A lot of women find that they spend the beginning of their pregnancy sailing through the stages, and looking forward to motherhood, at least until a couple of weeks pass, and a strange feeling sets in towards the pit of their stomach. Unfortunately, morning sickness is a common side effect of pregnancy, and chances are that it's something you'll have to deal with for a number of weeks. However, understanding nausea during pregnancy can help to put your mind at ease if you're feeling at all concerned.
When Morning Sickness Begins
If you're among the three in every four women who suffer from morning sickness during the first trimester of pregnancy, you could experience the problem at any time of the day or night. Understanding nausea during pregnancy means realizing that it's not limited to appearing in only the mornings. Symptoms can start between week four and week nine, and peak somewhere between week seven and week twelve.
The positive news for most expectant moms is that the majority of pregnant women find that the worst of their nausea starts to disappear between weeks twelve to fourteen. Though some women continue to experience a number of symptoms as they go into the second trimester, most women can carry on with their pregnancy with as little discomfort as possible.
Morning Sickness Doesn't Harm Your Baby
Additional good news for worried mothers is that although morning sickness might make you feel terrible, it doesn't cause any harm to the baby. In fact, part of understanding nausea during pregnancy is realizing that morning sickness can be the indicator of a healthy pregnancy. One study involving over 2,400 pregnant women found that vomiting and nausea could be connected with a lower risk of problems during early pregnancy.
The reason for this is that when an egg attaches to the uterine lining, the body starts to produce a hormone known as HCG. While the cause of morning sickness during pregnancy isn't entirely certain, nausea typically happens when the production of HCG starts, which means that this could be an indication that your body is experiencing the normal changes in hormones required for a healthy pregnancy.
Lack Of Nausea Isn't Dangerous
Importantly, just because sickness during pregnancy can be a good sign, this doesn't mean that a lack of nausea is automatically cause for concern. Many women do not experience the common symptoms of early pregnancy, even though their bodies are still producing the right amount of hormones that they need for a healthy pregnancy.
What's more, in rare cases, severe nausea can indicate problems. For example, severe vomiting might indicate the presence of a molar pregnancy, in which the placenta develops a mass of abnormal cysts, or hyperemesis gravidarum, which is a condition that leads to the excessive loss of body fluids and weight that might require treatment with medications and fluids.
If you're worried about nausea during your pregnancy, it's always best to talk to an expert about your symptoms, and the options available to you. If nothing else, the medical consultation should be able to put your mind at ease.