Metallic taste during pregnancy (dysgeusia)

By trimester

Weeks 1–13

1st trimester

A metallic taste is most noticeable in the first trimester, right alongside nausea, a heightened sense of smell, and new food aversions. One study found abnormal taste in roughly a quarter of pregnant women and smell changes in more than two-thirds during this early window. Rising estrogen and other hormones are the leading suspected cause, though researchers think hormones alone don't fully explain it.

Weeks 14–27

2nd trimester

For most people, the metallic taste fades as nausea eases heading into the second trimester, following the same downward trend seen with other early-pregnancy taste and smell changes. If it's still strong well into the second trimester, especially alongside ongoing vomiting, reduced appetite, or poor weight gain, mention it at your next prenatal visit rather than assuming it will pass on its own.

Weeks 28–birth

3rd trimester

Metallic taste is least common by the third trimester, matching research showing taste and smell changes drop off late in pregnancy and are almost entirely gone after delivery. A new or worsening metallic taste this late, especially with reduced eating or other signs of poor nutrition, still deserves a conversation with your healthcare provider rather than being brushed off as routine.

What does the evidence show for metallic taste?

• About 26% of pregnant women in one study reported abnormal taste, with smell and taste changes most common early in pregnancy and almost entirely gone by the time they were surveyed again after delivery. 1
• Changes in bitter and sweet taste are most pronounced early in pregnancy, and researchers note that shifts in estrogen and progesterone alone may not fully explain what's observed. 2
• The rise in estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy is linked to both taste changes and the broader increase in food intake seen as pregnancy goes on. 3
• In one case report, a pregnant patient with severe hyperemesis gravidarum had a zinc-deficiency-related taste disturbance that made it harder for her to eat enough, and her taste and nutrition only improved gradually after she received zinc supplementation. 4
• Zinc is important for a normal sense of taste, and zinc deficiency at any age can cause taste loss, the same link seen in the hyperemesis gravidarum case above. Taking too much zinc has its own side effects though, including nausea and vomiting. 5
• In a documented case of severe hyperemesis gravidarum, a persistently altered sense of taste tracked with a measured zinc deficiency, and both the taste change and oral intake improved only after zinc was corrected. 6

When should I call my provider about metallic taste?

A metallic taste that lingers well past the first trimester, especially alongside heavy vomiting or a real drop in how much you're eating and drinking, is worth flagging rather than assuming it will fade on its own. In a documented case of severe hyperemesis gravidarum, persistently altered taste tracked with a measured zinc deficiency, and both the taste change and oral intake improved only after zinc was corrected. That combination, an ongoing taste change plus reduced eating that isn't budging, is the pattern worth bringing to your provider rather than waiting it out. Trust your read on your own body. If something feels off beyond the list above, please consult your healthcare provider rather than waiting it out.