Do you have a taste in your mouth like there’s a handful of coins in there, no matter what you do? Or does your mouth taste like it does when you let a pill sit in your mouth for too long? You might be worried if this is normal, or a sign that something’s wrong.
Actually, having a bad taste in your mouth a pretty common pregnancy side effect. It’s known as “dysgeusia” and is caused by your changing hormone levels. Experts don’t know for sure why dysgeusia happens, but they suspect that the food aversions it creates are to prevent expectant mothers from eating things that could be harmful to their baby.
Fortunately, this should last only through your first trimester, and disappear once you begin your second trimester. It does remain for some women throughout their whole pregnancy. Having dysgeusia later on in your pregnancy doesn’t mean anything’s wrong; it’s just bum luck. Your estrogen levels should calm a bit in the second trimester, causing the taste of pennies in your mouth to decrease as the weeks pass.
You’re more likely to endure dysgeusia if you’re also dealing with serious morning sickness. Like you didn’t have it bad enough already trying not to puke your guts out. Both morning sickness and dysgeusia are caused by hormonal fluctuations, so it makes sense that if you have one, you’ll probably have the other.
But what if your first trimester is moving way too slowly and you can’t handle the taste anymore? Lots of women have found vitamin C drops and sour foods to help a lot. You might also try rinsing out your mouth with orange juice or sucking on some lemons.
Even though this icky taste is really unpleasant, it isn’t dangerous. The fact is, dysgeusia is common in most pregnancies — particularly in the first trimester. We hope that dysgeusia ends quickly for you, so you aren’t stuck dealing with this metallic taste for all nine months of your pregnancy.