How Your Body Changes During Pregnancy

A woman's body undergoes many transformations during the nine months of pregnancy. Some of these changes are visible, such as an expanding belly, while others are well known, such as morning sickness and backaches. However, a few body changes may be unexpected and catch some women by surprise.

During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin is produced to help loosen the joints and ligaments of the pelvis, preparing for the birth process. Relaxin relaxes ligaments in the pelvis, but it also stretches the joints and ligaments all over the body. This is one reason women develop back pain or sciatica (pain that starts in the back and travels down the leg into the foot). As the ligaments become looser and the center of gravity is pulled forward due to the growing baby, a woman's low back, or lumbar spine, can become over-stressed and painful due to these changes in biomechanics.

• Relaxin is a hormone produced during pregnancy to relax the joints and ligaments to prepare the pelvis for birth.
• All of the other joints and ligaments of the body also become "looser" due to relaxin, which changes their movement patterns.
• These changes, while welcomed, often result in low back pain and other joint pains throughout pregnancy.