Maternal physiological changes in pregnancy range of effects during the pregnancy. Pregnant women experience numerous adjustments in their endocrine system that help support the developing fetus. The fetal-placental unit secretes steroid hormones and proteins that alter the function of various maternal endocrine glands. Sometimes, the changes in certain hormone levels and their effects on their target organs can lead to gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension. Levels of progesterone and estrogen rise continually throughout pregnancy, suppressing the hypothalamic axis and subsequently the menstrual cycle. The progesterone is first produced by the corpus luteum and then by the placenta in the second trimester. Women also experience increased
Menstrual cycle by women during the peak of their fertility in the menstrual cycle. Moreover, women may demonstrate preference for men with a scent that indicates developmental stability. With regard to women's smell across the cycle, some evidence indicates that men use olfactory cues in order to know if a woman is ovulating. Using a rating of women's odors, women who are ovulating have been rated as more attractive by men. Men demonstrate preferences for the scent of fertile women. Preferences for facial features in mates can also change across the cycle. There has been no difference found in preference for long-term