Morning Sickness Health Video

Video Transcript

SKYLAR ULRICH, MD: Hi. I'm Dr. Ulrich. I'm going to talk about morning sickness. Morning sickness is mild to severe nausea and vomiting induced by pregnancy. It usually occurs in the first trimester, starting at around six weeks of estimated gestational age and lasting until about 16 to 18 weeks of estimated gestational age. This varies from person to person. Some women experienced morning sickness throughout their entire pregnancy. It also is not necessarily morning sickness. It can occur at any time of the day and may last well into the evening. Symptoms are nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and possible weight loss. It may be associated with irritability. It is caused by the rise in human chorionic gonadotrophin which occurs in the first trimester. Diagnosis is by clinical history, and treatment is mostly supportive. It is recommended that women in the first trimester of pregnancy avoid taking most medications, therefore, antinausea medication or antiemetics are generally not recommended. Vitamin B6 has been known to help in some cases, as well as making sure to keep some crackers or other type of bread snack close to the bed, and having something to eat prior to rising in the morning seems to help some women. Other than that, the treatment is supportive and the symptoms should resolve on their own.