What Is Linea Nigra? The Pregnancy Belly Line Explained

Linea nigra is a straight line formed vertically on the stomach of a pregnant woman. During the second trimester of pregnancy, some women experience major skin changes in their body, in which most of the women experience the problem of darkening of the skin. Many women also get dark patches on their face, especially on the cheeks and forehead area, which is also known as melasma in pregnancy.

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Usually the line in stomach during pregnancy  starts from the navel or belly button area and goes straight to the pubic bone area. However, sometimes this straight line can also be formed upwards from the navel and goes straight to the breast . The color of this straight line formed on the abdomen can be light brown, dark brown or even black. Usually you will see that this line appears on the stomach during the second trimester of pregnancy between the 13th week to the 27th week and then during the third trimester of pregnancy between the 29th week to the 40th week. There is no need to worry about this line (line in belly during pregnancy) formed on the stomach because this line disappears automatically after 9 to 12 months of giving birth to the child.

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Hormonal changes in the body always continue, from the problem of mood swings during menstruation to the spots on the face. But when a woman is pregnant, hormonal changes increases more than normal and this does not happen monthly or for a short time but it happens for the entire nine months. Therefore, line on stomach during pregnancy is also the result of hormonal changes during pregnancy.

One other theory of experts is that , during pregnancy hormones produce large amounts of melanin which is responsible for our skin color in body and this extra pigmentation appears as a dark color pregnancy line on stomach. This problem affects all women irrespective of your skin color, although this line (linea nigra) is more clearly visible on the stomach of women who have fair skin.

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Apart from this, linea nigra is also caused by an increase in melanocyte stimulating hormone which darkens the skin cells. This is particularly due to high levels of estrogen hormone which has a direct effect on melanocyte stimulating hormone. This is the hormone that is produced by the placenta.

According to doctors and health experts, linea nigra often starts appearing in the second trimester and then remains throughout the pregnancy. Usually the width of this straight line formed on the stomach is about one centimeter and this line usually starts from the pubic bone and continues till the navel, although it can also extend to just below the breast in some cases.

This straight line is not harmful for the pregnant woman or her baby, so you do not need any kind of treatment or medical help for this. Some people believe that, if this line starts from your navel and goes downwards to the pubic bone, it means that you will have a girl and if this straight line starts from the navel and goes upwards means towards the breast and ribs, then you will have a boy. However, there is no scientific fact behind these things and theories, so it cannot be said to be completely correct to believe these things.

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Immediately after the birth of your child, this straight line (linea nigra) starts to decrease. If you become pregnant again, then this line will be clearly visible on your stomach again. If you want to disappear this line after pregnancy , then you can ask the skin specialist about using skin bleaching cream. This cream can help fade this line on the stomach more quickly. 

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However, do not use skin bleaching cream during pregnancy or while breastfeeding your baby, because it can be harmful for your child's health. Apart from this, whenever you go out in the sun and during this time your stomach or any other part of the skin is in contact with the sun's rays, then definitely use sunscreen. Sun exposure can make this line on the stomach even darker.

According to research, this dark line can also develop on the stomach of men, children and women who are not pregnant. In a study, it was reported that a dark line developed on the stomach of 92 percent pregnant women. But 8 percent women of the same age group , who also not pregnant also developed a straight line i.e. linea nigra on the stomach. In such a situation, it can be said that it is not necessary that linea nigra occurs only during pregnancy. These 3 reasons can cause a dark line on the stomach even without pregnancy:

• Production of melanin due to an increase in the hormones estrogen and progesterone in the body, which can be responsible for the appearance of this line
• Contraceptive pills, certain medicines and sun exposure can also be responsible for linea nigra
• It can also happen due to an underlying disease related to hormones

During pregnancy, a dark line forms on the stomach, this is called Linea Nigra. This is due to hormonal changes, especially due to the increase in estrogen and progesterone hormones, which causes more melanin to be produced in the body. This line appears straight from the navel to the pubic area and gradually becomes lighter after delivery. This is a normal process and there is nothing to worry about.