by Jenifer

Created on: April 11, 2010   Last Updated: May 04, 2010

Morning Sickness

Approximately 50 percent of all pregnant women experience some degree of nausea and vomiting between the sixth and twelfth weeks of pregnancy. This condition is called Morning sickness, pregnancy sickness, vomiting of pregnancy or nausea gravidarum. Although it is considered normal during pregnancy, but more than half of the all pregnant women affected by morning sickness. It is also present in those women who are taking hormonal contraception or hormone replacement therapy. The condition of morning sickness can occur at any time of the day, but usually in the early hours of the morning and gradually reduces as the day progress.

Symptoms of Morning Sickness

Symptoms of morning sickness include abnormal vomiting, severe continual nausea, dizziness and ill feelings. In extreme cases vomiting may be severe that can results in dehydration, acidosis, malnutrition and substantial weight loss. Morning sickness doesn’t harm the baby nevertheless if you lose weight loss, along with sever vomiting. If this condition persists it can endanger the fetus. This intense condition is called hyperemesis gravidarum and occurs approximately 1 in 300 pregnancies.

 Proximate Causes of Morning Sickness

The condition of morning sickness is very common among pregnant ladies. Although the reason of this abnormal severe nausea is not clear but several theories exist. Several folk medical traditions claim that it is Nature’s way of cleaning toxins from the mother’s body. Now, most health experts believe that it is due to hormonal changes especially because of very high levels of the hormones estrogen and chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is a hormone that is produced by placenta that increases in quantity until the end of first trimester. High levels of chorionic gonadotropin are thought to overstimulate the brain centre that controls nausea and vomiting.

Other possible culprits of morning sickness include bile duct disease, drug toxicity, pancreatitis, low blood sugar levels, molar pregnancy, or carrying more than one baby problems and inflammatory bowel disorders. An enhanced sense of smell overstimulates normal nausea triggers. Increased levels of progesterone contribute to relax stomach and intestines which in turn cause excess stomach acid and displacement of digestive organs. Emotional stress and a high fat diet are other proximate causes of morning sickness. 

Some Useful Recommendations for Morning Sickness

To cope the condition of

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