Changing of the Areolas and Nipples
Besides a woman’s breasts being tender and swollen early in the first trimester of pregnancy, a woman may notice changes to her areolas and nipples. New hormones running through her body may cause your nipples to become bigger and darker than they normally are.
As your breasts get bigger, your nipples naturally get bigger as well. The darkening of the nipples is caused by a temporary increase of melanin, the natural pigment that your body produces that gives your hair, skin and eyes their color. For most women, within a few months of having their baby, the nipples will return to their normal color and size. If a woman is breastfeeding, the nipples may not return to their normal size until after she weans her baby.
Another change in the nipples that a woman may discover once she gets pregnant are the Montgomery’s tubercles (glands or little bumps surrounding the nipples) getting bigger, elevating and becoming more prominent. Not all women experience this, and some may not experience it till the second or third trimester.
If you do not believe you are pregnant, there are other things that can cause these changes in your nipples. Weight gain can cause your breasts to enlarge, therefore causing your nipples to enlarge. If you like to tan, your nipples may become darker. A hormone imbalance may cause your nipples to get darker, or left over melanin from a previous pregnancy may cause this darkening. If you are not sure what is going on with your body, be sure to ask your doctor.
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December 4th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Message for Kirsten: you should have already, but if you haven’t then get a pregnancy test! Sounds like you could be between 6-7 months pregnant and you don’t even know it!
November 30th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
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November 30th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
[...] you are pregnant, the skin around your nipples may get darker. This may also be caused by a hormone imbalance not related to pregnancy. Areolas [...]
November 13th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Regular Period 12 days late. Serious restlessness and insomnia just lying awake for hours on end for no reason. Have butterflies and flutters in my stomach! Have severe horrific headaches, neck, shoulder, tonsils and back-ache. Side-stitches. Most aches and pains seem to be on my left side but I’m sleeping on my left side now would that be why? With an odd jab feeling on my right side now and again. Back pain tends to be in the middle or on both sides. Swollen, tender stomach. Ribs look swollen sometimes and feel very tight in my chest with lots of pressure when like this. I had an occasional jabbing darting pain in my sternum/gut just under where my cleavage would be. But lately this sensation moves sometimes to under my left or right breasts, same jabbing pain. Get a “crushed, squashed feeling” in my “spare-tyre” belly-rump! Rump deffo appears bloated/’swollen and getting bigger. Constantly fatigued and weary. Pretty weak all the time. Constantly hungry with hunger pains and I’m not a great eater usually! My spare tyre belly seems to be forming into 1 big mound with my lower abdomen and it can clearly be seen my navel “innie” is developing! I have grown “love-handles” 2 days ago, and my side-creases seem to be lengthening around to the middle of my back. I noticed yesterday a crease/indent is starting to form up my back from the bottom upwards, the dent is about two-thirds of the way up to my shoulder-bones? My breasts feel heavy and full and more veiny every day. 2 days ago I got new areola outlines about an inch further out than where my nipples are and the spaces are starting to fill in now with goose-bump-like bubbles in the space-inbetween. I’ve got 2 Negative Home Pregnancy Tests, but I see that in some women it can take a full 2 weeks for the HCG to reach the high levels of detection needed. But I am really worried in case if it’s a m/c or ecto. Certain Headaches and pain concentrating on 1 side are said to be signs to watch out for for Mc’s and Ectos. And an Ecto. Pg. also reads a Negative Home Pregnancy Test. I have had zero spotting or clotting. I have all my tools lol in-situ / in-tact; – kidneys, appendix, liver, gall-bladder etc. I can feel shapes under my belly-fat which could easily be clusters of cells developing, sometimes can feel them right up against my ribs or skin. But it could be other organ trouble as I don’t know if I’m pregnant or what’s wrong with me. If I’m not pregnant, is there anything else which would make the areolas enlargen? Is there anyone out there who experienced similair pregnancy-like symptoms and it then turned out to be something else? I don’t want to go to a Doctor until I have turned up a positive Home Pregnancy or at least have pretty-much ruled-out pregnancy and it’s just a matter of finding out what is wrong with me. So I will try a couple more Home Pregnancy Tests over the next few days. With my headaches, if I feel my forehead with my hand, sometimes at touch my forehead and face can be either pretty-warm or un-usually ice-cold at touch. Would love to hear any comments you have.
November 3rd, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Hi, i haven’t had a period since april i had 1 day of spotting in june but thats about it also my boobs have gotten huge with white bumbs and my stomach is getting huge also im also feeling something almost like a kick but i’ve never been pregnant so i dnt no wat baby kicks feel like could i be pregnant?? Somebody pleas help me out!!