A pregnant woman looks at her reflection in a bathroom mirror with a hand on her stomach.
Morning sickness commonly peaks around weeks 7 to 12 of pregnancy, but experiences vary.Drazen Lovric/Getty Images

Morning sickness is the nausea and vomiting up to 80% of people experience during pregnancy. You can feel nauseous in the morning for other reasons, such as low blood sugar, but the term "morning sickness" is mainly exclusive to pregnancy.

Rebekah Mustaleski, a licensed certified professional midwife, says that despite its name, morning sickness isn't limited to a certain time of day. "A better name for it would be 'all day sickness,'" she says. 

That's why some experts simply call morning sickness nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. 

When does morning sickness start and end?

Morning sickness commonly starts around the sixth week of pregnancy, peaks around weeks 7 to 12, and tapers off sometime around the end of the first trimester, or 13 to 14 weeks. But everyone experiences it differently, so this time frame may not reflect your experience.

"Some people find their morning sickness doesn't improve until 20 weeks, and some people still have some queasiness that hangs around throughout their pregnancy," says Mustaleski. 

It's unclear why morning sickness lasts longer for some people than others. But for around 0.3% to 2% of pregnant people, persistent morning sickness is actually hyperemesis gravidarum. This condition causes severe nausea and vomiting that can require medical treatment, including medication, IV fluids, or even hospitalization. 

Symptoms

Morning sickness generally involves:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Excess saliva
  • Dry heaving or gagging
  • Sensitivity to smell
  • Food aversions

Symptoms can vary from person to person. For example, some people only experience nausea and don't vomit at all during their pregnancy. Others might vomit multiple times a day.

Sometimes morning sickness becomes severe enough to require medical attention. Signs that suggest hyperemesis gravidarum include:

  • Losing more than 5% of your body weight
  • Dehydration due to not being able to keep fluids down
  • Dizziness and fainting
  • Signs of blood in your vomit

It's a good idea to mention these symptoms to your OB-GYN or midwife as soon as possible. Treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum usually involves rehydration with IV fluids and medication.

Causes

It's not entirely clear what causes morning sickness but we do know higher levels of the pregnancy hormone HCG could make it worse, says Anna Cabeca, an OB-GYN with a private practice.

That's why pregnancy with twins may cause more severe morning sickness. Twins typically means two placentas, which translates to higher levels of HCG, since it's the placenta that produces HCG.

Some people believe pregnancies with girls are more likely to cause severe morning sickness than pregnancies with boys. While this hasn't been proven, some research actually backs it up. 

Low blood sugar and hunger can also make morning sickness worse. It's likely that morning sickness tends to strike in the morning because you've just gone through the night without eating, which leads to a dip in blood sugar.

Remedies

There's no magic cure for morning sickness, but you might find a certain food or approach helps you manage it. Some trial-and-error can help you find a remedy that works for you.

1. Dietary changes

"Your diet and levels of dehydration all contribute to morning sickness," says Cabeca.

Since morning sickness can make your stomach more sensitive than usual, eating the "right" foods and staying hydrated are often easier said than done. 

A few adjustments that might help take the edge off:

  • Eat small, frequent meals to avoid an empty stomach
  • Stick with bland foods like crackers and bread
  • Incorporate protein where you can, such as in a protein shake
  • Sip flavored waters, juice, or broth if you can't stomach plain water

You're in what many pregnant people call "survival mode," and at the end of the day, going with your gut may be more likely to lead you to foods that agree with you.

2. Ginger

Ginger is often recommended as an at-home morning sickness remedy, and many studies back up its effectiveness.

In fact, a small 2007 study found ginger to be more effective than vitamin B6 at treating nausea and vomiting during pregnancy when study participants took 650 mg of ginger three times per day for four days.

You might find some relief with ginger supplements, teas, or even candies.

3. Vitamin B6 and doxylamine (Unisom)

If you ask your OB-GYN or midwife what first-line treatment they recommend for morning sickness, chances are this combo will be high on the list.

Taking a combination of vitamin B6 and doxylamine, an over-the-counter sleep medication, has been shown to reduce morning sickness symptoms by up to 70%. Make sure to check with your care team before using this method to ensure you've got the dosage right for you.

4. Aromatherapy

If morning sickness has increased your sensitivity to smell, aromatherapy might help.

  • One small 2021 study found aromatherapy with an essential oil diffuser helpful for relieving some morning sickness nausea. 
  • Another small study from 2018 found aromatherapy with peppermint oil slightly reduced the severity of morning sickness, but didn't help much more than the placebo.

While aromatherapy probably won't make morning sickness go away entirely, it can't hurt — and a pleasant scent could offer a distraction from your symptoms.

5. Acupressure and anti-nausea wristbands 

Acupressure is a treatment that involves stimulating specific pressure points on your body. One useful spot for morning sickness is pressure point P-6, located on the underside of your wrist. 

Anti-nausea wristbands used for motion sickness help some pregnant people manage morning sickness, and a 2006 study with acupressure wristbands backs this up.

If you'd like to try acupressure for morning sickness, here are three pressure points for managing nausea and how to stimulate them.

6. Prescription medication

Your doctor might prescribe a medication such as ondansetron (Zofran) for severe, persistent morning sickness, especially if you have hyperemesis gravidarum. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ondansetron isn't likely to increase the risk of birth defects. Still, some doctors are cautious about prescribing the medication unless nausea and vomiting severely affect your health.

Other FDA-approved prescription medications your doctor might prescribe include Diclegis and Bonjesta, both of which contain doxylamine and vitamin B6. 

Insider's takeaway

While morning sickness is nothing to make light of, it never lasts forever. Still, it's easy to feel discouraged when dealing with symptoms.

"I hope you won't feel like this is something you did wrong or could have prevented," says Mustaleski. "Morning sickness is often a normal part of a totally healthy pregnancy."

Mustaleski also says it's a good idea to reach out to friends and family for help if you need it.

Read the original article on Insider