and a lover of chocolates, ice cream and jam suddenly wants to eat everything salty and spicy. According to a survey conducted by the food company Cow & Gate, it turned out that more than 60% of pregnant women experience an irresistible urge to mix completely incompatible foods. Among them are lemon with salt and pepper, ice cream and chips seasoned with mustard, and many other combinations.

“If you’re talking about smells, then throughout the first trimester I couldn’t stand kitchen smells at all, especially sharp ones, such as the smell of fried onions. And in general, the sense of smell has become so heightened!..”

“And during pregnancy, I became addicted to sniffing... soap! An ordinary baby product, I just want to eat it! And to this day (my daughter is 10 months old), when I open a new bar of soap, I make sure to lick it a couple of times...”

“The beginning of my pregnancy occurred at the end of spring - beginning of summer, when everyone opens the windows. My sense of smell became so acute that I could easily tell what dish was being prepared in each apartment - from the first floor to the twelfth.”

“I used to like perfumes with heavy floral scents. And in the first months of pregnancy, I hated them and fell in love with light, fresh smells...”

Let's try to figure out why and where all these addictions come from. There is no single and coherent theory on this matter. Here are some of the most popular points of view.

Under the sign of progesterone

The theory that “blames” progesterone for all the quirks of pregnant women is the main one (all other theories say basically the same thing, but in different words).

At the beginning of pregnancy, the so-called pregnancy dominant is formed in the cerebral cortex, which contributes to the readiness to bear and give birth to a child, and also ensures psychological attitude women.

The dominant of pregnancy is a focus of excitation in the brain that occurs in a pregnant woman after the attachment of the egg to the mucous membrane of the uterus, due to the constant flow of signals from the uterus to the brain. At the hormonal level, the dominant is supported by increased production of progesterone.

The hormone progesterone is synthesized by the ovaries, placenta and adrenal cortex. From the moment of attachment ovum increased production of progesterone begins to the wall of the uterus, which helps maintain pregnancy (suppresses the activity of the smooth muscles of the uterus, affecting the central nervous system, supports the formed dominant of pregnancy; stimulates the preparation of the mammary glands and the growth of the uterus, suppresses the reaction of rejection of the fertilized egg). The content of progesterone in the mother’s blood grows unevenly, doubling by 7–8 weeks, and then gradually increasing until 37–38 weeks.

A decrease in progesterone levels indicates the presence of pregnancy pathology and requires replacement therapy. An increase in the level of the hormone indicates the presence of renal failure (impairment of its behavior). The production of progesterone completely stops only with advanced changes in the placenta, for example, with a frozen pregnancy.

It is to the active increased level progesterone can be attributed to the most fundamental changes during pregnancy, and it is it that triggers a cascade of biochemical changes in the body. He also launches the so-called “search engine” to find the necessary endocrine and autonomic nervous resources in the mother’s body. development systems normal pregnancy. In other words, this hormone determines what is normal and what is deficient, and builds a “program” in order to eliminate all deficiencies. As a result, the mother’s body is given a command to satisfy the deficiency, causing the desired need. For example, with a lack of calcium there is a desire to eat chalk, with a deficiency of ascorbic and folic acid- green vegetables, with a lack of B vitamins - the desire to drink beer. At the same time, the search engine makes sure that the woman does not eat anything that will be harmful to her or the child. This is exactly why in gastrointestinal tract changes occur that facilitate the process of rejecting currently unsuitable food and prolong the process of processing suitable food.

Possible failures

However, things are not always so simple. In cases where there are hidden metabolic disorders in a woman’s body, the “search engine” command can be paradoxical, i.e. one that, instead of eliminating the deficit, contributes to its strengthening. The result is a vicious circle. For example, the body does not have enough iron, and a woman, against the background of severe anemia (decreased amount of hemoglobin), develops a specific metallic taste in her mouth, but at the same time she develops an aversion to meat, although it is the consumption of meat that could at least partially help solve the problem of impaired iron exchange. In such cases, the only way out is vitamin-mineral complexes. Although sometimes there may be disgusting olfactory reactions to them. Why such a phenomenon occurs is still a mystery that science has yet to solve.

Before this, we talked about addictions that generally do not threaten the life of the mother, but in the early stages of pregnancy, some women have a desire to eat inedible foods: chalk, clay, sand, lime, earth. Some people are very attracted to the vapors of gasoline, acetone and other volatile substances. Similar phenomena, fortunately, are rare. Should such cravings be satisfied? Of course, such desires should not be satisfied. And they are again called by the “command” of the same “search engine”. If such desires are persistent, it is important to visit a doctor, because... they are caused by neurochemical changes in the body. Probably couples are so harmful substances somehow affect the functioning of the brain: the body reacts in this way to an altered balance of excitation and inhibition processes. But under no circumstances should the expectant mother satisfy such desires, because harmful fumes can have a disfiguring effect on the developing fetus. In such cases, the doctor corrects the situation by prescribing drugs that improve metabolic processes in the brain (glycine, glutamic acid, vitamins).

