News article on Morning Sickness

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Natural Morning Sickness Relief5/12/05 - Healthnotes Newswire—A review of several studies concludes that ginger may be a safe and effective treatment for women suffering from the morning sickness of pregnancy, reports Obstetrics and Gynecology (2005;105:849–56).

Morning sickness affects as many as 85% of women in their first trimester of pregnancy. Sometimes the symptoms of nausea and vomiting are severe enough to require hospitalization for intravenous fluid and electrolyte replacement, a form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidum. Morning sickness usually resolves by the end of the twelfth week of gestation, but in a small percentage of women it can last throughout the entire pregnancy.

Medications used to treat morning sickness carry the risk of harm to the unborn baby. The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are a critical time in fetal development, when the baby is particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of certain medications and drugs. (Substances that can cause defects in the developing embryo are called teratogens.) Although the currently prescribed antinausea medications do not appear to cause birth defects, many expectant mothers prefer to forego taking any drugs during pregnancy