Morning sickness Information | Mount Sinai

Nausea in the morning – females; Vomiting in the morning – females; Nausea during pregnancy; Pregnancy nausea; Pregnancy vomiting; Vomiting during pregnancy

Morning sickness is nausea and vomiting that can occur at any time of the day during pregnancy.

Morning sickness usually begins during the first month of pregnancy and continues until the 14th to 16th week. Although, some women can have nausea and vomiting through their entire pregnancy. Morning sickness is very common and does not hurt the baby in any way. The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown. However, it may be caused by either hormonal changes or lower blood sugar during early pregnancy. Emotional stress, traveling, or some foods can aggravate the problem.

Considerations

Morning sickness is very common. Most pregnant women have at least some nausea, and about one third have vomiting.

Morning sickness most often begins during the first month of pregnancy and continues through the 14th to 16th week (3rd or 4th month). Some women have nausea and vomiting through their entire pregnancy.

Morning sickness does not hurt the baby in any way unless you lose weight, such as with severe vomiting. Mild weight loss during the first trimester is not uncommon when women have moderate symptoms, and is not harmful to the baby.

The amount of morning sickness during one pregnancy does not predict how you will feel in future pregnancies.

Causes

The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown. It may be caused by hormone changes or lower blood sugar during early pregnancy. Emotional stress, fatigue, traveling, or some foods can make the problem worse. Nausea in pregnancy is more common and can be worse with twins or triplets.

Home Care

Try to keep a positive attitude. Remember that in most cases morning sickness stops after the first 3 or 4 months of pregnancy. To reduce nausea, try:

• A few soda crackers or dry toast when you first wake up, even before you get out of bed in the morning.
• A small snack at bedtime and when getting up to go to the bathroom at night.
• Avoid large meals; instead, snack as often as every 1 to 2 hours during the day and drink plenty of fluids.
• Eat foods high in protein and complex carbohydrates, such as peanut butter on apple slices or celery; nuts; cheese; crackers; milk; cottage cheese; and yogurt; avoid foods high in fat and salt, but low in nutrition.
• Ginger products (proven effective against morning sickness) such as ginger tea, ginger candy, and ginger soda.

Here are some more tips:

• Acupressure wrist bands or acupuncture may help. You can find these bands in drug, health food, and travel and boating stores. If you are thinking about trying acupuncture, talk to your doctor and look for an acupuncturist who is trained to work with pregnant women.
• Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke.
• Avoid taking medicines for morning sickness. If you do, ask a doctor first.
• Keep air flowing through rooms to reduce odors.
• When you feel nauseated, bland foods like gelatin, broth, ginger ale, and saltine crackers can soothe your stomach.
• Take your prenatal vitamins at night. Increase vitamin B6 in your diet by eating whole grains, nuts, seeds, and peas and beans (legumes). Talk to your doctor about possibly taking vitamin B6 supplements. Doxylamine is another medicine that is sometimes prescribed and is known to be safe.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your health care provider if:

• Morning sickness does not improve, despite trying home remedies.
• Nausea and vomiting continue beyond your 4th month of pregnancy. This happens to some women. In most cases this is normal, but you should have it checked out.
• You vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds. (Call immediately.)
• You vomit more than 3 times per day or you cannot keep food or liquid down.
• Your urine appears to be concentrated and dark, or you urinate very infrequently.
• You have excessive weight loss.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

Your provider will do a physical examination, including a pelvic exam, and look for any signs of dehydration.

Your provider may ask the following questions:

• Are you only nauseated or do you also vomit?
• Does the nausea and vomiting occur every day?
• Does it last throughout the day?
• Can you keep down any food or fluid?
• Have you been traveling?
• Has your schedule changed?
• Are you feeling stressed?
• What foods have you been eating?
• Do you smoke?
• What have you done to try to feel better?
• What other symptoms do you have — headaches, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, dry mouth, excessive thirst, unintended weight loss?

Your provider may do the following tests:

• Blood tests including CBC and blood chemistry (chem-20)
• Urine tests
• Ultrasound

Antony KM, Racusin DA, Aagaard K, Dildy GA. Maternal physiology. In: Landon MB, Galan HL, Jauniaux ERM, et al, eds. Gabbe’s Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 3.

Bonthala N, Wong MS. Gastrointestinal diseases in pregnancy. In: Landon MB, Galan HL, Jauniaux ERM, et al, eds. Gabbe’s Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 53.

