Introduction

Studies of the effect of pregnancy on olfactory function are contradictory—some report reduced function, others hypersensitivity, and still others no change at all. Our objectives were to quantify olfactory function in women during gestational and puerperal periods, to compare the olfactory test scores to those of non-pregnant women, and to explore the potential influence of rhinitis on olfactory function during these periods.

Methods

We evaluated olfactory function in 206 women with and without rhinitis—47 in the first trimester of pregnancy, 33 in the second, 44 in the third, 32 in the postpartum period, and 50 who were non-pregnant. Olfactory assessment was performed using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and ratings of the pleasantness and intensity of four common odors.

Results

Although total UPSIT scores did not differ among the study groups, pregnant and postpartum women identified some odors less well than did the controls. Pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, tended to consider some smells less pleasant. Rhinitis was adversely associated with the olfactory test scores of the pregnant and postpartum women.

Conclusions

The overall olfactory function of postpartum and pregnant women did not differ compared to controls; however, detection of some individual UPSIT items was adversely impacted (e.g., menthol, gingerbread, gasoline). Rhinitis was associated with reduced olfaction during pregnancy and puerperium.

Implications

These findings support the view that pregnancy-related alterations in smell are idiosyncratic, present only for some odorants, and may be impacted by the presence of rhinitis that commonly occurs during pregnancy.

中文翻译：

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怀孕和产后的嗅觉

介绍

关于怀孕对嗅觉功能影响的研究是相互矛盾的——一些报告称嗅觉功能下降，另一些报告过敏，还有一些报告根本没有变化。我们的目标是量化妊娠期和产褥期女性的嗅觉功能，将嗅觉测试分数与非怀孕女性的嗅觉测试分数进行比较，并探讨鼻炎对这些时期嗅觉功能的潜在影响。

方法

我们评估了 206 名患有或不患有鼻炎的女性的嗅觉功能，其中 47 名怀孕前三个月，33 名怀孕后三个月，44 名怀孕后三个月，32 名产后期，以及 50 名未怀孕的女性。使用宾夕法尼亚大学气味识别测试 (UPSIT) 进行嗅觉评估，并对四种常见气味的愉悦度和强度进行评级。

结果

尽管各研究组之间的 UPSIT 总分没有差异，但孕妇和产后妇女识别某些气味的能力不如对照组。孕妇，尤其是在怀孕的前三个月，往往会认为某些气味不太令人愉快。鼻炎与孕妇和产后妇女的嗅觉测试分数呈负相关。

结论

产后和孕妇的整体嗅觉功能与对照组相比没有差异；然而，某些 UPSIT 项目的检测受到了不利影响（例如薄荷醇、姜饼、汽油）。鼻炎与怀孕和产褥期嗅觉减弱有关。

影响

这些发现支持这样的观点，即与怀孕相关的嗅觉改变是特殊的，仅针对某些气味物质存在，并且可能受到怀孕期间常见鼻炎的影响。