Editor’s Note: We at POPSUGAR recognize that people of many genders and identities have vaginas and uteruses and experience pregnancy, not just those who are women. For this particular story, we interviewed experts who generally referred to people with vaginas and uteruses and who experience pregnancy as women.
While pregnant, a person may experience a myriad of common symptoms, including a sore back, sporadic food cravings, and extreme morning sickness. While these symptoms are expected to occur throughout your pregnancy, sometimes you start experiencing things that you don’t expect — like pregnancy cough.
That’s right: chronic cough is a surprising, but not rare, symptom of pregnancy. Of course, given that we’re still in a pandemic, it’s natural that you might be nervous if you develop a cough during pregnancy. And the American Pregnancy Association says that your immune system is likely to change during pregnancy, making it harder for your body to fight off the types of germs that can make you cough, which is why it’s so essential to take your doctor’s advice about any vaccinations or other safety precautions you may want to take. But if you find yourself coughing while pregnant yet everything else about you points to a clean bill of health, then you may have a classic case of pregnancy cough.
Though this development may be a little troublesome, especially when coupled with constant nausea and other various unpleasant symptoms, the chronic pregnancy cough can be dealt with. So if you’re searching for what to take to treat this peculiar pregnancy symptom, look no further — POPSUGAR talked to several doctors to find out more about chronic cough and how pregnant people can treat it.
— Additional reporting by Melissa Santoyo