Smith RP. Routine prenatal care: first trimester. In: Smith RP, ed. Netter’s Obstetrics and Gynecology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 198.

Last reviewed on: 7/13/2021

Reviewed by: John D. Jacobson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

Vomiting and morning sickness – NHS

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, often known as morning sickness, is very common in early pregnancy.

It can affect you at any time of the day or night or you may feel sick all day long.

Morning sickness is unpleasant, and can significantly affect your day-to-day life. But it usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20 of your pregnancy and does not put your baby at any increased risk.

There is a chance of developing a severe form of pregnancy sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum. This can be serious, and there’s a chance you may not get enough fluids in your body (dehydration) or not get enough nutrients from your diet (malnourishment). You may need specialist treatment, sometimes in hospital.

Sometimes urinary tract infections (UTIs) can also cause nausea and vomiting. A UTI usually affects the bladder, but can spread to the kidneys.

Non-urgent advice: Call your midwife, GP or 111 if:

you’re vomiting and:

• have very dark-coloured urine or have not had a pee in more than 8 hours
• are unable to keep food or fluids down for 24 hours
• feel severely weak, dizzy or faint when standing up
• have tummy (abdominal) pain
• have a high temperature
• vomit blood
• have lost weight

Treatments for morning sickness

Unfortunately, there’s no hard and fast treatment that will work for everyone’s morning sickness. Every pregnancy will be different.

But there are some changes you can make to your diet and daily life to try to ease the symptoms.

If these do not work for you or you’re having more severe symptoms, your doctor or midwife might recommend medicine.

Things you can try yourself

If your morning sickness is not too bad, your GP or midwife will initially recommend you try some lifestyle changes:

• get plenty of rest (tiredness can make nausea worse)
• avoid foods or smells that make you feel sick
• eat something like dry toast or a plain biscuit before you get out of bed
• eat small, frequent meals of plain foods that are high in carbohydrate and low in fat (such as bread, rice, crackers and pasta)
• eat cold foods rather than hot ones if the smell of hot meals makes you feel sick
• drink plenty of fluids, such as water (sipping them little and often may help prevent vomiting)
• eat foods or drinks containing ginger – there’s some evidence ginger may help reduce nausea and vomiting (check with your pharmacist before taking ginger supplements during pregnancy)
• try acupressure – there’s some evidence that putting pressure on your wrist, using a special band or bracelet on your forearm, may help relieve the symptoms

Find out more about vitamins and supplements in pregnancy

Anti-sickness medicine

If your nausea and vomiting is severe and does not improve after trying the above lifestyle changes, your GP may recommend a short-term course of an anti-sickness medicine, called an antiemetic, that’s safe to use in pregnancy.

Often this will be a type of antihistamine, which are usually used to treat allergies but also work as medicines to stop sickness (antiemetic).

Antiemetics will usually be given as tablets for you to swallow.

But if you cannot keep these down, your doctor may suggest an injection or a type of medicine that’s inserted into your bottom (suppository).

See your GP if you’d like to talk about getting anti-sickness medication.

Risk factors for morning sickness

It’s thought hormonal changes in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are probably one of the causes of morning sickness.

But you may be more at risk of it if:

• you’re having twins or more
• you had severe sickness and vomiting in a previous pregnancy
• you tend to get motion sickness (for example, car sick)
• you have a history of migraine headaches
• morning sickness runs in the family
• you used to feel sick when taking contraceptives containing oestrogen
• it’s your first pregnancy
• you’re obese (your BMI is 30 or more)
• you’re experiencing stress

Visit the pregnancy sickness support site for tips for you and your partner on dealing with morning sickness.

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Video: how can I cope with morning sickness?

In this video, a midwife gives advice on how to deal with morning sickness during your pregnancy.

Media last reviewed: 25 January 2023
Media review due: 25 January 2026

Community content from HealthUnlocked

Page last reviewed: 13 April 2021

Next review due: 13 April 2024

Nausea and vomiting in pregnant women – what to do with toxicosis so as not to feel sick? | Blog

Nausea is a common symptom in pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy. Its manifestations range from mild to quite pronounced and can cause significant obstacles to normal nutrition.

