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Morning sickness refers to nausea occurring primarily and most intensely in the mornings. This nausea happens immediately after waking up when a woman gets up and takes her first steps of the day. Nausea can occur at any time of the day or night, and at least 80% of women report that their "morning sickness" regularly bothers them throughout the day.
Morning sickness in pregnancy is a widespread phenomenon. Some degree of morning sickness accompanies 70-90% of all pregnancies. In 60% of cases, morning sickness is so severe that it is episodically accompanied by vomiting.
The first symptoms most commonly occur 4-6 weeks after conception and worsen significantly by the 9th week. Symptoms usually considerably decrease by the 16th to 18th week of gestation.
10% of pregnant women experience morning sickness after the 20th week. 80-85% of morning sickness completely stops before the third trimester, but 5% of pregnant women continue to experience morning sickness until delivery.
Scientific evidence on the severity and frequency of morning sickness in pregnant women depending on the sex of the baby is very inconsistent. Still, most studies indicate that pregnancy with a girl is more likely to be accompanied by morning sickness.
Repeat pregnancies do not show any significant correlation between the severity of morning sickness and previous pregnancies. In other words, if the first pregnancy is light and there is no nausea, this does not guarantee that the second will be the same. There is a real possibility of experiencing nausea throughout the pregnancy – the reverse situation is equally likely.
Researchers do not have an exact answer to why morning sickness occurs in pregnant women. Many theories, refutations, assumptions, and doubts exist, but no clear answer exists.
Most commonly, nausea and vomiting are associated with specific hormonal changes in the pregnant woman's body, and the effects of three hormones – estrogen, progesterone, and chorionic gonadotropin – are discussed.
The theory attributing morning sickness to a unique, protective role deserves some attention: the female body is over-sensitive to poor-quality food at that stage of fetal development (4-16 weeks) when it (the fetus) is especially at risk from poisons and toxins coming from the outside.
Morning sickness can have different degrees of severity. Still, there may be situations when nausea and vomiting bother the pregnant woman almost constantly – in the morning, during the day, and at night, when normal eating and even drinking become a huge problem. This condition – which is no longer a variant of normal pregnancy but a real diagnosis – is called excessive vomiting of pregnancy (Hyperemesis gravidarum) or hyperemesis.
Hyperemesis gravidarum occurs at a rate of 0.3-2% of all pregnancies. It is characterized by repeated vomiting, loss of more than 5% of body weight, signs of dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and significant deterioration in quality of life, all combined with anxiety and depression.
Modern medicine has many ways to help with hyperemesis. The main thing to understand is that the inability to eat normally and especially to get enough fluid is a definite indication to seek immediate medical help.
It should be noted that nausea and vomiting in pregnant women are not necessarily related to pregnancy. A pregnant woman, as well as any person of any sex, may have nausea and vomiting due to intestinal infection and food poisoning, side effects of medications, overheating, liver disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease, and many other conditions that require special medical control during pregnancy.
Therefore, an important rule: any doubt that nausea and vomiting are due to pregnancy, any condition where, in addition to nausea, there are other alarming symptoms (diarrhea, abdominal pain, increased body temperature, shortness of breath, rash, etc.), any situation where nausea co-occurs in several family members – all these are reasons for urgent medical consultation.
It is extremely rare to find situations when morning sickness is first noted after the 10th week of pregnancy. If there is nausea, it almost always starts from the 4-6th week. Therefore, a strong recommendation: the first episode of nausea in the term of more than ten weeks of pregnancy is a reason to consult a doctor.
In most cases, no adverse effect is observed. The exception is hyperemesis gravidarum when the inability of the pregnant woman to eat normally and to get enough fluids inevitably affects the health of the fetus.
We must acknowledge that no magic pill will cure morning sickness. At the same time, several time-tested, simple, accessible, and safe recommendations can significantly alleviate the condition and reduce the duration and severity of episodes of nausea.
Here are 28 tips for relieving symptoms of morning sickness:
Here, we will discuss a separate group of recommendations regarding the intake of vitamin and mineral complexes by pregnant women since there are often complaints that immediately after taking vitamins, nausea increases.
Discuss with your doctor:
Consult your doctor about unconventional methods of help with nausea in pregnant women. Here, it is very important, and it is important to emphasize, not to try anything on your own and make a decision only after discussion with a doctor who can advise an adequate specialist and the most diverse options are possible - meditation and relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, hypnosis, aromatherapy, acupuncture, acupressure, acupressure massage and even unique bracelets against nausea.
One last thing. Remember that various prescription remedies in the doctor's arsenal can alleviate morning sickness. If all the methods we have suggested have not made your pregnancy calm and joyful, if there is no improvement or your condition worsens, if you are nervous, do not gain weight, do not get enough sleep, or cannot eat properly – please consult your doctor!
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By Dott. Evgeniy Komarovsky
