Pinocchio’s got nothing on pregnant people.
There are many changes that happen to the body during pregnancy — but nose growth isn’t one often talked about.
“Pregnancy nose” is trending on TikTok, with women taking to the app to share photos and videos of how their nose got larger during pregnancy. The 28.7 million views on the #pregnancynose hashtag is nothing to sniff at.
“Y’all wanna talk about pregnancy nose…it gets progressively worse,” mom Kaylyn Hill wrote in a TikTok clip viewed over 5.4 million times.
“I think it’s genetic because my mom had it, but I’m not sure.”
Hill showed a series of “before” and “after” photos that gave a sense of how much her nose grew during her pregnancy.
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“I morphed into a whole new person,” TikToker Savanna Scott Lenfestey joked in a video of her own, showing her dramatic nasal transformation. “Cant wait to look like my normal self again.”
“I’m traumatized and barely recognize my nose anymore,” another user said in distress at the sight of hers.
According to medical specialists, a swollen nose could stem from increased estrogen.
“If you feel that your nose is getting bigger and wider, it could be due to hormonal changes,” website First Cry Pregnancy noted. “As the progesterone and estrogen hormone levels are high during pregnancy, hence it may lead to swelling in your nose and other parts of the body too.”
Honkers should shrink back to their regular size in a matter of weeks after delivery.
“It goes back to your normal within six weeks (of giving birth),” Dr. Christine Greves, an OB-GYN in Florida, told TODAY. “I tell people to give yourself grace and expect it to be back to normal. But the timing of it just depends.”
Other experts noted that sudden swelling in pregnant people can be a sign of preeclampsia — a serious blood pressure condition — and if they notice symptoms such as problems with their vision, right side abdominal pain and swelling in hands and face they should seek medical attention right away.
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Lenfestey followed up on her original #pregnancynose TikToks, letting followers know her nose had, in fact, returned to its pre-pregnancy state.
“My nose went back to normal,” she said in a recent clip. “My lips went back to normal. I’ve always had juicier lips, but my face pretty much went back to normal.”