Acute nausea and vomiting during pregnancy occurs in 50% of women. Realizing that every second pregnant woman is faced with this condition, a dietitian, gastroenterologist Oleg Vitalievich Shvets helped us figure out the causes, possible consequences and shared tips on how to alleviate her condition during toxicosis and what to do so as not to feel sick.

In the article you will learn:

• What is toxicosis?
• Effects of toxicosis on the fetus?
• Causes of toxicosis
• Can I take vitamin complexes
• How to eat during toxicosis
• What to do in case of complications
• How to curb nausea?

What is toxicosis?

As we wrote above, every second pregnant woman faces acute nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy. In the English-language literature, the term “morning sickness” is used for this condition, although in fact nausea and vomiting can occur at any time of the day, and not just in the morning.

Significant hormonal changes during the first months of pregnancy are believed to be the cause of the malaise. In most pregnant women, the symptoms of nausea and vomiting are significantly weakened or disappear before 12-14 weeks.

However, in 1-3% of pregnancies, nausea and vomiting are severe and become debilitating – this condition is called toxicosis or preeclampsia of pregnancy . In English-speaking countries, the term hyperemesis (Hyperemesis Gravidarum) is used.

Toxicosis can be potentially life threatening and often requires specialized treatment: intravenous fluids for dehydration or antiemetics.

The main symptoms of toxicosis include:

• severe persistent nausea and vomiting,
• suboptimal nutrition,
• dehydration and rapid weight loss.

This condition can significantly impair routine and quality of life, especially if women work or have other children in need of care.

Effects of toxicosis on the fetus

Women with toxicosis worry that the condition will harm their unborn child. In fact, with moderate toxicosis, the fetus receives all the nutrients necessary for healthy growth and development.

But there is a hypothetical risk that weight loss during pregnancy could result in a low birth weight baby.

. gonadotropin (HCG).

➡️ Nausea and vomiting during previous pregnancies or family history (if this happened in your family). Being aware of the risk helps prepare mentally for the next pregnancy.

➡️ Obesity – body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more at the beginning of pregnancy. If you are planning to have a baby, losing weight before pregnancy is beneficial and reduces the chance of morning sickness.

➡️ Vitamin B6 Deficiency
Research indicates a link between vitamin B6 levels and nausea during pregnancy. Vitamin B6 contributes to the optimal use and storage of energy by the body. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet before conception and during pregnancy, you will usually get the amount of B6 you need. At the same time, with insufficient intake of food or absorption of nutrients, its deficiency may occur.
Try to eat enough foods containing vitamin B6: brown rice, whole grain bread, fish and poultry, fortified breakfast cereals, nuts, green leafy vegetables.

Can I take vitamin complexes during pregnancy?

Whether or not you can take vitamin complexes is a matter worth discussing with your doctor.

If you have no contraindications, the appointment and use of special vitamin-mineral complexes for pregnant women is possible. They, in particular, contain the optimal amount of vitamin B6, and also help to supply the body with the necessary vitamins, minerals and trace elements in case of nausea and vomiting of pregnant women.

How to eat with toxicosis?

It is important for a pregnant woman that the necessary amount of energy, micro, macro, nutrients and water enter the body along with food. During toxicosis, when a woman is constantly worried about nausea and vomiting, this is sometimes quite difficult to do.

Useful Dietary Advice for Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy:

1. If you are having trouble eating regularly during pregnancy due to nausea and vomiting, then there is no need to worry about the calorie content of your individual meals.
2. Determine the time of day when you are easiest and can eat, and then increase your food intake at that time. Try to eat foods that are high in energy and protein to get the maximum amount of nutrients from a smaller serving.
3. Enrich foods to make them more nutritious. For example:

• add yogurt, cream or condensed milk to fruit;
• eat vegetables with melted butter;
• put cream and cheese in mashed potatoes, pasta dishes, soups and stews;
• Eat dairy and sour-milk products with normal fat content.

Restrictions on sugary and fatty foods such as chocolate, biscuits, cakes and sugary drinks should be lifted temporarily. These foods will increase your energy intake when food is scarce. But be careful not to overindulge in these foods, they contain empty calories.

• cereal with milk,
• tuna or chicken sandwiches,
• cream cheese on toast,
• soups,
• crackers,
• bread sticks and other dry starchy foods.

If you are losing weight, your doctor or dietitian may recommend a short course of oral supplementation. In particular, in the form of a milkshake, fruit juice, soup or yogurt, according to your preference. They contain plenty of protein and additional vitamins and minerals to help restore energy and strength.

