Why do my nail beds get shorter during pregnancy?

This is not clear. Do you mean that your nails are growing less rapidly?

@gailcalled Nope. My actual nail bed gets shorter.
Or rather, there seems to be less visible nail plate?

Why the link to the “I’m Feeling Lucky” site on Google?

The nail bed is different from the nail plate.

“The nail bed is the skin beneath the nail plate.”

Take picture. I don’t know what shorter means in this context.

@gailcalled Weird. That was supposed to link to a Google image search.

The nail bed is the flesh beneath the visible part of the nail plate. (Part of the nail plate is tucked beneath your cuticle.) I’ve just noticed that the nail bed/visible part of the nail plate is changing shape. From a more elongated fingernail to a more oblong, rounder one. It might be that my cuticles are covering more of the nail plate?

I’ve noticed that this has happened during both of my pregnancies.

Best to ask your ob/gyn nurse. She’s seen it all.

Speaking of Google, this was easy. I searched for “nail changes during pregnancy.” And, voilá

@gailcalled My obgyn is very relaxed when it comes to such trivial things. He usually shrugs and chalks it up to hormones.

I also ran into that article when I tried to Google this. Only thing is that the article refers to the actual fingernail length. I’m curious about the nail bed/plate changing shape/length.

If you look up “nail bed irregularities pregnancy” you can find some info.

However, what your describing does sound hormone related. It sounds like your nail bed changes shape, but not color or texture. A change in color or texture would indicate a vitamin or nutrient deficiency or change in blood pressure. A change of shape tends to indicate a possibility of nail growth change.

Do your nails grow faster or slower @fluthernutter?

@SpatzieLover My fingernails (the crescent part) seem to be growing at the same rate. Hmmmm…perhaps a slower nail growth is affecting my nail bed/plate instead?

Though they didn’t elongate after my first pregnancy. I’d assume normal fingernail growth would resume after the hormones have gone back to normal?