Morning sickness - wikipedia Morning sickness Morning sickness Synonyms Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, nausea gravidarum, emesis gravidarum, pregnancy sickness Specialty Obstetrics Symptoms Nausea, vomiting Complications Wernicke encephalopathy, esophageal rupture Usual onset 4th week of pregnancy Duration Until 16th week of pregnancy Causes Unknown Diagnostic method Based on symptoms after other causes have been ruled out Similar conditions Hyperemesis gravidarum Prevention Prenatal vitamins Treatment Doxylamine and pyridoxine Frequency ~ 75 % of pregnancies ( edit on Wikidata ) Morning sickness, also called nausea and vomiting of pregnancy ( NVP ), is a symptom of pregnancy that involves nausea or vomiting. Despite the name, nausea or vomiting can occur at any time during the day. Typically these symptoms occur between the 4th and 16th week of pregnancy. About 10 % of women still have symptoms after the 20th week of pregnancy. A severe form of the condition is known as hyperemesis gravidarum and results in weight loss. The cause of morning sickness is unknown but may be related to changing levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin. Some have proposed that it may be useful from an evolutionary point of view. Diagnosis should only occur after other possible causes have been ruled out. Abdominal pain, fever, or headaches are typically not present in morning sickness. Taking prenatal vitamins before pregnancy may decrease the risk. Specific treatment other than a bland diet may not be required for mild cases. If treatment is used the combination of doxylamine and pyridoxine is recommended initially. There is limited evidence that ginger may be useful. For severe cases that have not improved with other measures methylprednisolone may be tried. Tube feeding may be required in women who are losing weight. Morning sickness affects about 70 - 80 % of all pregnant women to some extent. About 60 % of women have vomiting. Hyperemesis gravidarum occurs in about 1.6 % of pregnancies. Morning sickness can negatively affect quality of life, result in decreased ability to work while pregnant, and result in health care expenses. Generally mild to moderate cases have no effect on the baby. Most severe cases also have normal outcomes. Some women choose to have an abortion due to the severity of symptoms. Complications such as Wernicke encephalopathy or esophageal rupture may occur but are very rare. Contents 1 Signs and symptoms 2 Cause 3 Pathophysiology 3.1 Hormone changes 3.2 Defense mechanism 4 Treatments 4.1 Medications 4.2 Alternative medicine 5 History 5.1 Thalidomide 6 References 7 External links Signs and symptoms About 66 % of women have both nausea and vomiting while 33 % have just nausea. Cause The cause of morning sickness is unknown. While some have claimed it to be due to psychological reasons, this is not supported by evidence. Nausea and vomiting may also occur with molar pregnancy. Pathophysiology Hormone changes Pathophysiology of vomiting in pregnancy An increase in the circulating level of the hormone estrogen. However, there is no consistent evidence of differences in estrogen levels and levels of bilirubin between women that experience sickness and those that do not. Related to increased estrogen levels, a similar form of nausea is also seen in some women who use hormonal contraception or hormone replacement therapy. An increase in progesterone relaxes the muscles in the uterus, which prevents early childbirth, but may also relax the stomach and intestines, leading to excess stomach acids and gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD ). An increase in human chorionic gonadotropin. It is probably not the HCG itself that causes the nausea. More likely, it is the HCG stimulating the maternal ovaries to secrete estrogen, which in turn causes the nausea. Defense mechanism Morning sickness may be an evolved trait that protects the baby against toxins ingested by the mother. Evidence in support of this theory includes : Morning sickness is very common among pregnant women, which argues in favor of its being a functional adaptation and against the idea that it is a pathology. Fetal vulnerability to toxins peaks at around 3 months, which is also the time of peak susceptibility to morning sickness. There is a good correlation between toxin concentrations in foods, and the tastes and odors that cause revulsion. Women who have no morning sickness are more likely to miscarry. This may be because such women are more likely to ingest substances that are harmful to the fetus. In addition to protecting the fetus, morning sickness may also protect the mother. A pregnant woman 's immune system is suppressed during pregnancy, presumably to reduce the chances of rejecting tissues of her own offspring. Because of this, animal products containing parasites and harmful bacteria can be especially dangerous to pregnant women. There is evidence that morning sickness is often triggered by animal products including meat and fish. If morning sickness is a defense mechanism against the ingestion of toxins, the prescribing of anti-nausea medication to pregnant women may have the undesired side effect of causing birth defects or miscarriages by encouraging harmful dietary choices. Treatments There is a lack of good evidence to support the use of any particular intervention for morning sickness. Medications A number of antiemetics are effective and safe in pregnancy including : pyridoxine / doxylamine, antihistamines ( such as diphenhydramine ), metoclopramide, and phenothiazines ( such as promethazine ). With respect to effectiveness it is unknown if one is superior to another. In the United States and Canada, the doxylamine - pyridoxine combination ( as Diclegis in US and Diclectin in Canada ) is the only approved pregnancy category `` A '' prescription treatment for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Ondansetron may be beneficial, but there are some concerns regarding an association with cleft palate, and there is little high quality data. Metoclopramide is also used and relatively well tolerated. Evidence for the use of corticosteroids is weak. Alternative medicine Some studies support the use of ginger, but overall the evidence is limited and inconsistent. Safety concerns have been raised regarding its anticoagulant properties. History Thalidomide Thalidomide was originally developed and prescribed as a cure for morning sickness in West Germany, but its use was discontinued when it was found to cause birth defects. The United States Food and Drug Administration never approved thalidomide for use as a cure for morning sickness. 