If you can say pregnancy without a heavy sigh, congratulations — this must be your first baby. Look, pregnancy is a beautiful time in your life, but it's also not-so-beautiful. Weird stuff happens, whether it's your vagina making its own fart sounds or noticing that your genitals are a different shade than usual. Yeah, that happens. Maybe you've grabbed a hand mirror or asked your partner to take a look, but chances are, you're wondering — does my vulva change colors during pregnancy?
I know. You weren't prepared for this. The good news is, if you've noticed that your vulva is looking different than usual, it's normal. It doesn't mean anything's wrong or that your pregnancy isn't progressing as it should. A color change in your vulva actually means your body is chugging right along with your pregnancy, including all of that extra blood flow pumping around.
Dr. Kameelah Phillips, an OB-GYN in New York City, tells Romper that there are a couple of different shades your vulva can take on during pregnancy. "At the beginning of pregnancy, the cervix and vagina can take on a bluish hue known as Chadwick's sign," she says. According to Parents, this is a hyperpigmentation, which can be caused by all of the hormone shifts as well as the extra blood flowing to your genitals, making them more engorged.
Phillips notes that if a woman has had multiple pregnancies and varicose veins, she also may experience a blue hue from the increase in blood flow. But blue isn't the only color you may see down there. "In my opinion, towards the later stages of pregnancy, the vagina and cervix, in some women, become very engorged due to the increased blood flow, so it often looks more red than its typical pink baseline," Phillips says. Yay for magic color-shifting vulvas.
No matter what color your vulva becomes during pregnancy, you can chalk it up to the magic of pregnancy (and increased blood flow). The good news is that the increased blood flow to your vulva could also make your genitals more sensitive, meaning your orgasms may be even better than usual, according to What to Expect. If that means your vulva looks like it belongs on a Smurf for a few weeks, so be it. Orgasms are worth it, right? Oh, and so is your pregnancy.