Dealing with complications

Dehydration, malnutrition and prolonged vomiting can lead to associated symptoms such as constipation, sleep problems, acid reflux or heartburn, etc.

Some of them will help to minimize nutrition.

➡️ Constipation

• Drink more fluids.
• Increase your fiber intake from fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Include three to four kiwi fruits in your meal plan.
• Try dried fruits or prunes for breakfast.

➡️ Chapped lips and mouth ulcers

• Drink plenty.
• Take a multivitamin recommended for pregnant women.

➡️ Acid reflux or heartburn

• Eat slowly while sitting upright.
• Eat small meals and often.
• Avoid fatty and spicy foods.
• Do not eat 2 hours before bed.

➡️ Trouble sleeping

• Drink a warm milky drink before going to bed.
• You should also eat some unsweetened crackers.

➡️ Vitamin and mineral deficiency

• Eat a balanced diet.
• Eat little and often, every 1-2 hours.
• Take a multivitamin recommended for pregnant women at the time of day when you are least likely to vomit.

How to curb nausea?

• Drink more frequently throughout the day. Suitable cold and carbonated drinks, smoothies and fruit juices.
• Try lollipops, ice cream and frozen fruit juice ice cubes. They are also a great way to stay hydrated.
• It is easier for the stomach to digest soft foods. Avoid overly spicy foods, sugary desserts, fatty or fried foods. If you can’t digest meat and fish, eat more plant-based protein sources like beans, chickpeas, and lentils.
• Dry foods such as crackers, toast or plain biscuits are often better tolerated.
• A small study found that fresh ginger root or ginger oral capsules at 250 mg 4 times a day can help with severe nausea (on a four-day course). But, if you are taking anticoagulants, use ginger with caution. You can also try gingerbread cookies or other products with ginger.
• Peppermint and chamomile teas are effective for some women.

❇️ Important! If you have persistent nausea, let alone vomiting, this is a reason to seek emergency medical care.

Patients who monitor their pregnancy in Leleka antenatal clinics in Pushcha-Voditsa on Obolon and Pechersk in Kiev, with any complications during pregnancy or deterioration in well-being, can always seek help from their obstetrician-gynecologist who monitors pregnancy. If specialized assistance is needed, the doctor will give a referral to our pregnancy pathology department, where the pregnant patient will receive qualified medical care for toxicosis and vomiting in a comfortable hospital.

We wish you an easy and pleasant pregnancy and hope that our advice is simply not needed.❤️

Nausea in early pregnancy. Why do you feel sick during pregnancy

How long pregnancy can be determined is a question of interest to many women. Every second woman feels sick during pregnancy. An unpleasant symptom appears even before a woman finds out that she is in a position. We tell you why the malaise begins, how many months it lasts and how you can cope with unpleasant symptoms.

What is toxicosis

Morning (and sometimes afternoon and evening) ailments, along with sore breasts and the absence of menstruation, are considered the main signs by which a woman understands that she is pregnant. But from what day of pregnancy does she start to feel sick? The period at which toxicosis begins varies.

Nearly a third of women experience nausea approximately 4 weeks after the end of their last period. In the remaining 70%, toxicosis occurs at week 8. At the same time, in addition to nausea, half of the women also experience vomiting. In the vast majority of pregnant women, all unpleasant symptoms disappear by the 14th week.

However, nausea may return in the third trimester. Most often, over long periods of nausea during pregnancy occurs after eating.

This is due to the fact that the uterus increases as the child develops and grows and squeezes the stomach, which causes a feeling of overeating and nausea. But it also happens that this is a sign of preeclampsia, which must be treated.

Most often, morning sickness and vomiting occur. An attack can also be provoked by:

• unpleasant odors;
• being in a stuffy room;
• motion sickness in transport;
• as a reaction to a certain type of food and other factors.

However, discomfort can occur unexpectedly or in cases where everything was normal before.

Among the risk factors that lead to the development of toxicosis are migraines, overweight, endocrine disorders, bronchial asthma, depression, eating disorders, underweight, multiple pregnancy. However, these factors do not mean that a pregnant woman will definitely have toxicosis.

Important! Nausea is not only an unpleasant symptom that overshadows the joy of future motherhood. It can lead to serious consequences. Among them are weight loss, insomnia, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, multiple organ failure and spontaneous abortion.

