- Anum Rubec told Insider that her nose swelled up to three times its size during her 2018 pregnancy.
- Pregnancy may cause swelling throughout the body, including the hands, feet, nose and face.
- But sudden swelling during pregnancy may signal a problem with blood pressure.
Anum Rubec, 33, was expecting some physical changes with her pregnancy — but she wasn't expecting her nose to look about three times bigger than its pre-pregnancy size by the time she reached her third trimester.
She posted a photo on social media with the hashtag #swolleneverywhere, joking that she was saving up for a postpartum nose job.
In photos posted on TikTok and shared with Insider, Rubec's nose appears swollen and especially wide around the bridge. The content creator told Insider she was pregnant in 2018, but she recently posted about her nasal swelling on TikTok when she saw that #pregnancynose was trending.
"I'm traumatized and barely recognize my nose anymore," she wrote in the caption of the video.
Several other content creators on TikTok have also recently shared their "pregnancy nose" photos, documenting how their noses appeared to grow and change shape as their due dates approached.
Rubec told Insider it took three or four months for her nose to return to its normal size, but she said it seems to swell more often now — or that maybe she had never noticed its fluctuations before she was pregnant.
She's not alone in experiencing nasal inflammation during pregnancy, also known as pregnancy rhinitis. Mild inflammation may cause symptoms like a stuffy nose during pregnancy, while Rubec and others can have swelling that temporarily changes the shapes of their noses.
"Y'all want to talk about pregnancy nose? It gets progressively worse," TikTok user Kaylyn Hill wrote in a video caption.
Another user, abiandelivstheworld, wrote, "pregnancy did a number on me."
Hormonal changes during pregnancy are often the cause of nose swelling
It's normal to experience some swelling during pregnancy, although it's usually seen in the feet and ankles.
A pregnant person produces about 50% more blood and body fluids to meet the needs of a developing fetus, according to the American Pregnancy Association. A lot of that fluid is retained to help soften the parent's body as it prepares for delivery.
Increased levels of the hormone estrogen also change how the body retains fluid during pregnancy, otolaryngologist Nitin Bhatia told Yahoo News. Extra blood flow to nasal tissues may make the nose appear fuller and rounder, and can cause allergy-like symptoms like a runny nose and nasal congestion.
Pregnancy nose is a temporary condition, however. Noses will usually go back to their normal size within six weeks of giving birth, said Dr. Christine Greves, an OB-GYN in Florida, to TODAY.com.
But see a doctor if you notice sudden swelling
Although physical changes like slight swelling during pregnancy are to be expected, the APA says it is important to contact your healthcare provider if you notice any sudden swelling.
In Rubec's case, her nose swelling was a symptom of a greater problem: High blood pressure.
Rubec said her blood pressure was "through the roof" during her second trimester. Combined with the abnormal level of swelling on her face, the symptom raised a red flag with the doctor.
"Swelling is a normal part of pregnancy but sometimes it can be considered dangerous, so I'm glad my husband and I advocated and shared what was going on in detail," she told Insider.
Rubec said her doctor diagnosed her with preeclampsia and high blood pressure, which required more frequent checkups and stress tests throughout the remainder of her pregnancy. She was induced at full term (37 weeks) and ended up delivering a healthy baby via C-section.