Pregnant Nausea Defined
The term ‘pregnant nausea’ is more often referred to as morning sickness or pregnancy nausea. It will affect most pregnant women with studies indicating up to 85% will experience it at some time during their pregnancy. So if you happen to be experiencing this horrible side effect of pregnancy, then remember that you are certainly not alone.
Approximately half of all pregnant women will feel nauseous and have bouts of vomiting towards the end of their first trimester. There are even some women, estimated at around 20%, that do not feel queasy at all throughout total 9 months of pregnancy. These women are normally those expecting their first child.
For the majority of women who do have to suffer from pregnant nausea, they should expect to begin feeling the nausea and sickness anytime from the second month. It will normally last until about the fourth or fifth month. While this is obviously a very common condition, this knowledge does not make it any easier to accept when it occurs. Nausea and vomiting can be extremely draining especially as you will probably be more tired than usual. It is worthwhile trying to discuss your situation with someone. This might be a close friend, a relative, or a medical professional – just find someone that are comfortable with or that might have experience with this condition. Always keep in mind advice from medical practitioners who report that there are actually far fewer miscarriages amongst women that experience morning sickness compared to those that don’t.
The impact of pregnant nausea will vary for each individual. Every woman will have a different reaction or severity of experiences. The levels of sickness can vary significantly for each individual. While one person might feel unsettled or a little queasy in the stomach, the next person could be vomiting consistently for extended periods of time. It is really pretty random and is virtually impossible to predict.
Another issue to consider is the use of the term ‘morning’ sickness as this is basically a misnomer. The problem is not confided to mornings only and is actually defined in medical terms as ‘nausea and vomiting of pregnancy’. So some women will experience it at any time of the day which can be fairly distressing.
There is no clear answer as to why pregnant nausea occurs although numerous theories and explanations exist. They generally focus on the fluctuating hormones that naturally occur in the body as it copes with the major physical changes to it. One of these hormones is progesterone which is abundant soon after conception. This acts to relax muscles in the uterus which then prevents potential for early labor. However, it is suspected that it could also be responsible for relaxing stomach muscles too which leads to the queasiness.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is another hormone that could be responsible for pregnant nausea. Although it is not proven, it has been noted that hCG levels rise and fall in line with feelings of sickness.
There is another explanation that is based on sudden sensitivity to smells. Sometimes it will take just a sniff of an irritating smell to make you gag or want to vomit. If this situation happens to you, just avoid any possible locations that these smells might come from.
Although there are various possible explanations and treatments for pregnant nausea, remember that you will eventually get over it. Keep a positive attitude and look forward to the exciting time ahead.
