Pregnant women exhibit decreased trigeminal sensitivity

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Chemosensory function in pregnant women is far from being fully understood due to the lack of data and inconsistencies between the results of self‐reports and objective studies. Methods In the present study in pregnant and non‐pregnant women (npregnant = 14, nnon‐pregnant = 13), we measured EEG‐derived electrophysiological response measures supported by psychophysical olfactory and trigeminal tests. Results Results indicate that the olfactory event‐related potential amplitudes or latencies of the P1, N1, and P2 components remain unchanged in pregnant women. In accordance with these findings, no difference was observed between pregnant and non‐pregnant women in psychophysical olfactory tests. However, pregnant women displayed a lower degree of sensitivity to trigeminal stimuli compared to non‐pregnant controls, which was also reflected in the electrophysiological responses to trigeminal stimuli. Conclusion Counterintuitive as they may seem, our findings demonstrate a “flattening” of chemosomatosensory responses. Psychological processes occurring during pregnancy, such as changes in socioemotional perception of odors resulting from the diminished stress response, may provide a background to these results. Overall, the present results indicate the absence of major differences between non‐pregnant and pregnant women in terms of measured olfactory function though chemosomatosensory function of the pregnant women appears to be decreased.

Keywords

• olfaction
• pregnancy
• trigeminal