So, it is the hormonal changes in the body that greatly influence taste preferences (desire for one thing and aversion to another). According to world-renowned M.D. Michele Glissman, “Those weird hormones that rush through the body in the first three months of pregnancy cause taste quirks.”

Defensive reaction

Samuel M. Flaxman and Paul Sherman stated that nausea, vomiting and altered taste preferences during pregnancy serve a beneficial function: it is a natural mechanism for protecting the mother and fetus from illness caused by food, as well as protecting the fetus from harmful substances that can adversely affect influence the formation of its organs and tissues. Their findings help explain why many pregnant women initially develop an aversion to meat, some vegetables and caffeinated drinks, and a preference for mildly flavored foods. According to Sherman, food aversion also provides protection against toxins produced by microorganisms and other teratogenic (fetal defective) substances.

At the same time, in the first three months of pregnancy, embryonic cells differentiate and begin to form structures. These developing structures and organ systems - arms, legs, eyes and central nervous system - during the critical stage of new life formation can be adversely affected by teratogens contained in some plants; their components can also have a negative effect on the course of pregnancy: for example, parsley can cause uterine contractions and provoke the threat of miscarriage. It is no coincidence that a pregnant woman’s body often rejects spices.

What to do if you really want something harmful and are not at all drawn to something useful?

1. When taste and smell preferences frighten, drive you crazy, or prevent you from living a normal daily life, consult a doctor.

2.If you really want something, then Bon appetit! But remember about reasonable doses and reasonable needs. For example, if you want to eat sand, then, of course, you shouldn’t do this.

3. Be picky about trying new things. Then you are unlikely to get poisoned by anything or develop an allergy. First, try to find out the composition of such an attractive-smelling product.

4. It is important to always remember that quirks or whims are your own business, they should not become a reason for resentment, tears or even depression. It’s not your loved ones’ fault that they didn’t guess what you wanted for lunch today: try to talk about your passions, discuss them - and there will be more understanding.

5. It is sometimes difficult for a pregnant woman to please, so try to treat yourself with humor: this will help the most!

The vagaries of intuition

It is known that the tastes and desires of a pregnant woman change. Nature has provided the expectant mother with the so-called “food intuition of a pregnant woman.” Modern dietetics, medicine and biology do not have complete information about absolutely proper nutrition pregnant woman. Only the basic principle is known: food should be varied, as healthy as possible and contain a minimum amount of processed and artificial products. In the first trimester pregnancy is underway active restructuring of the body and its adaptation to a new state. Now the child expresses his needs through his mother, demanding beneficial microelements, vitamins and nutrients. Both mother and her family will have to take this into account when providing the products they crave. However, here, more than anywhere else, a reasonable approach is appropriate. Listening to your desires is important, but satisfy them in reasonable quantities.

So, no matter what is hidden behind such strange preferences of pregnant women, we need to listen to them and sometimes think about what kind of deficit our “whims” are trying to eliminate. Scientists admit that some cases taste preferences impossible to explain. And in any case, don't force yourself to eat something that is considered "good" for you if you don't want to.

The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system responsible for the functioning of internal organs.

Pregnancy causes many changes in the body. Typically, pregnant women notice changes in their sense of smell and taste. In this article I will discuss how and why pregnancy affects your sense of smell and taste.

Changes in taste and smell are characteristic features pregnancy and are especially often observed during early stages. Almost all pregnant women go through this and, to one degree or another, become more sensitive to strong odors, they also feel a bitter taste.

The manifestations of this effect are individual for each woman. Some people develop excessive sensitivity to the aroma of perfume, the smell of shaving lotion or body deodorant, while others may begin to “throw up” from the smell of some food products.

Some women complain of a bitter taste in the mouth after eating or drinking anything. Others may feel a peculiar taste in their mouth all the time, even when they do not eat anything. Increased sensitivity taste and smell can cause irritation and anxiety for expectant mothers, and, as a rule, it is the main “provoker of nausea.” There are cases when the irritation is so strong that pregnant women refuse any food.

What causes changes in smell and taste during pregnancy?

The culprit of this phenomenon is the hormones estrogen progesterone, the level of which increases during pregnancy. These hormonal changes affect the functioning of the senses, including taste and smell.

Some women worry whether these changes will have an impact negative influence on the development of the child in the womb. Calm down, they won’t. This condition is absolutely harmless. In fact, research has shown that it is quite natural reaction body, the purpose of which is to protect the mother from consuming or inhaling substances that could harm the child. Thus, we can say that changes in the perception of taste are a consequence of the internal mechanism of protecting the fetus from the effects of undesirable substances.

How to cope with changes in taste and smell?

