The Medical Causes of Morning SicknessArticle:The Medical Causes of Morning Sickness The following article has been kindly submitted by the editor of Surebaby.com Most women know to expect morning sickness during their pregnancy and many are familiar with the tricks that can help control their feelings of queasiness (drinking cold beverages, snacking throughout the day, smelling lemons, etc.). Not many women understand exactly what’s going on in their body that causes morning sickness, though. Interestingly, scientists don’t understand exactly what’s going on, either.On the surface, it doesn’t make sense that a pregnant body would try to expel foods and liquids at a time when it was nourishing a developing fetus. Most pregnancy symptoms are easy to understand because they make logical sense when you consider what’s happening inside a woman’s body—menstruation stops because the embryo has implanted in the uterus, breasts become tender as they prepare to produce milk, back pain occurs because of the added weight to the pelvic girdle. Morning sickness, on the other hand, is a bit of a puzzle.Though scientists haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact cause(s) of morning sickness, there are a few theories about what’s happening—and why.The first theory is that changes in hormone levels cause morning sickness. During pregnancy, estrogen levels begin to rise and they reach their peak within the first three months—when morning sickness is at its worst. Increased estrogen is known to heighten one’s sense of smell and odors are a common trigger for morning sickness. The pregnant body also produces increased levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin, another hormone, during pregnancy and hCG may also play a role in causing nausea and vomiting.Another possible cause of morning sickness is a lack of vitamin B6, a vitamin found in foods that contain whole grains (like bread and crackers), as well as potatoes, milk and even peanuts. Some women have observed that consuming extra vitamin B6 helps ease their morning sickness.Finally, some scientists have theorized that morning sickness is actually an evolutionary adaptation developed to protect developing fetuses from food poisoning. Often, pregnant women develop an aversion to foods that, historically, have often become contaminated—foods such as meat and poultry. Perhaps morning sickness and taste aversion is the result of a woman’s body telling her which foods to stay away from during pregnancy.Ultimately, understanding the medical cause of morning sickness is much less important than how to treat the symptoms. With a bit of planning and diligence, the symptoms of morning sickness can be managed. If you have any comments or experiences to relate about the medical causes of morning sickness we'd love to hear them. All your contributions help other pregnant women to learn more and cope better with the many conditions they face in pregnancy, so please share your thoughts with us! You can share your own story about the medical causes of morning sickness by using the form below:
Your Experiences of Morning SicknessHave you experienced morning sickness? What were the signs of morning sickness for you? Did you find a cure or anything that helped? Share your experiences here - other moms would love to read about them. Find out more about the signs of morning sickness
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