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Quarterly Review of Biology. 68 ( 4 ) : 495 -- 532. PMID 8115596. doi : 10.1086 / 418300. Jump up ^ Flaxman, Samuel M. ; Sherman, Paul W. ( June 2000 ). `` Morning sickness : a mechanism for protecting mother and embryo ''. Quarterly Review of Biology. 75 ( 2 ) : 113 -- 148. PMID 10858967. doi : 10.1086 / 393377. ^ Jump up to : Matthews, A ; Haas, DM ; O'Mathúna, DP ; Dowswell, T ( 8 September 2015 ). `` Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy ''. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews ( 9 ) : CD007575. PMID 26348534. doi : 10.1002 / 14651858. CD007575. pub4. ^ Jump up to : Jarvis, S ; Nelson - Piercy, C ( Jun 17, 2011 ). `` Management of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. ''. BMJ ( Clinical research ed. ). 342 : d3606. PMID 21685438. doi : 10.1136 / bmj. d3606. ^ Jump up to : Clark SM, Dutta E, Hankins GD ( September 2014 ). `` The outpatient management and special considerations of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy ''. Semin Perinatol. 38 ( 14 ) : 496 -- 502. PMID 25267280. doi : 10.1053 / j. semperi. 2014.08. 014. Jump up ^ Koren, G ( October 2012 ). `` Motherisk update. Is ondansetron safe for use during pregnancy ? ''. Canadian Family Physician. 58 ( 10 ) : 1092 -- 3. PMC 3470505. PMID 23064917. Jump up ^ Tan, PC ; Omar, SZ ( April 2011 ). `` Contemporary approaches to hyperemesis during pregnancy. ''. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 23 ( 2 ) : 87 -- 93. PMID 21297474. doi : 10.1097 / GCO. 0b013e328342d208. Jump up ^ Poon, SL ( October 2011 ). `` Towards evidence - based emergency medicine : Best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. BET 2 : Steroid therapy in the treatment of intractable hyperemesis gravidarum. ''. Emergency medicine journal : EMJ. 28 ( 10 ) : 898 -- 900. PMID 21918097. doi : 10.1136 / emermed - 2011 - 200636. Jump up ^ Thomson, M. ; Corbin, R. ; Leung, L. ( 2014 ). `` Effects of Ginger for Nausea and Vomiting in Early Pregnancy : A Meta - Analysis ''. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 27 ( 1 ) : 115 -- 122. ISSN 1557 - 2625. doi : 10.3122 / jabfm. 2014.01. 130167. Jump up ^ Borrelli F, Capasso R, Aviello G, Pittler MH, Izzo AA ( 2005 ). `` Effectiveness and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy - induced nausea and vomiting ''. Obstetrics and gynecology. 105 ( 4 ) : 849 -- 56. PMID 15802416. doi : 10.1097 / 01. AOG. 0000154890.47642. 23. Jump up ^ Tiran, Denise ( Feb 2012 ). `` Ginger to reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy : Evidence of effectiveness is not the same as proof of safety ''. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 18 ( 1 ) : 22 -- 25. ISSN 1744 - 3881. doi : 10.1016 / j. ctcp. 2011.08. 007. Jump up ^ Cohen, Wayne R., ed. ( 2000 ). Cherry and Merkatz 's complications of pregnancy. ( 5th ed. ). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 124. ISBN 9780683016734. External links Classification V T D ICD - 10 : O21. 0 ICD - 9 - CM : 643.0 External resources MedlinePlus : 003119 Pathology of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium ( O, 630 -- 679 ) Pregnancy Pregnancy with abortive outcome Ectopic pregnancy Abdominal pregnancy Cervical pregnancy Interstitial pregnancy Ovarian pregnancy Molar pregnancy Miscarriage Stillbirth Oedema, proteinuria and hypertensive disorders Gestational hypertension Pre-eclampsia HELLP syndrome Eclampsia Other, predominantly related to pregnancy Digestive system Acute fatty liver of pregnancy Gestational diabetes Hepatitis E Hyperemesis gravidarum Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy Integumentary system / dermatoses of pregnancy Gestational pemphigoid Impetigo herpetiformis Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy Linea nigra Prurigo gestationis Pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy ( PUPPP ) Striae gravidarum Nervous system Chorea gravidarum Blood Gestational thrombocytopenia Pregnancy - induced hypercoagulability Maternal care related to the fetus and amniotic cavity amniotic fluid Oligohydramnios Polyhydramnios Braxton Hicks contractions chorion / amnion Amniotic band syndrome Chorioamnionitis Chorionic hematoma Monoamniotic twins Premature rupture of membranes Obstetrical hemorrhage Antepartum placenta Circumvallate placenta Monochorionic twins Placenta praevia Placental abruption Twin - to - twin transfusion syndrome Labor Amniotic fluid embolism Cephalopelvic disproportion Dystocia Shoulder dystocia Fetal distress Locked twins Obstetrical hemorrhage Postpartum Pain management during childbirth placenta Placenta accreta Preterm birth Postmature birth Umbilical cord prolapse Uterine rupture Vasa praevia Puerperal Breastfeeding difficulties Lactation failure Galactorrhea Cracked nipples Breast engorgement Diastasis symphysis pubis Peripartum cardiomyopathy Postpartum depression Postpartum thyroiditis Puerperal fever Puerperal mastitis Other Concomitant conditions Diabetes mellitus Systemic lupus erythematosus Thyroid disorders Maternal death Sexual activity during pregnancy NDL : 00568956 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morning_sickness&oldid=801812331 '' Categories : Health issues in pregnancy Vomiting Gynaecology Obstetrics Midwifery Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017 RTT Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch ދިވެހިބަސް فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia עברית ಕನ್ನಡ Kiswahili Nederlands 日本 語 ଓଡ଼ିଆ Português தமிழ் ไทย Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 22 September 2017, at 00 : 52. 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Question: what is the meaning of morning sickness in pregnancy
Answer: a symptom of pregnancy that involves nausea or vomiting