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Do pregnant women experience a heightened sense of smell?
Anne, Sharon and Shiva
Anecdotal evidence suggests that women experience a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. Data collected from 13,610 pregnant women and 277,228 non-pregnant women during the 1986 National Geographic Smell Survey suggests that this may not be the case. The survey results indicated that pregnant women rated their own olfactory abilities lower than women who were not pregnant, although the two groups did not differ significantly in their abilities to perceive the odors tested. Although the data are not statistically significant, pregnant women more often found the odors tested to be unpleasant and were less likely to indicate that they would ingest the odors. Additionally, pregnant women did not experience scent-induced memories as commonly as non-pregnant women (Gilbert and Wysocki, 1991).
Reference
Gilbert, A. N and C. J. Wysocki. 1991. Quantitative assessment of olfactory experience during pregnancy. Psychosomatic Medicine. 53: 693-700.