Pregnancy problem

[stephanie]

I am pregnant and can't stand certain smells like coffee and even my body lotion. Can anyone tell me why and how long it will last?

[andy hughes]

I'm not sure if there is a definite medical reason why a pregnant woman's sense of taste and smell fluctuates during pregnancy, but it is very common. Many women find they are nauseated by familiar and previously enjoyed odours, tea and coffee are common, in tandem with cravings for certain tastes or foods, often in large amounts. The good news for fathers like me who once spent several hours finding a peterol station in the middle of the night that sold polo mints, and for afflicted mums-to-be such as yourself, is that these sensations appear to cease once baby arrives, and do not normally return. Hang in there, good luck with your new baby.

[lisa192]

I hated all smells when I was pregnant they often made me sick, but thankfully at disapeared by about the second trimester so goodluck!

[bronski]

It's really common for women in the first trimester of pregnancy to go off certain foods and find some smells repulsive. Coffee, alcohol, cigarettes and garlic are among the smells women commonly go off. One recent theory is that the olfactory system becomes stimulated by the increased levels of oestregen produced by pregnancy. American obstetricians Richard Blum and LeRoy Heinrichs of Stanford University believe morning sickness can be put down to this enhanced sense of smell. It seems that women without born without a sense of smell don't suffer from morning sickness at all.