Morning sickness can be the worst of all miseries of pregnancy. Few women face it in the first trimester, few in the last and few in both. However, the good news is morning sickness is associated with healthy pregnancy, researchers have found. Are you feeling any better after this statement?
Morning sickness is actually a joke! In fact, it should be termed as ‘All Day Sickness’. 85 per cent of the women feel nauseated, heavy headed and bouts of vomiting when they are pregnant. And it is found that women who suffer from morning sickness have lesser chances of miscarriages and preterm births. Furthermore, it is also studied that these women’s babies may score better in IQ tests and may have fewer or nil birth defects. We are sure this news will make you want more of morning sickness. But hold on, there is no steadfast record that proves that not having morning sickness is a bad sign.
Human Chronic Gonadotrophin or hCG might be the reason for your morning sickness
We still aren’t sure what the ultimate reason for morning sickness is; however, we know that it has a very strong association with a hormone called as Human Chronic Gonadotrophin (hCG), which is produced in early pregnancy by the cells that develops placenta.
A good amount of hCG ensures healthy gestation period. The levels of hCG is not constant. It is at its peak in the ninth week but starts to fall down soon afterwards as other hormones start to elevate due to placental development. Between 12 and 14 weeks Human Chronic Gonadotrophin hormone starts to coincide with your body and takes over the work of regulating your pregnancy. This is the time when sickness eases out and the chances of miscarriages also drop. hCG level completely drops down at around 16 weeks to 20 weeks of pregnancy, by this time you will have all the symptoms of sickness gone. That’s why it is said that the 2nd trimester is safest phase of pregnancy, where you can even travel.
Women who are pregnant with twins or triplets produce higher level of hCG in their bodies. So, it is quite normal if those women feelsicker because of morning sickness.
Also note that morning sickness increases in nausea prone women prior to pregnancy. So, if you’ve felt sick in your stomach during your travels or you felt nauseated because of certain smells, it might double or the symptoms may worsen when you get pregnant.
All of the above information is cited from a systematic review that was published in the journal of Reproductive Toxilogy, August issue. The review contained 10 different studies on more than 1000 pregnancy cases.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum is something that you should also know about
Although, morning sickness usually hits the hardest during the first trimester, several women experience it for the entire nine months for various reasons including sea sickness and travel sickness and certain allergies. Morning sickness can range between mild and all the way to severe. Women in later case suffer from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a rare conditionthat causes severe vomiting, chronic bouts of nausea, electrolyte disturbances and weight loss.
While mild cases of Hyperemesis Gravidarum can be treated with diet changes, antacids and ample rest, more severe cases would require hospitalization, where the pregnant woman would be provided nutrition and fluid through IV (intravenous line). Only 10% women are affected by HG. The number may vary as this percentage is based on women who were hospitalised because of HG. However, there are women who get treated at home or as out-patient care for this condition. At times,Hyperemesis Gravidarum often recurs. And we have heard many women wonder if they should terminate the babies fearing that the babies do not grow properly.
However, rest assure, morning sickness, at any cost will not harm your baby. It’s a natural phenomenon that sets the hormone to behave wildly. The production of hormone in the body determines the magnitude of morning sickness you would face.
Having said that, please note it again women who don’t suffer from morning sickness should worry about their child’s development or that morning sickness guarantees a healthy pregnancy. There is no assurance in this. We use this reasoning most often as an empowering technique for women who suffer.
There are natural and home remedies that can help cure pregnancy morning sickness. Essential oils like peppermint, spearmint, mandarin, lime and lemon and sweet orange, herbal remedies like ginger tea, homeopathy medications as well as acupressure and acupuncture can relieve the symptoms of morning sickness to a great extent.
