Around half to two thirds of all pregnant women will experience morning sickness to some degree, particularly in the first trimester. 

Symptoms of morning sickness can include:

• Nausea (can be mild or severe)
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Psychological effects, such as depression and anxiety

For most women, morning sickness begins around the fourth week of pregnancy and resolves by the 15th to 17th week. However, one in five women endures morning sickness into their second semester, and an unfortunate few experience nausea and vomiting for the entire duration of their pregnancy. Morning sickness is typically at its worst early in the day, due to low blood sugar levels, but it can be present at any point during the day or night. 

Causes

There is no one single cause, but perhaps a combination of the following factors:

• An increase in the circulating level of oestrogen. Oestrogen levels may increase by up to a hundredfold during pregnancy
• Low blood sugar during pregnancy
• An increase in progesterone relaxes the muscles in the uterus, which prevents early childbirth but may also relax the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, leading to excess stomach acids
• An increase in human chorionic gonadotropin
• An increase insensitivity to odors, which over stimulates normal nausea triggers
• An increase in bowel movement
• Stress and anxiety are also thought to be contributing factors. Stress about having a baby in general, financial problems associated with having a baby, anxiety about how your existing children will react to another family member etc, etc! The list of possible triggers for stress or anxiety are endless for pregnant women 

A holistic treatment plan

• A hypoglycaemic diet consisting of low Glycaemic foods should be followed as this has been implicated as a major contributing factor to morning sickness. Read our Glycaemic Index article in the Health & Fitness section
• Ginger (capsule or tea) and Vitamin B6 are very effective for many women
• Acupuncture has proven to be effective for many women
• Identifying and dealing with any causes of stress or anxiety can be an effective way to reduce morning sickenss

Complications

In most cases, morning sickness doesn’t harm the woman or the unborn child. However, severe morning sickness that includes weight loss and dehydration needs prompt medical attention.