When do stretch marks start to appear during pregnancy?
Apr 25, 2023
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Liu Wan
Introduction
Typically, women develop stretch marks around the fifth month of pregnancy. It is important for pregnant women to understand the causes and predisposing factors of stretch marks and take proactive measures to prevent their formation, such as maintaining moderate weight gain and regular exercise, keeping the skin well-moisturized, and avoiding excessive sun exposure, in order to minimize the development of stretch marks.
Typically, women begin to develop stretch marks around the fifth month of pregnancy. Details are as follows:
Stretch marks during pregnancy result from the rupture and deformation of skin fibrous tissues. Specifically, their formation is caused by gradual stretching of the skin and the breakdown of collagen fibers. In early pregnancy, hormone levels rise, and progesterone causes relaxation of the uterine muscles, expanding the uterine cavity. This hormonal change also affects elastin and collagen in the skin, reducing its elasticity and causing it to stretch. As pregnancy progresses and both fetal size and maternal body volume increase, the skin continues to expand, ultimately leading to the development of stretch marks. Pregnant women may start noticing weight gain and the initial appearance of stretch marks around the fifth month. By the seventh month, when both maternal body size and fetus are larger, stretch marks tend to become more prominent.
It is important for pregnant women to understand the causes and predisposing factors of stretch marks and take proactive measures to prevent their formation—such as maintaining moderate weight gain and regular exercise, keeping the skin well-moisturized, and avoiding excessive sun exposure—to minimize the development of stretch marks.
