6 Embarrassing Pregnancy Symptoms

The unofficial new-mommy archives are overflowing with tales of pregnancy symptoms no one ever expected:

• The pregnant obstetrician who threw up while examining a patient.
• The pregnant graphic designer who insisted her husband developed a horrific and nauseating body odor the minute she became pregnant.
• The pregnant administrative assistant who not only fell asleep at her desk, but also snored so loudly her boss heard it from his office -- across the hall.

And that's just the tip of the belly-berg. Experts say many of the unexpected blind alleys of pregnancy can take you by complete surprise. 

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"Women think they are prepared, but no matter how much you read or talk to your doctor, somehow no one ever seems to prepare you for the quirky 'side effects' of pregnancy -- those weird and embarrassing events that can not only take you by surprise, but can sometimes even scare and worry you," says Stacy Quarty, author of  Frankly Pregnant: A Candid Week-by-Week Guide to the Unexpected Joys, Raging Hormones and Common Experiences of Pregnancy.

Quarty, also director of the Frankly Pregnant web site, says one of the reasons she wrote the book was not only to better understand her own "strange and embarrassing" pregnancy symptoms, but to let women know they are not alone.

"When you're pregnant you'll hear every scary labor story ever told, but no one will tell you about 'cheeseburger crotch' or a gas attack that can shake a room. You think you're the only one," says Quarty.

To help you know what you can really expect when you're expecting, WebMD asked Quarty and two top obstetricians to explore six of the most common "unspeakable" side effects of pregnancy -- and give you the tips and advice you need to handle what comes your way!

1. The Pregnancy Gas-O-Meter

If you're constantly trying to figure new ways to back out of a room, or you're certain your co-workers no longer believe there are plastic utensils burning in the office microwave, then you already know the embarrassment of passing enough gas to power a small compact car.

"When it comes to pregnancy side effects, excess gas is at the top of the list, certainly in the first trimester," says obstetrician Laura Riley, MD, a high-risk pregnancy obstetrician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. 

Riley says problems stem from high levels of the pregnancy hormone progesterone, which slows down motility in the stomach, allowing more gas to build, and consequently causing you to expel it -- or to belch loudly when you least expect it.

The solution: Pay close attention to your diet. Riley says cutting out foods like beans or broccoli, as well as carbonated beverages including fizzy water or juice, can make a big difference. So can eating smaller, more frequent meals.

Riley says over-the-counter gas remedies rarely help. "It's not a good idea to take any medication you don't really need during pregnancy," she says. If, however, your belching brings on a bout of heartburn, Riley recommends Tums or any calcium carbonate product.