What It Means If You're Cold While Pregnant
It could be serious... or not. How to tell the difference.
getty There are a lot of changes bodies go through during pregnancy. This, of course, includes a growing belly and swelling ankles, but internal changes can make women feel quite different.
Body temperature change is one of these, and many women tend to feel overheated when pregnant. But others are feeling cold. Why do women feel cold while pregnant? There may be a few reasons why this is happening.
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1. Anemia
Lots of changes are going on in your body, and some involve blood flow. So, it’s possible you’ll develop an iron deficiency, which can make you feel cold.
2. Blood flow
Women can feel hot or cold during pregnancy. According to Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, who sits on Vagisil’s new Vaginal and Sexual Health Education Council, “One reason they can feel hot: they are pumping about 1 and 1/2 times as much blood by the end of a pregnancy... a woman's blood vessels usually dilate, and they can lose more heat from the dilated vessels.”
3. Low thyroid
A low thyroid is associated with a number of symptoms, including feeling cold. Pregnant women should also be aware of hair loss, brain fog, feeling fatigued, brittle nails, and dry skin.
It's important to check the thyroid for proper functioning. “Pregnancy puts a stress on the thyroid and can push a woman into a stage of hypo (or low) thyroid,” warns Felice Gersh, M.D, an award-winning OB/GYN and author of PCOS SOS: A Gynecologist's Lifeline To Naturally Restore Your Rhythms, Hormones and Happiness.
4. Morning sickness
You may notice that when you are on a diet, you are not getting enough nutrients and feel cold pretty often. The same could happen if you have severe morning sickness and are losing all the food you put into your body.
5. Raynaud’s disease
Check for blueness of the fingers, as this can be an indictor of something more serious. “That can signal Reynaud’s Phenomenon, which is an autoimmune condition with poor circulation to the fingers and resulting in cold, blue fingers,” Dr. Gersh says.
There are lots of reasons not to worry about feeling cold while pregnant, but there are other instances where you should seek medical attention. If you persistently feel cold, tell your doctor. “it can be associated with an underactive thyroid, and if that's the case, you do want to treat it,” warns Dr. Minkin.
Please check with your physician if you experience any of these symptoms.
Aly Walansky is a NY-based lifestyles writer. Her work appears in dozens of digital and print publications regularly. Visit her on Twitter or email her at alywalansky@gmail.com.