Yes, pregnancy foot is a thing! Did your feet increase in size and stay that way?

Yes, pregnancy foot is a thing! Did your feet increase in size and stay that way?

During pregnancy, the body undergoes hormonal changes, particularly an increase in the hormone relaxin. Relaxin is responsible for relaxing the ligaments in the pelvic area to facilitate childbirth.

However, it can also affect ligaments in other parts of the body, including the feet. The increased flexibility of ligaments may cause the arch of the foot to flatten, leading to a potential increase in foot size. This increase in foot size may be temporary, but for many, going up half or a full shoe size may be a permanent situation!

One study followed 50 women from early pregnancy to 5 months postpartum. They discovered that 60-70% had longer and wider feet than when their pregnancies first began.

Additionally, weight gain and swelling due to fluid retention during pregnancy can contribute to changes in foot size, but these tend to resolve once the swelling subsides postpartum.

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