During pregnancy, the size and shape of the female foot often changes.

This phenomenon was studied in detail by researchers from the University of Iowa, whose report can be found in the March issue of the journal American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

The authors add that these changes can be irreversible.

In women, during pregnancy, flat feet usually develop, which is probably due to the flattening of the arch of the foot due to an excessive load. In addition, during pregnancy, there is a tendency to deformation of the joints. The body produces a hormone called relaxin. This hormone promotes softening of the cervix and symphysis of the pelvic bones (the places where the bones are connected). Relaxin also allows the bundles of the foot to stretch. Scientists suggest that this hormone is responsible for reducing the height of the arch of the foot.

Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Nil Sigal says: "I often came across the fact that during pregnancy, the size of the foot increased in women, and it was not about swelling, because the changes persisted after childbirth. But so far I have not found anything about this phenomenon in medical periodicals and textbooks ".

To thoroughly approach this issue, the doctors conducted a small study. They measured the size of the legs of the patients at the beginning of pregnancy and 5 months after delivery. It was proved that pregnancy does lead to an irreversible change in the foot.

Dr. Segal's team examined 49 women, taking the necessary measurements in the first trimester and five months after delivery. Scientists have collected enough data on the dynamics of changes in the size of the arch of the foot.

It was found that 60-70% of women after pregnancy stop becoming wider and longer. The height of the arch of the foot in most pregnant women during this period has significantly decreased. As a result, the increase in foot length averaged from 2 mm to 10 mm. However, no significant effect on weight distribution was found. Changes in size, apparently, are observed during the first pregnancy.

Dr. Sigal says: "We know that women who have children are especially prone to musculoskeletal diseases. Perhaps this is due to changes in the foot during the first pregnancy. These changes contribute to the defeat of the joints of the foot, as well as knee, hip joints, and even the spine ".

Dr. Seagal and his colleagues are now trying to find ways to protect women from musculoskeletal diseases that they are exposed to because of pregnancy.

The famous English actress Denis van Outen also mentions that two years ago the size of her foot was slightly more than the fifth, and after pregnancy he became the sixth. She regrets that she had to distribute her entire rich wardrobe after the birth of her daughter. Now scientists have proved that the problem is not limited to the choice of shoes.

The research of Dr. Segal was funded by grants from the National Institute of Aging and the American Geriatric Society.

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