Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are very common conditions.

Morning Sickness is defined as Nausea & Vomiting which occurs during pregnancy.

Mayo clinic

Informally referred to as morning sickness, this term is clearly a misnomer as signs & symptoms can occur at any time of the day or night. Especially during the first trimester of pregnancy, many pregnant women have morning sickness. But some women have morning sickness during pregnancy.

In a small percentage (0.2%–5%) of pregnancies, persistent and excessive nausea and vomiting were reported. This results in dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and weight loss and it is a leading cause of hospital admission during the first half of pregnancy.

Nausea & vomiting in pregnancy generally doesn’t harm the fetus, but they can affect women’s life. It can have a significant effect on the quality of a woman’s life, both personally and professionally, and it can be emotionally traumatic. There are safe treatment options which can make you feel better and keep your symptoms from getting worse.

Control options include various home remedies, like snacking throughout the day and sipping ginger ale or taking over-the-counter medications to help relieve nausea.

Term for Severe Nausea & Vomiting during pregnancy – Hyperemesis gravidarum

Hyperemesis gravidarum is the term used for the most severe form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. This is reported in up to 3 per cent of pregnancies. This condition can lead to loss of weight up to 5 per cent & loss of body fluids or dehydration. Women with hyperemesis gravidarum need treatment, sometimes admitted to a hospital to stop the vomiting and to restore body fluids.

Sign & Symptoms

Generally, signs and symptoms of morning sickness include nausea and vomiting, frequently due to certain odours, spicy foods, excess salivation, heat or oftentimes no triggers at all. During the first trimester, Morning sickness is very common and usually begins nine weeks after conception. Symptoms enhance for most expectant mothers by the mid to late second trimester.

Causes

The exact cause of morning sickness remains unclear and probably depends on various factors. Among these, a generally accepted aetiology is ascribed to hormonal changes which occur during pregnancy, such as an increase of serum human chorionic gonadotrophin, estrogens, and also Helicobacter pylori infection.

Risk Factors of Hyperemesis gravidarum

Any of the following can increase the chances of severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy:

• Being pregnant with multiple fetuses (multiple pregnancies).
• Being pregnant with a girl fetus.
• Previous pregnancy with either mild or excessive nausea or vomiting.
• Your sister or mother had severe nausea and vomiting after being pregnant.
• A history of migraines or motion sickness.

Morning sickness can knock the pleasure of being pregnant down a notch or two.

Tell your doctor right down if you cannot keep food or fluids down for 24 hours, or if you’re dehydrated or steadily losing weight. No need to suffer alone from morning sickness in silence, as there are enough anti-nausea remedies out there.

Several medications are currently available for the treatment of Morning sickness. Many women are careful of drug treatments for worry of harming the fetus, mainly for the reason that morning sickness normally happens throughout the susceptible duration of embryonic organogenesis. 

Some of the food items are also to be consumed with caution. Such food ingredients may cause ill effects on the pregnant mother’s health or the fetus’s health.

The popularity of CAM – Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which includes non-pharmacological medicines and herbal extracts, has grown considerably in recent years, and a high frequency of CAM use during pregnancy has been reported.

Remedies for Morning sickness:-

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy, which is a branch of herbal science & it, is the collection of practices for the skilful and controlled use of essential oils to enhance physical, emotional, and psychological health.

Lemon essential oil (Citrus lemon) is one of the most extensively used herbal oils in pregnancy and it is taken into consideration as a safe drug in pregnancy. 1 to 2 drops of lemon essential oil in an oil burner or a diffuser in the bedroom helps to calm and relieve morning sickness.  40% of women have used lemon scent to reduce nausea and vomiting, and 26.5% of them have reported it as an effective way to control their symptoms, According to a study.

The study suggested that using the combination of essential oils of peppermint and lavender aromatherapy is relieving morning sickness. It is reported that the combination of aromatherapy reduced the severity of morning sickness during pregnancy increased energy levels and reduced fatigue in pregnant women. 

Ginger

The anti-nausea impact of ginger was first described in one of the canons of traditional Chinese medicine—the précis of the Prescriptions of Golden Chamber in 200 AD.

Ginger additionally has been reported to be effective in treating morning sickness in pregnancy to the extent that it is as effective as pyridoxamine (vitamin B6) alone. 

At the present, there are no large-scale studies ascertaining the safety of ginger. That said, in Europe and North America, the current consensus for the maximum safe dosage of ginger is 2 g/day in divided doses of 250 mg, even during pregnancy. In ancient Chinese medicine, ginger is indicated specifically as a remedy for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

According to a meta-analysis study, it’s concluded that ginger is an effective non-pharmacological option for treating morning sickness with relevance to the inherent heterogeneity of the accessible studies.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is under trial for treating Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG in numerous countries. It has achieved certain medicinal effects by stimulating acupoints. Acupuncture relieves nausea and vomiting to cure Hyperemesis gravidarum through the control and coordination of sympathetic and parasympathetic by triggering the central structure and may also be applicable to the regulation of neuroendocrine mechanisms. In terms of symptoms, acupuncture seems to be more efficient in reducing nausea and vomiting and increasing food intake.

Always consult your doctor for any such symptoms related to nausea or vomiting during pregnancy.