The best way to deal with this problem is to avoid the irritants themselves. Here are a few useful tips that will help you:

• Always ventilate the room you are in well. Keep windows open as much as possible. This way, you can ensure that the indoor air is quickly freed from unwanted odors and odors. If irritants enter the room from the street, on the contrary, close the room, but try to walk more fresh air away from the source of odors that irritate you.
• Wear clean, laundered clothing because fabric tends to be very absorbent and retains odors that can make your negative feelings worse.
• Do not use any skin care fragrances, lotions, etc. Try to avoid scented personal care products.
• Check if the smell of mint, ginger or lemon will have a calming effect on you and help get rid of nausea. If this is indeed the case, surround yourself with these smells.
• Make changes to your diet and include only those foods that do not cause feelings of rejection.
• If you cannot stand the smell during the preparation of some specific dishes, but you can eat them, then do not try to cook them yourself. Ask your loved ones to help you.
• To combat the unwanted taste in your mouth, you can eat spicy foods if you like spicy foods. Spicy foods numb your taste buds, and you may notice that the bitterness in your mouth decreases or disappears completely after eating spicy foods.
• If you feel a constant bitter taste in your mouth, you can, along with brushing your teeth, brush your tongue and rinse your mouth with salt water. This usually helps neutralize the bitter sensation on the tongue.

Changes in the sense of taste and smell are a problem, but not that bad. She will not accompany you throughout your pregnancy, but only in the first months while you experience morning sickness and nausea.

Often a woman finds out about pregnancy when she begins to feel nauseous, for example, from the smell of fish, or when she suddenly really wants to eat something salty. And then, all the time while bearing the child, the expectant mother begins to torment the household with her desires to chew something completely unusual. What could such a change in taste indicate and is it worth fighting these strange desires?

Every mother can remember with a laugh how, during pregnancy, she licked limestone walls or ate boxes of chalk. And some ran behind cars and smelled the smell of used gasoline. Many women normally love some product, for example, cottage cheese, but during pregnancy they almost faint when the doctor prescribes them to include this healthy dairy supplement in their diet. And these terrible sandwiches made from bread, jam with a piece of lard or herring! In a “non-pregnant” state, few people will eat such disgusting stuff! Why are taste preferences so strange during this delicate period?

Reasons for unusual desires

1. Hormones that cause global changes in the body may be to blame for this. Female body during pregnancy it becomes an instrument that is correctly tuned by nature itself. She tells him what substances, minerals, vitamins are missing to build and bear a fetus, that is, a child. For example, with a lack of calcium, a woman craves milk. And if there is not enough vitamin C, then you are incredibly drawn to sour cucumbers or cabbage. The expectant mother needs more sodium at this time, so salty fish makes her feel almost ecstatic. And the love for sweet pastries, chocolates steps on more later, 5-6th month. The body needs to gain more calories in order to have strength and energy.

Also, some pregnant women have an aversion to bitter foods, such as coffee. It turns on here defense mechanism, because bitter foods are especially harmful during this period. Others, on the contrary, cannot resist taking a spoonful of the grounds of already brewed and drunk coffee. Typically, food cravings begin after toxicosis passes. By the way, read about whether you can drink coffee during pregnancy or not.

1. There is a version that the change in taste has a psychological basis. For example, a craving for a particular product. And a woman will not eat an orange if she wants lemon. This works as a response to any emotional stimuli.

When hormonal changes occur in the body, an aversion to a particular product is noticed. You should not offer fish to a pregnant woman, no matter how healthy it is, if the woman does not like it. Doctors have long known the fact that emotional perception is directly related to addiction or aversion to a particular food, this is especially noticeable in pregnant women.

1. There is another factor in which strange taste desires manifest themselves. The further a woman lives from her homeland during pregnancy, the more she wants to eat the food that has been familiar to her since childhood. She has the opportunity to eat exotic food, but she wants banal buckwheat. This is such a paradox.
2. Often pregnant women subconsciously choose foods containing soda if they have nausea or heartburn. Here physiology manifests itself in exactly this way.
3. Often, the strange taste preferences of pregnant women provoke women to eat completely inedible things. For example, chalk, charcoal, tooth powder, soap.

The expectant mother has strange ideas about trying a piece of paint or eating soil? The reason for such desires may be hidden not only in the lack of minerals and vitamins. This is how mental disorders can manifest themselves. It is better to consult a doctor. He will understand what exactly the body lacks and will select a replacement from a range of edible products.

What does it mean to want to eat this or that product?

• Do you want something sour? Perhaps the pregnant woman has low acidity and does not have enough gastric juice to digest food.
• Craving something salty? There is probably some kind of inflammation present in the genitourinary area, infection. To exclude this, it is better to get tested and sleep peacefully.
• Don't have the strength to give up sweets? This is how stress and overexertion can manifest themselves. You also need to tidy up your oral cavity, treat caries, and possible periodontitis.
• Do you want to eat lime, chalk? When it is built and formed skeletal system baby in the womb, a severe lack of calcium and vitamin D is created. The mother needs to compensate for this deficiency with dairy products and fish.
• Does the smell of bananas drive you crazy? It is necessary to replenish the potassium deficiency in the body.

There is no limit to the taste oddities of pregnant women; each one is special. But in this case it speaks of an acute desire to try something.

Progesterone is to blame!

The cause of taste problems is progesterone, which is actively produced during pregnancy. This hormone helps the fetus survive in the womb. As soon as progesterone begins to be produced, biochemical changes immediately occur in the tastes of odors, and even in the mood of the pregnant woman. This hormone “takes on” the function of correcting the deficiency of necessary substances, and thus helps the expectant mother understand what exactly she lacks for normal development future child.