Pregnancy brings so many side effects and symptoms, and many of them are unpleasant. The most unusual one might just be a hypersensitive sense of smell.
Some refer to this as “pregnancy nose,” and it means that many pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell. And there are certain scents they can’t stand.
Here are the top 8 most gag-worthy smells when you’re pregnant:
8. Meat cooking
For some pregnant ladies, chicken cooking smells disgusting, and for others, hot dogs stink. But other times, these meats might smell good. The smell of meat cooking is totally random, but when it smells, it smells BAD.
7. Pets
Smells like kitty litter, wet dog, and dog breath are pretty awful even when you’re not pregnant. But once you get “pregnancy nose,” pet scents multiply in grossness.
6. Seafood
Many women can relate to an aversion to the smell of seafood. Says one mama-to-be: “I actually canceled a dinner with friends once because we were going to meet up at a seafood restaurant. I felt like a flake, but I knew I couldn’t handle the awful smell!”
5. Heavy Fragrances
Think colognes, laundry detergents, candles, cleaning products, perfumes, and perfumes.
4. Cigarette Breath, Seafood Breath, and Alcohol Breath
Being around someone with bad breath is gross enough, but any of the scents on this list are even worse on someone’s breath!
3. Grocery Stores
Chances are you know exactly what the #3 smell is about. “Grocery store smell” is the combo of all the different scents in a grocery store that issue in an odor that’s near impossible to stand when you’re pregnant.
2. Cigarettes
If you’re like most people, the smell of cigarette smoke gets to you even on a non-pregnant day. So it makes sense that cigarettes become unbearable during pregnancy. Luckily, not as many people smoke nowadays, so you probably won’t have to encounter this smell regularly.
1. Strong Foods
The odor of strong foods, like garlic and onion, are the worst offenders for many pregnant women!