Clogged ears during pregnancy

By trimester

Weeks 1–13

1st trimester

Ear fullness is less common this early, since congestion and swelling usually build gradually. If your ears do feel plugged, gentle swallowing, yawning, or chewing gum can help the tube behind your eardrum pop open. Mention it at your next visit if it doesn't ease up in a few days.

Weeks 14–27

2nd trimester

Congestion and that clogged-ear feeling often start ramping up now as blood volume rises and nasal tissue stays swollen. A cool-mist humidifier, saline nasal spray, and staying well hydrated help keep the tube that drains your middle ear from getting blocked. Ask your provider before adding any oral decongestant.

Weeks 28–birth

3rd trimester

This is when clogged ears are most common, with most women in their third trimester noticing some ear fullness. Swallowing, yawning, and chewing gum still help in the moment, and the feeling reliably clears up within a couple of months after delivery. Call your provider if one ear feels muffled without the other, or if you notice actual hearing loss, drainage, or pain, since those point to something beyond ordinary pregnancy swelling.

What does the evidence show for clogged ears?

• Ear fullness is genuinely common late in pregnancy, showing up in nearly 7 in 10 women by the third trimester and tending to build as the weeks go on. 1
• Hands-on testing backs up the symptom: among pregnant women who reported ear fullness, 80 percent showed measurable eustachian tube dysfunction on formal testing, compared with 30 percent of women who weren't pregnant, and it resolves on its own within about two months after delivery. 2
• Most ear, nose, and throat changes tied to pregnancy are harmless and fade after delivery, though a bone-related hearing condition called otosclerosis is a rarer exception worth flagging to your provider if you notice ongoing hearing changes. 3
• Doctors don't know exactly why pregnancy sets off this swelling, but smoking is the one habit clearly tied to worse symptoms, and gentle, non-medication steps are the recommended starting point before any medication. 4
• Simple, med-free steps actually help: propping your head up at night, staying active, saline nasal rinses, and nasal strips are the measures most often pointed to for the one in five pregnant women dealing with this stuffiness. 5
• Eustachian tube dysfunction presents as aural fullness or popping, reduced hearing, tinnitus, autophony, otalgia, and imbalance, and is classed as acute under 3 months and chronic beyond it, with unilateral middle ear effusion in an adult, sudden hearing loss, severe vertigo, ear drainage, and ear pain with fever all flagged for specialist assessment. 6

When should I call my provider about clogged ears?

Hormone-driven ear fullness in pregnancy is usually two-sided, painless, and paired with a stuffy nose. Get seen promptly for hearing that drops suddenly, for severe spinning vertigo, for blood or drainage coming out of the ear, or for severe ear pain with a fever. Fluid or fullness in one ear only is a separate flag in an adult and deserves a specialist look rather than watchful waiting. Anything still going past three months has crossed from acute into chronic and needs assessment instead of more saline and yawning. When in doubt, call your obstetric team the same day. Early input almost always beats waiting, and the on-call line exists exactly for this.