Nausea with or without vomiting is common in early pregnancy.
Causes
Nausea can occur in 50-90% of pregnant women, while in 25-50% of cases there is anxiety and complaints about this condition. More often, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy occur if the fetus is female.
The mechanisms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy are not fully understood. It is assumed that these disorders may be a manifestation of hormonal changes and motor disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract in combination with stress or psychological discomfort.
Modern medicine believes that nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is an evolutionary protection of the fetus during the formation of the embryo from harmful substances contained in food. These may include microorganisms found in meat products and toxins in plants.
This theory is supported by significantly fewer miscarriages and stillbirths in women with nausea in early pregnancy.
Symptoms
Nausea during pregnancy is usually short-term and goes away on its own without treatment. Most often (in 91% of women) it is observed in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Nausea usually begins at 9-10 weeks of pregnancy (rarely from the 6th), reaches a peak at 11-13 weeks and stops at 12-14 weeks . In 1-10% of pregnant women, symptoms persist until the 20-22nd week of pregnancy.
In its mild form, it is known as “morning sickness of pregnancy” and usually occurs in the morning and does not bother women during the day. Often this phenomenon is accompanied by increased salivation.
It is important not to miss the development of such complications as excessive vomiting during pregnancy .
With nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, the following additional symptoms are possible:
- depression,
- anxiety,
- mood changes,
- inability to concentrate,
- increased fatigue, weakness, dizziness,
- heightened sense of smell,
- sleep disorder,
- deterioration (distortion, perversion) of taste.
Diagnostics
If these symptoms appear, you should tell your doctor about them, as they may be a sign of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine, urinary and nervous systems.
The cause is often food, industrial allergens, medications and other substances.
The constant occurrence of nausea and vomiting in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters should be a cause for alarm, and often indicates the possibility of developing other conditions and diseases:
- pancreatitis;
- cholecystitis;
- hepatitis A;
- gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD);
- gastritis;
- peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
- appendicitis;
- urinary system infections,
- adrenal insufficiency;
- preeclampsia;
- polyhydramnios.
Treatment
There is a pregnancy medication safety scale developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to it, they are divided into the following categories:
- risk category A - no risk;
- risk category B (best) - no evidence of risk;
- risk category C (caution - caution) - risk cannot be excluded;
- risk category D (dangerous) - the risk is proven;
- risk category X - contraindicated during pregnancy.
Treatment of nausea in pregnant women is determined by the severity of symptoms.
For mild cases, it is necessary to use primarily non-drug methods:
- walks in the open air,
- encouragement,
- identification and exclusion of provoking factors,
- changing the nature and diet (in particular, reducing the volume and increasing the frequency of meals).
It is imperative to eliminate provoking external factors, including work-related ones (a pregnant woman needs to be released from work).
To restore psychological comfort during pregnancy, it is recommended to use
- psychorelaxation,
- acupressure,
- hypnosis.
Forecast
In general, the prognosis for mother and fetus is favorable. Moreover, women with mild nausea and vomiting have better pregnancy outcomes compared to women without these symptoms.
For dietary recommendations to reduce nausea and vomiting, see the article “ Diet for Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy .”
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