If you have dark skin, you may have brown nipples before pregnancy, but many pregnant women of all complexions notice that their nipples have become somewhat darker.
As we keep mentioning, pregnancy causes changes in hormone levels. In this case, an increase in estrogen levels and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) levels causes the changes. MSH acts on melanocytes. These are cells within the skin that determine the degree of pigmentation. The face and the belly are two areas where darkening of the skin can be most noticeable.
Some pregnant women experience the “mask of pregnancy” or chloasma, an array of brownish or yellowish patches on the facial skin, unevenly distributed on the forehead, temples, and middle of the face. This is more common in women with dark hair and pale skin. Chloasma cannot be prevented, but you can minimize the intensity of these darkened areas by limiting your exposure to sunlight. These marks will usually fade completely after delivery.
Then there is the dark line on the belly, the linea negra. In many women, there is a normal faint (barely visible) white line, the linea alba, running from the navel to the center of the pubic bone. During pregnancy in the second trimester, extra pigment in the skin causes a darkening of this line. The linea nigra is darker in darker-skinned women and fades after delivery too.
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"Why do nipples turn darker in pregnancy?" was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 10:56 pm.
What causes nipples to grow and darken in pregnancy?
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