Causes of Morning Sickness

Doctors have known that the condition of morning sickness – vomiting and nausea is experienced in the early stages of pregnancy. This is essentially a good sign of a healthy pregnancy, despite of the discomfort that it brings. However, some scientists have literally debated over whether morning sickness actually helps in pregnancy. At times, it could be very annoying and can cause loss of nutrients.

Unfortunately, the cause for morning sickness is not known, but it seems that the main cause for this condition is related to chemical changes occurring within the body. The changes include the increase in progesterone and estrogen levels, excess of stomach acids and the enhanced sense of the smell. It has also been suggested that fatigue and stress accompanying pregnancy too play an important role.

It is stated that pregnancy morning sickness occurs due to the dominant hormone progesterone which is present during the pregnancy period. Progesterone has a softening effect on the body’s muscles. It is thought that progesterone aids in prevention of preterm labor by simply effecting uterine muscles. It also has an effect on other muscles like intestine and stomach. Furthermore, progesterone helps by relaxing the complete digestive system that allows elimination of wastes from the body. These can lead to the slow process of emptying the stomach that can cause excessive stomach acids.

Another theory that is accepted widely states that the condition of morning sickness is mainly caused by buildup of the HCG which is Human Chronic Gonadotopin in the system. HCG is mainly produced after conception, this hormone then increases until the twelfth week of the pregnancy period, when the hCG level would start to decrease. After this period the symptoms of morning sickness should start to decrease.

However, the condition of morning sickness isn’t all bad. Recent studies have suggested that would-be-mothers experiencing morning sickness normally have fewer chances of miscarriage.

Increases in the HCG hormones during the early pregnancy period will cause morning sickness. It is also caused due to the deficiency in the hormonal changes, which further relax the gastrointestinal tract and also slow down the digestive system. Deficiency of Vitamin B6 and B in the body too is a common cause of morning sickness. Therefore, the condition of morning sickness can be easily cured by taking prenatal vitamins.