Feeling Cold During Pregnancy: Is Cold During Pregnancy Normal?

Pregnant women experience a lot of symptoms including morning sickness, dizziness, etc. But, is feeling cold during the first trimester or throughout the pregnancy normal?

During pregnancy, most of the energy is diverted to the growing fetus, which limits the amount of energy available for the females body to maintain its metabolic functions.

However, feeling cold may be more than just a response of the body to a growing fetus, it could be a symptom of disease that needs to be addressed as soon as possible in order to ensure the health of both mother and baby.

Common Reasons Why Women May Feel Cold When Pregnant

Nutritional Issues

• Some women may refrain to eat, especially when they are dealing with morning sickness. This may eventually result in deficiency can affect the body’s ability to keep warm.
• The coldness can also be a consequence of not eating a healthy diet. The diet of a pregnant female should be rich in vitamins and minerals along with carbohydrates and proteins. Avoiding healthy foods can also eventually lead to feeling of coldness in women.
• Pregnant Women who feel cold should look into how they are eating and do something to improve on it.

Weight Loss

• Weight loss is possible during pregnancy and is commonly observed during the first trimester when the woman is experiencing morning sickness. This weight loss reduces the fat store of the body, which in turn reduces the insulating effect of fat on the females body. This can result in feeling of coldness during pregnancy
• A healthy amount of weight gain is necessary to help keep both mother and baby healthy. As per suggested protocols, a women ideally gains one kilogram of weight during the first trimester and approximately five kilograms of weight during the subsequent two trimesters. Healthy weight gain ensures temperature regulation within the body.
• Obstetricians will be able to refer a pregnant woman to a nutritionist to her on a weight gain plan.

Anemia

• Pregnant mothers are usually prescribed iron supplements in order to augment iron deficiency that may occur during pregnancy
• A lack of iron in the blood can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which is a situation where there are not enough red blood cells in the blood to carry oxygen and one of its symptoms is feeling cold.
• Oxygen is necessary for the health of the growing fetus so it is important that the mother have healthy levels of it. Further lower levels of oxygen in the blood reduces metabolic activities in the body which in turn can result in sensation of coldness especially during pregnancy

Hormonal Problems

• There are certain hormonal issues that can cause coldness
• Hypothyroidism is one of the main culprits causing this symptom in pregnant women.
• With hypothyroidism, coldness is usually accompanied by sluggishness, fatigue and unexplained weight gain.

Identifying the underlying cause of sensation of coldness is very important. This is important to ensure that the growing fetus receives adequate amount of nutrition, without affecting the health of the mother.