Nausea and vomiting are common during pregnancy. It usually begins at the 6th week of pregnancy, peaks at the 9th week and disappears by the 3rd or 4th month. Although the exact cause is unknown, it is thought to be a side effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), called the ‘’pregnancy hormone’’. Multiple pregnancies, extreme fatigue, and emotional stress can increase the severity of vomiting and nausea. Symptoms can be alleviated with lifestyle changes and, if necessary, medical treatment under the control of a doctor.
What can be done to relieve symptoms?
- Do not consume very spicy and very oily foods.
- Avoid excessive consumption of tea and coffee.
- Do not consume sugary foods before going to bed at night.
- Eat little and often. Consuming too much in a meal or being hungry for a long time can increase nausea.
- Drink plenty of water, but don’t drink your water just before, during, and after meals.
- Do not lie down right after a meal.
- Take care to rest.
- Ventilate your home frequently to avoid exposure to bad odours.
- Nausea and vomiting reach the highest level in the morning hours. It is very effective to consume foods such as dry bread and saltine crackers as soon as you wake up and without getting out of bed.
- Drop 1-2 drops of peppermint oil on your wrists and inhale it.
- Drink ginger tea with lemon made from fresh-grated ginger.
- You can try to use vitamin B6 under the control of your doctor.
- Do not neglect your vitamin supplements. Research shows that taking vitamin supplements before and during pregnancy reduces the risk of severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. In addition, if you think that vitamin supplements increase your nausea, you can consult your doctor and try to take vitamin supplements at night instead of during the day.
Beware of Hyperemesis Gravidarum!
Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. It is rare and may require hospital treatment. If there is persistent nausea, severe vomiting, signs of dehydration (dizziness, fainting, inability to urinate, dark urine, heart palpitations) and loss of 5% of the pre-pregnancy weight, a doctor should be consulted. If appropriate treatment is not applied, the health of both the baby and the mother can be adversely affected.
Resources:
- Gadsby, R., Ivanova, D., Trevelyan, E., Hutton, J. L., & Johnson, S. (2021). The onset of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a prospective cohort study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 21(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03478-7
- London, V., Grube, S., Sherer, D. M., & Abulafia, O. (2017). Hyperemesis Gravidarum: A Review of Recent Literature. Pharmacology, 100(3-4), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1159/000477853
- https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/Morning-Sickness-Nausea-and-Vomiting-of-Pregnancy?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=int
- Bustos, M., Venkataramanan, R., & Caritis, S. (2017). Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy – What’s new?. Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical, 202, 62–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2016.05.002
- Fejzo, M. S., Trovik, J., Grooten, I. J., Sridharan, K., Roseboom, T. J., Vikanes, Å., Painter, R. C., & Mullin, P. M. (2019). Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum. Nature reviews. Disease primers, 5(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0110-3
- Efe Ertürk, N., & Taşcı, S. (2021). The Effects of Peppermint Oil on Nausea, Vomiting and Retching in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: An Open Label Quasi-Randomized Controlled Pilot Study. Complementary therapies in medicine, 56, 102587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102587
