How long does bloating last in early pregnancy?

What to Do About Bloating During Pregnancy

bloating during pregnancy
What causes that bloated, gurgly, gassy, full-of-it feeling during pregnancy — and what every pregnant woman can do about pregnancy bloating.
In This Article

When does bloating happen during pregnancy?
What causes pregnancy bloating?
How long does pregnancy bloating last?
How to get rid of bloating during pregnancy

In the dictionary, "bloating" means "to cause abdominal distension." (Ah, so that's why you've been feeling like a hot-air balloon during pregnancy.) And having gas while you're pregnant means discomfort — and lots of it.
When does bloating happen during pregnancy?

Bloating may be one of your most frequent and least charming early pregnancy symptoms, first showing up around week 11 and likely lasting throughout your pregnancy up until delivery day.
6 Surprising Pregnancy Symptoms — for Partners!
What causes pregnancy bloating?

It might seem as though your jeans start to feel snug as soon as the pregnancy test comes back positive — and you can thank the pregnancy hormone progesterone for that puffy phenomenon.

While progesterone is essential for maintaining a healthy pregnancy (it is, after all, the pro-gestation hormone), it also triggers that oh-so-delightful trio: bloating, burping and passing gas.

Why? Progesterone causes the smooth muscle tissue in your body (including the gastrointestinal tract) to relax. This slows down digestion, giving the nutrients from food you eat more time to enter your bloodstream and reach your baby. That's the good news.

The bad news is this slower digestion when you're pregnant can cause you to feel bloated and bring on a cramp or two (or seven).

What’s more, your expanding uterus places increasing pressure on your rectum, which can wreak havoc on muscle control and lead to the passing of some serious wind.
How long does pregnancy bloating last?

Sorry, but that ate-too-much feeling you've been experiencing is a pregnancy symptom that's likely to get worse as your uterus keeps expanding and pressing on your stomach and intestines.

It's a bit of a pain for you (literally), but take comfort in knowing that your baby is oblivious to the discomfort of pregnancy bloating and the other pregnancy symptoms you're experiencing (hello, nausea).