Medically reviewed for accuracy.
But the truth is, this potent cocktail of chemicals really is guilty as charged.
and others thatll make you cry at the drop of a hat.
Pretty crazy stuff from just a few chemicals, right?
What are the main pregnancy hormones?
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Estrogen
What is estrogen?
Along with progesterone, estrogen is one of the two main hormones that get the pregnancy party started.
And when its time to breastfeed, estrogen promotes the growth of breast tissue and helps milk flow.
Got a stuffy nose or blotchy skin?
What role does progesterone play in pregnancy?
FSH helps control your monthly cycle.
What role does FSH play in pregnancy?
FSH stimulates eggs to grow in the ovaries, which increases the production of estrogen.
Rising estrogen levels signal the body to produce a surge of LH, leading to ovulation and potentially pregnancy.
Luteinizing hormone levels rise just before ovulation and LH triggers the release of an egg from your ovary.
If youre struggling to conceive, your doctor may check your LH levels.
Yup, its this chemical that coaxes a sweet happy face to appear on the pee stick.
Next, the placenta starts making estrogen and progesterone, though hCG is still with you.
Prolactin
What is prolactin?
Placenta growth factor
What is placental growth factor?
What role does placenta growth factor play in pregnancy?
Human placental lactogen (hPL)
What is hPL?
What role does hPL play in pregnancy?
This hormone is produced by the placenta to adjust your bodys metabolism to feed your baby.
Along with placental growth factor, it preps your breasts to breastfeed.
This hormone helps make colostrum, which is the antibody-rich pre-milk that precedes actual breastmilk.
Relaxin
What is relaxin?
This hormone plays a big role in a womans reproductive process.
Relaxin levels rise after ovulation and then helps prep the uterine wall to get it ready for pregnancy.
Relaxin levels drop back down until the next cycle if theres no fertilization that month.
What role does relaxin play in pregnancy?
Relaxin also softens and lengthens the cervix.
Its limbering mechanism may make you feel off balance and wobbly as you walk (be careful!
Oxytocin is made by the hypothalamus and then secreted by the all-important pituitary gland.
This pregnancy hormone is a critical one when it comes to labor and delivery.
What role does oxytocin play in pregnancy?
Though oxytocin is around throughout your pregnancy, this muscle-contracting hormone is mostly known for stimulating labor contractions.
And prolactin is an important post-birth hormone, too, as it encourages the production of breast milk.
These feelings are common, affecting up to 80 percent of new mothers.
Have fun getting to know what each of them does and how they affect your body during pregnancy.
