Morning Sickness During Pregnancy

Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is the most common medical condition of early pregnancy. How bad the sickness is differs from woman to woman. You may get the odd bout of mild queasiness whenever you first wake up, or certain smells might trigger your nausea through the day. Or you may have to endure weeks or even months of feeling or being sick.

Generally, morning sickness doesn’t harm the woman or the unborn child. However, severe morning sickness which includes weight loss and dehydration needs prompt medical attention.

What is morning sickness?

That nauseous, queasy feeling in your stomach, which could sometimes lead to vomiting - so innaccurately dubbed morning sickness, since it can hit at any time of the day or night, especially within the first trimester of pregnancy.

Morning sickness is more common in:

• First pregnancies
• Multiple pregnancies such as twins, triplets or more
• The first trimester (first 14 weeks)
• Women who are prone to motion sickness or sea sickness
• Women who are fatigued and exhausted
• Periods of stress

Morning Sickness Facts

More than 50% of all pregnant women experience morning sickness. Morning sickness refers to the nauseated feeling you get during the first trimester of pregnancy. Morning sickness can be, however is not always, accompanied with vomiting. The nausea is really a result of the increased hormones in your body. Many doctors think morning sickness is really a good sign because it means the placenta is developing well.

How Many Pregnant Women get Morning Sickness Symptoms?

Morning sickness is very common, and is reported by 50% - 80% of pregnant women. Specifically, 28% of pregnant women experience nausea only, while 52% experience nausea and vomiting. 20% of pregnant women may have no symptoms at all. The symptoms commonly start 5 weeks after conception and end by week 15 in 60% of affected women. 9% of affected women have symptoms persist beyond week 18 of pregnancy.

What are the Causes of Morning Sickness?

There are many hormonal changes that occur in a woman's body during the first few weeks of pregnancy which are thought to contribute to morning sickness. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone is a prime suspect and lots of doctors notice a link between high hCG levels along with a woman's nausea level.

The enhanced sense of smell many women experience can also be a culprit. Depending on the woman, some odors can be nauseating and overwhelming so everyday smells can trigger the gag reflex and lead to vomiting. Even more simply, often the changes a woman's body undergoes may cause her gastrointestinal tract to become more sensitive leading her to vomit more.

Morning Sickness During Pregnancy

Morning Sickness Symptoms

More than one-half of all pregnant women will suffer morning sickness symptoms. Morning sickness symptoms can strike within the 4th or 5th week of gestation and last before the 16th week. Most pregnant women report morning sickness symptoms gradually worsening until peaking within the 9th week. The most common morning sickness symptoms are nausea, vomiting and light-headedness.