Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, often known as morning sickness, is very common in early pregnancy. Show
It can affect you at any time of the day or night or you may feel sick all day long. Morning sickness is unpleasant, and can significantly affect your day-to-day life. But it usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20 of your pregnancy and does not put your baby at any increased risk. There is a chance of developing a severe form of pregnancy sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. This can be serious, and there's a chance you may not get enough fluids in your body (dehydration) or not get enough nutrients from your diet (malnourishment). You may need specialist treatment, sometimes in hospital. Sometimes urinary tract infections (UTIs) can also cause nausea and vomiting. A UTI usually affects the bladder, but can spread to the kidneys. Non-urgent advice: Call your midwife, GP or 111 if:you're vomiting and:
Treatments for morning sicknessUnfortunately, there's no hard and fast treatment that will work for everyone’s morning sickness. Every pregnancy will be different. But there are some changes you can make to your diet and daily life to try to ease the symptoms. If these do not work for you or you're having more severe symptoms, your doctor or midwife might recommend medicine. Things you can try yourselfIf your morning sickness is not too bad, your GP or midwife will initially recommend you try some lifestyle changes:
Find out more about vitamins and supplements in pregnancy Anti-sickness medicineIf your nausea and vomiting is severe and does not improve after trying the above lifestyle changes, your GP may recommend a short-term course of an anti-sickness medicine, called an antiemetic, that's safe to use in pregnancy. Often this will be a type of antihistamine, which are usually used to treat allergies but also work as medicines to stop sickness (antiemetic). Antiemetics will usually be given as tablets for you to swallow. But if you cannot keep these down, your doctor may suggest an injection or a type of medicine that's inserted into your bottom (suppository). See your GP if you'd like to talk about getting anti-sickness medication. Risk factors for morning sicknessIt's thought hormonal changes in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are probably one of the causes of morning sickness. But you may be more at risk of it if:
Visit the pregnancy sickness support site for tips for you and your partner on dealing with morning sickness. Find maternity services near you Sign up for pregnancy emailsSign up for Start4Life's weekly emails for expert advice, videos and tips on pregnancy, birth and beyond. During the first trimester of pregnancy, many women have the bouts of nausea and vomiting known as morning sickness. Despite its name, morning sickness can happen day or night. It usually starts around the 6th week of pregnancy, is at its worst around week 9, and stops by weeks 16 to 18. Although unpleasant, morning sickness is considered a normal part of a healthy pregnancy. What’s Severe Morning Sickness?Severe morning sickness is when nausea and vomiting get so serious that a pregnant woman vomits several times a day, loses weight, and gets dehydrated or is at risk for dehydration. If this rare pregnancy-related condition isn’t treated, it can affect a woman's health and her baby's ability to thrive. The medical term for severe morning sickness is "hyperemesis gravidarum" (hi-per-EM-eh-sis grav-ih-DARE-um), which means "excessive vomiting during pregnancy." It usually follows a similar timeline to normal morning sickness. But it can go longer, sometimes lasting for the whole pregnancy. Often, the symptoms get less severe as the pregnancy continues. Most cases of hyperemesis gravidarum affect a woman's first pregnancy. But women who have it in one pregnancy are more likely to have it in future pregnancies. What Causes Severe Morning Sickness?The cause of severe morning sickness isn’t known. But it might be related to the hormone changes of pregnancy. A hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, might be to blame because severe morning sickness most often happens when HCG levels are at their highest in a pregnant woman's body. Severe morning sickness also might run in families. It’s more common in women whose close family members (such as mothers and sisters) have had it. Other things that can increase a woman's chances of having severe morning sickness include:
What Problems Can Happen?The nausea and vomiting that happen in severe morning sickness are so extreme that they can harm the mother and the baby. Not being able to keep down food makes it hard for the mom to meet her nutritional needs. So she might lose weight. And a loss of fluids, combined with the loss of stomach acid from vomiting, can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. If severe morning sickness isn’t treated, it can cause many problems, including organ failure and the early birth of her baby. When Should I Call the Doctor?Call the doctor right away if you’re pregnant and have any of these symptoms:
How Is Severe Morning Sickness Treated?Treatments used for morning sickness, such as eating dry crackers in the morning or a bland diet, may be recommended for women with extreme morning sickness. But these might not help with severe symptoms. Medical treatment can include:
Some women might get medicine to stop the vomiting, either by mouth or through an IV. The doctor might recommend eating foods with ginger or taking vitamin B6 supplements to help ease nausea. It can also help to:
If a woman feels anxious or depressed about her condition, talking to a therapist or counselor might help her cope with her feelings. What Else Should I Know?With treatment, women with severe morning sickness can feel better and get the nourishment they need so they and their babies thrive. And lifestyle changes can help ease nausea and vomiting and make the pregnancy more enjoyable. With time, symptoms usually do improve. And, of course, they stop by the time a woman's next journey starts: parenthood. |