Causes of toxicosis

Almost every woman is faced with the question of what causes nausea during pregnancy? Several factors play a role in the etiology of toxicosis. What exactly provokes its development in a particular woman is impossible. Among the main reasons are the following:

However, it is important to distinguish the symptoms of toxicosis from other diseases. Nausea and vomiting can also be a sign of other illnesses, such as:

1. renal failure;
2. peptic ulcer.

Therefore, with severe toxicosis, it is imperative to undergo examinations to exclude other pathologies.

Usually, a general and biochemical blood test, a blood test for infections, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and urinary system, as well as fibrogastroduodenoscopy and consultations with specialized specialists are prescribed. Treatment and examinations are carried out with care so that it does not harm the child.

Be sure to consult a gastroenterologist, endocrinologist and nephrologist if the symptoms of toxicosis persist after the 14th week of pregnancy so that this does not pose a danger to the baby. Our doctors will answer all your questions by phone at any time of the day.

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What to do to not feel sick

You can prevent the development of nausea and toxicosis even during preparation for it. It is necessary to undergo examinations and treat all pathologies found. Particular attention should be paid to diseases that are a risk factor in the development of discomfort.

Photo: How to cope with nausea and toxicosis

Another important point is adjusting the diet. In general, it is recommended to give up fried, fatty and spicy foods, as well as start eating often and in small portions. Food should be at room temperature. In addition, it is recommended to drink more.

Case study:

The patient went to the gynecologist with complaints of severe nausea, persistent vomiting and weight loss. The gynecologist did not write off everything for pregnancy and conducted a full examination. FGDS with a biopsy revealed the presence of Helicobacter pylori and signs of gastritis in a woman. After treatment of the underlying disease, the symptoms of toxicosis also decreased.

Plain water and tea can be replaced with mineral water and herbal infusions of mint, lemon balm, chamomile, cranberry and ginger. However, you should not get carried away with herbs, as they may have an impact on the course of pregnancy.

If these methods do not help, the gynecologist may recommend taking antiemetics, vitamin preparations, isotonic solutions, and sedatives. Consultation with a psychologist is also recommended to exclude psychogenic factors.

In severe cases and with signs of exhaustion, the pregnant woman is placed in a hospital where more intensive therapy is carried out. If the woman’s condition does not improve, termination of the pregnancy may be recommended as a last resort.

If toxicosis does not cause trouble, it is not treated in any way. They only offer to slightly adjust the diet and try folk methods of dealing with toxicosis. These include a few sips of mineral water, saltine crackers, or a lemon wedge right after waking up.

Read also
Edema during pregnancy

FAQ

At what time can pregnancy be determined?

+

A blood test for chorionic gonadotropin can show pregnancy as early as 6–8 days after conception. However, it is more reliable to carry it out 3-5 days after the delay or on the 12th day after conception.

How many days after conception does it start to vomit?

+

Nausea can develop from 4 to 7 weeks after the last menstruation, that is, even before the delay appears. Symptoms of toxicosis usually disappear by 12-14 weeks. Also, unpleasant symptoms may return in the third trimester.

What to do if the chest stops hurting during pregnancy?

+

If the chest stops hurting at any stage of pregnancy, this may indicate hormonal disorders in the expectant mother. It can lead to problems with gestation, so any changes in well-being must be reported to the gynecologist.

How to distinguish toxicosis from ordinary nausea?

+

Toxicosis usually manifests itself in the morning, and nausea – at any time of the day, including in the evening. If nausea is not complicated by vomiting, but does not go away within a few days, it is recommended to do a home pregnancy test or donate blood for hCG.

Expert opinion

Nausea during late pregnancy may indicate the development of preeclampsia. This complication affects all organs and leads to the development of severe multiple organ failure. In addition to nausea and vomiting, a pregnant woman is worried about swelling, severe headaches, rapid weight gain, high blood pressure and visual impairment.

Preeclampsia has the most serious consequences for both the mother and the unborn baby. Therefore, if late toxicosis is suspected, a woman is placed under the constant supervision of a doctor in the department of pregnancy pathology.

We publish only verified information

Article author

Menshikova Maria Viktorovna

obstetrician-gynecologist

Experience 38 years

Consultations 1816

Articles 95

Specialist with extensive practical experience.