The Major Culprit of Pregnancy...Morning Sickness
If you were to figure out, definitively, what causes morning sickness, you'd become a very popular person. Approximately 75% of all pregnant women would want to meet you and learn your secret! This is the percentage of women who experience at least some type of morning sickness during their first trimester. Morning sickness generally begins around six weeks, although it is possible for it to start earlier. It usually gets worse before it gets better. Approximately 50% of women report that their symptoms have eased by the 14th week. Some women do continue to feel sick through the entire pregnancy.
Causes of Morning Sickness
Unfortunately, no one has yet found the definitive answer to what causes morning sickness. It is certainly due, in part, to chemical changes occurring in the body of a pregnant woman. These changes have to do with an increase in estrogen and progesterone and a heightened sensitivity to smells. There is also extra stomach acid in the body of a pregnant person which can irritate the stomach and cause nausea.
hCG As the Culprit
One theory for the cause of morning sickness is the build up of hCG in the body. hCG is human chorionic gonadotopin which is in the system of a pregnant woman after the egg becomes fertilized. In continues to increase until the 12th week of the pregnancy, at which point these levels do steadily decrease. Many researchers believe that the hCG levels may be the culprit of morning sickness, since the sickness rises as the hCG does - and it dissipates as the levels go down.
Keep Your Nose to the Ground
Women definitely have a heightened sensitivity to smells during their pregnancy, and some people believe that this may be the main culprit on morning sickness. Certain aromas may trigger a woman's gag reflex, and these situations may then create an increase of estrogen in the body. Women should certainly avoid smells that they know will set them off and should be sensitive to this idea.
Get More Vitamin B
Another theory is that a lack of Vitamin B may cause morning sickness. Taking Vitamin B supplements during pregnancy has been found to help with nausea in some women. Some studies, however, have contradicted this idea, showing that there was no difference in the B6 levels in women who had morning sickness and those who didn't.
Smell That Food!
Nausea may also be caused by the enhanced sense of smell that many pregnant women have. Many women say that they develop an enhanced sensitivity to odors while pregnant; certain smells make them most sick. Certain aromas may trigger the gag reflex, and this trigger may be a result of the increased levels of estrogen in pregnant women.
Morning sickness is one of the many challenges that pregnant women will face on their road to motherhood. It is certainly important to remember that morning sickness will, eventually, pass and that it's all part of the process of creating this wonderful product - a baby!
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